Last year the football club launched the official Darlington FC app and our YOURCLUB team unveiled a site refresh/rebrand for YC in line with the club's main site.

Whilst there is more still to do and no-one is getting complacent, very few could deny that both DFC's and DFCSG's content - and desire to engage the fan base in the best possible way with that content - is as strong as it has been since fan ownership commenced in 2012.

As we approach 14 years as a fan-owned club, YOURCLUB now has over 6,600 subscribers, with 1,340 (and counting...) of those as DFC Owners/DFCSG members – the most we have had since 2012. This means that a record number of DFC fans own around 90% of our football club, with every single DFC Owner/DFCSG member having a say in how our football club is run.

As the team on the pitch looks to maintain a play-off spot, our aim off the pitch is to get to 1,400+ DFC Owners/DFCSG members before the end of the season. But why?

As we already know only too well here at DFC; football clubs are for life, not just for business (a banner unfurled at Barrow 14 years' ago today, in fact!). And that isn’t just a slogan – this is genuinely a fan's club and we see more and more clubs around the world replicating our model.

The more DFC Owners/DFCSG members we have, the stronger our club becomes and the better we are on the pitch.

For example, DFCSG were proud to assist Steve and Terry with additional funds towards last season’s playing budget (at a time when the club were talking to Doncaster Rovers and Sunderland with regards to Will Flint and Caden Kelly's loans) - money raised directly from membership fees; fans contributing to the manager's budget directly through fan ownership. By becoming an Owner, you are financially investing in the club.

As such, for those who currently aren't a DFC Owner/DFCSG member, we would love to encourage an upgrade in your fan experience by asking you to join us. For those who are, perhaps you can convince a family member or friend to join us?

DFC Owners/DFCSG members are front and centre of what Darlington FC is all about.

Sign up as a DFC Owner/DFCSG member here and join 1,340+ other Darlo fans (and the likes of Ben Hedley, Gary Smith, David Hodgson, Peter Kirkham, Gavin Worboys, Paul Ward and Kasabian's Chris Edwards) in owning your club and having a say in how the club is run.

For just £25 a year – or £2.09 a month – DFC Owners/DFCSG members can get access to a whole range of exclusive 'Owner benefits', beyond what a basic YOURCLUB membership can offer, including:

• Vote on DFCSG board nominations and even stand for election to the DFCSG board
• Priority match ticketing
• Access to a growing number of 'Owner-only' discounts with numerous brands and businesses via Quaker Savers (34 and counting…)
• 10% Quaker Retail discount
• Personal invite to Owner-exclusive fans’ events, forums and DFCSG AGM
• Access DFC/DFCSG published accounts and other key Owner documents
• Access to YOURCLUB Content’s growing back catalogue of over 280 columns, articles, videos and interviews
• Vote for the Player of the Month/Year, future home/away shirt designs, and more
• Manage your personal DFC fan dashboard – personal details, contact information and your DFC contributions
• Manage your ticketing and fundraising activities – 50/50, Boost The Budget, Lottery – at the click of a button

Fans can sign up as a DFC Owner/DFCSG member in a matter of minutes via YOURCLUB. Head to 'Your Account', click 'Upgrade' and select either pay monthly or annually.

Want to know why fan ownership matters so much? Upon the launch of YOURCLUB in 2020, we asked journalist and DFC fan Craig Stoddart to write a manifesto piece on what fan ownership means to Darlington FC. We think you should read it here.

If you have any questions about fan ownership, or becoming a DFC Owner/DFCSG member, please visit the 'Fan Ownership' section on the platform. If that doesn’t help, feel free to get in touch and someone from DFCSG will get straight back to you.

Help us in our target to grow the DFC Owner/DFCSG membership number to 1,400+ by the end of April by adding your name to our great community of DFC Owners today!