Happy New Year to all of our fans – a greeting always better delivered after consecutive victories in the William Hill Premiership.

As we look ahead to what we seek to be a prosperous 2026, it is important to reflect on the year past. Firstly, thank you as ever for your support during what has been a year of transition on and off the pitch.

With results the most important aspect of any football club, I am pleased by the recent conversion of improved performances into wins. This has followed a significant overhaul of the squad in the summer, and with some fine-tuning in the offing during the January window.

Since the arrival of Steven Pressley as Head Coach in the summer, we have worked hard to integrate a new-look squad whilst implementing a new approach that will serve the club for the long-term.

This has included a modernisation programme within our Football Department, with the creation of a Technical Department – led by David Longwell – focusing on creating a sustainable long-term plan to support the first team by aligning all elements of performance, including recruitment, medical, sports science and analysis.

We have also resourced a new in-house recruitment and scouting team to maximise talent identification and player pathway from our academy to the first team.

Gary Piggott has joined as Head of Recruitment to lead the team but also to optimise our use of available recruitment software.

We are proud of our track record in youth development and will continue to provide opportunities for young academy players to follow in the footsteps of Lyall Cameron, Luke Graham, Josh Mulligan and Finlay Robertson, whilst doing more to protect the investment in youth as a club.

On the operations side of the business, we continue to invest significantly in initiatives we believe will creating a prosperous and vibrant future for the club. We continue to work with partners on proposals for a new training ground and a new stadium.

As I have outlined previously, there have been frustrations during this protracted planning process, but we have been encouraged by the constructive discussions that have taken place in private in recent months. I remain confident we will have positive news in early-2026 that will enable us to create a crown jewel of a stadium and event arena for the benefit of the club, the city of Dundee and the country as a whole.

In the meantime, we continue to spend significant sums improving – where we can – the matchday experience within Dens Park. As well as essential maintenance work for our stadium, we have upgraded many of the hospitality lounges as well as improving the provision within them with the help of our new hospitality partners, Elior.

The ground staff have done a fantastic job, and the condition of Dens Park and the pitch are a testament to their hard work and the investment we have made in these areas to raise standards.

The club is pleased to report year-on-year financial growth of 13% and this has enabled us to invest in the aforementioned areas as well as strengthening our academy. We are grateful to St John’s High for their commitment to our most talented young players and I would like to thank our Head of Academy, Stephen Wright, for ensuring the academy and our youth teams are aligned with the ethos of our Technical Department.

One huge highlight of the year was the trip to Hampden for the Youth Cup Final. Ultimately, the boys lost out to Kilmarnock, but it was a fantastic experience for the club and credit must go to Scott Robertson and his staff.

Like all Dundee supporters, it is my wish that our first team can continue to climb a highly competitive Premiership table this season and match our performances with more consistent results. It is our intention to support the Head Coach in that regard with strengthening in key areas during the transfer window.

Supporters can also look forward to the club participating in the SPFL’s alcohol pilot scheme later this season. I have long advocated for the ability of our fans to enjoy the same entertainment choices afforded to fans in other sport and entertainment facilities and we will play out part in a safe and responsible reintroduction.

We will consult with our newly appointed SLOs and our friends at the Dundee Supporters’ Association to enhance the matchday experience. I would like to thank them for their input in 2025 and would wish Matt Edwards a speedy recovery.

Thank you again for your unwavering support of the Club and wishing you all the very best for 2026!

John Nelms, Managing Director