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Date: 15th December 2024
SONS FANS CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
With the principle challenges for League One Dumbarton FC now lying off the pitch, as the local directors seek to work with administrators Quantuma to deal with debt accumulated under shadowy owners Cognitive Capital, it hasn’t been going too well on-field either. A 1-5 thumping at home to Annan Athletic this weekend followed a 0-4 drubbing away to Stenhousemuir two weeks ago.
That leaves the Sons 17 points adrift of safety after their 15-point deduction through statutory SPFL sanction. It’s clear that the uncertainty surrounding the future of one of Scotland’s most historic clubs is having an impact on performance, both through financial restrictions and the impact on morale. Barring a miracle turnaround, relegation to League Two now seems highly likely if not inevitable.
Nevertheless, the response of fans has been remarkable. The GoFundMe fighting fund to pay the wages of players and staff for the rest of the season, which we reported on three weeks ago, is now just under the £100k target, with most of the 1,300 donors contributing small sums. That includes a large number of supporters from other clubs. At the Annan game at the Rock, the collection in the bar topped £360, even on a dismal afternoon. This love for the Sons is keeping them alive at present.
But what of the future? Survival is the first aim. Quantuma reported at the end of November that there had been “a lot of interest” in the club. How many of this is genuine, sustainable and premised on a real concern for football and community (not just land or development speculation) has yet to be seen. Wherever administration rears its head, so do sharks, chancers and charlatans – though Quantuma is experienced at handling these things.
With a police investigation underway concerning the way the club was purchased in 2021, new owners and investors seem inevitable if the financial situation can be regularised. And this is very much what Dumbarton fans want, along with all who care for the future of Scottish football and want to see the team in the hands of those who truly have its interest and flourishing at heart.
The challenge for Dumbarton is two-fold. First, with a 2.5% current shareholding and limited resources, the Sonstrust is not in a position to mount a community bid unless a sizeable benefactor shows up. A small group, including but not limited to trust representatives, has been meeting for over three years now, coordinated by me. The aim has been to look at what has been needed to protect the club, but also to develop plans for community-facing ownership. The effort continues, and is indeed redoubling right now.
The difficulty is that administrators usually want the simplest solution to bringing a club out of administration, with a single majority and controlling shareholder probably looked on most favourably. A community interest consortium or partnership can be more difficult to consolidate on a short timetable. But that would be the best outcome, and those of us who want to see it happen are not going to give up easily. The related question is whether the Scottish Government Fans Fund (set up at the prompting of SFSA) could help out. That depends upon whether the budget situation and existing commitments will allow. Watch this space.
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Simon Barrow is co-founder and former chair of SFSA, and still acts as a consultant and contributor to research and publications. He is a former press officer and associate director at Dumbarton, and was involved as communications and projects officer of the Sonstrust for a decade. He has remained involved behind the scenes over the past four years.
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Tags: Dumbarton, Football, Scottish football, SFA, SFSA