At time of writing, we are only 33 days away from the start of the 2026/27 season.

Since just missing out on the National League North play off positions in April last season, Manager Steve Watson and his Assistant Manager Terry Mitchell have both been busy using the fan's magnificent Boost The Budget contribution in May to help secure exciting new signings such as Bobby Jones, Max Kilsby, Paddy McLaughlin, Max Howells, Dylan Stephenson and Mark Beck, whilst retaining the likes of Ben Hedley, Scott Barrow, Toby Lees, Tom Platt and Ellis Stanton.

The squad is definitely starting to take shape and our ambitions are big for the coming season...

And as we approach our 15th season as a fan-owned club, YOURCLUB now has over 7,100 subscribers, with 1,460 (and counting...) of those as DFC owners/DFCSG members – yet again, the most we have had since 2012. This means that a record number of DFC fans own just over 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 aims to get season 2026/27 off to a flyer next month, our aim off the pitch is to get to 1,500+ DFC owners/DFCSG members before the end of July and in time for the new season. But why?

As we already know only too well here at DFC; football clubs are for life, not just for business. 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.

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 1,460+ 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:

• The pride and passion of knowing that you own *your* club
• Access to a growing number of 'owner-only' discounts with numerous brands and businesses via Quaker Savers
• 10% Quaker Retail discount (on selected items)
• Discount in DFC Hospitality and on the DFCSG Away Supporters' Bus
• Vote on DFCSG board nominations and even stand for election to the DFCSG board yourself
• Priority match ticketing
• Personal invite to owner-exclusive fans’ events, forums and DFCSG AGM
• Access DFC/DFCSG published accounts and other key Owner documents
• Exclusive access to owner-only video content
• Access to YOURCLUB Content’s growing back catalogue of 330+ 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 1,500+ by the end of July by adding your name to our great community of DFC owners today!