Hello to all of the Dundee fans from all over the globe! We hope this update finds everyone safe and well during these unprecedented and unimaginable times. This, I have to say, is the strangest and scariest period, certainly of my lifetime and it has brought to the forefront, that, despite all of our differences (especially those that we have in sport), we are truly all in this together and as such, we will get through this together.
We at Dundee Football Club have been constantly monitoring the situation we find ourselves in due to the COVID-19 virus and have been taking advice, giving guidance, and implementing protocols to keep our staff, patrons and partners safe and sound as we ensure the sustainability of the club.
First of all, the club do indeed have Business Interruption Insurance with specific additions of Notifiable Diseases and Prevention of Access to our Commercial Combined Insurance Policy which should allow us to have options to reimburse those losses incurred due to the cancellation of matches. It would be our intention, if the season is brought to an early conclusion, where practical, to reimburse those season ticket holders for the remainder of the season that was not played. This will be further assessed for timelines, etc., as we make our way through the claims process. We have often said that the club is a family and that remains true throughout this situation.
In addition to our insurance coverage, we have also sought to access various sources of support offered by the League, the Association, Government agencies and our associates. All that have been involved have been extremely helpful in our solidification of the club as a business. I would like to personally thank John Bennett for his very generous and selfless gesture of suspending rent on the stadium. His call, on day one of this crisis helped to set the tone for all that followed throughout this shutdown and is the epitome of showing how we are all in this together.
The UK Government and its agencies have also been extremely helpful in the offering of grants/loans and providing relief through the Job Retention Scheme. That includes HMRC. It is our experience, thus far, that this country’s handling of the crisis exceeds others in the mitigation of losses for businesses as well as individuals. In the coming days we will be implementing elements of the job retention scheme in respect of our staff and it is our intention that all are looked after fully throughout this crisis. This includes our football players, football staff and administrative staff receiving full pay while they are on furlough for the foreseeable future.
We also think it is right to give credit to the dedicated workers at the SPFL and SFA. They have been working in an ever-changing landscape throughout this unprecedented event. They have continued to keep us informed and provide us advice on how to best navigate this predicament. They have freely shared the advice and guidance they are receiving from the government and UEFA as we all feel our way through these weeks. We continue to take advice and express our opinions on what football should look like when football resumes. Although none of us know yet what will transpire with this season, it is clear that football will be back.
We’ve been inundated with requests on how people can help the club. It’s truly been heart-warming. The one way to help if you can – and only if you can – is to purchase season tickets and merchandise online. We still have limited availability of this year’s Third Strip, which may become a collector’s item as it may never be worn. This supports the club as well as SSAFA and The Black Watch Association charities. We will soon be launching our 2020-21 kit in the upcoming days and we know it’s not enough to completely fill your appetite for football, but keep an eye on the social media sites for Dundee FC and DFC in the Community, which will provide some entertainment while we all do our part to save lives by staying home.
We wish we had something more definitive to say, but we hope this brief update will provide some reassurance that we are still here and will remain here when this crisis is over. So from all of us at Dundee Football Club, please stay safe, keep your families safe, that is the most important thing and know that we are all in this together and we will come through this together!
John Nelms, Managing Director, and the Board of Directors.
