I had originally planned to post my thoughts at the end of the season but reading other supporters views on Facebook and RLFans has prompted me to air my feelings now.
I first watched the Dons at Tattersfield in the 70’s and by the early 80’s was hooked and a regular home & away. This season will be my last. I have already confided in those close to me and one or two fellow supporters that I won’t be renewing my season ticket next season.
There are factors both on and off the pitch which have influenced this decision.
On the pitch ...
I have not played rugby league since I was at school and have a lot of respect for the players who play the game, especially those who play at levels where the rewards, financial or otherwise are minimal. I have no axe to grind with individual players.
At the start of this season we once again had a squad which looked capable of being in the top 3 or 4 in League One. That in itself begs a question. Why, following the 2017 announcement of the 5 year plan do we once again find that not only are we not pushing for automatic promotion with a squad fully capable of achieving it, but are clinging on to a play off spot as even more difficult fixtures loom on the horizon? Does Club Doncaster back the Coach sufficiently financially? If they believe they have done, then the return on that investment is simply not good enough. If they haven’t, then they are reaping what they have sown. We are now failing to beat teams who will never play above this level of rugby league and player availability cannot be used as an excuse as all clubs are having issues. For a club which boasts ambition that also simply isn’t good enough, but I can’t help feeling that in truth there isn’t really the ambition to play in the Championship. Personally, I no longer enjoy what I am witnessing.
But worse still ... Off the pitch ...
Many people have commented about the disconnect between ‘the Club’ and the supporters. I feel that almost understates the situation and wholeheartedly agree with one particular comment that ‘the us and them is bordering on toxic’ and concur that there appears to be no ambition to resolve this.
Communication is only marginally better than non-existent and the content insubstantial. Worse still, the way the moving of a fixture to Castleford was handled looked nothing short of underhand with the venue changed on the fixture list but no official announcement until after a backlash from the fanbase.
The Club has recently deemed it appropriate to restructure the Fans Forum Meetings. These are now Meetings between Club representatives and an Advisory Group, the Club’s chosen title. My own view was that supporters weren’t getting as much out of these Meetings as I think they should but reading recent public comments from the two recently appointed Vice Chairs, one about hitting brick walls with questions, this change doesn’t appear to be for the better and could be perceived as no more than a box-ticking exercise. This change it seems was also intended to allow the CEO to take a step back from chairing these meetings.
Whilst on the subject of these Meetings, on 20 May 2021 the Club issued to potential attendees a document concerning being an ‘Independent Member of Advisory Group’. This document lists the duties and responsibilities of being a member. One of these responsibilities is ‘To understand and adhere to all policies implemented by Doncaster Rugby League Club and / or Club Doncaster group'. I have twice asked for these policies to review. Why would I agree to something without reading it and understanding it? The first time I received no response. The second time (20 July 2021), the response was that the request had been passed to Club Doncaster’s Finance Director. Still nothing! As a result I did not attend the last Meeting. I repeat, why would I agree to something without reading and understanding it? I wonder if anyone else has seen these policies? I know I am not alone in requesting them.
I have recently cancelled my standing order for Dons4Life, again, I am aware that I am not alone in this action. About 3 years ago questions began to be raised with the Club about this funding. Eventually, a meeting was called for July 2019. At that meeting it was stated that there would be transparency about what the funds were used for along with member draws, offers and discounts. I acknowledge that there is a page on the Club Website but beyond that there seems to have been little or no activity and certainly no communication with members.
There have been comments that the Club appear to have placed more importance on the World Cup fixtures than getting the Dons promoted. I couldn’t argue with those who have that point of view.
I hope that that the Club & CEO get to grips with supporter-raised issues and concerns. Should that be the case, great. Sadly, it will come too late for this particular poster.
