Raith Rovers propose £44,000 target for relaunch of fans fund

A relaunch of the PDF was outlined by the board of directors at last week’s AGM as one of their top priorities for the upcoming season and they have wasted no time in setting the wheels in motion.

The club hope to raise £44,000 per annum through a relaunch of the fund, which will now be aimed more towards supporting John McGlynn’s first team budget, while also supporting the club’s modern apprentices.

But, firstly, they want the input of the Stark’s Park faithful with a consultation taking place via the club’s official website.

Director Ali More said: “In 2016, the club launched our Player Development Fund to help support the new youth development set-up at the club.

“With the changes that have taken place since, both within the club and across Scottish football, we’re now looking to update the way the fund is run and how the money is directed.

“For the past few months, we’ve been engaging with various supporters’ groups that make up the Fans Forum, and also existing contributors, on how to take things forward.

“The feedback was that many want to support the club by making regular contributions but felt the money should be focused on more immediate priorities such as moving back into the Championship.

“A number of other football clubs run similar schemes, allowing fans to make a considerable difference to the finances available to their managers.”

At its peak, the Player Development Fund managed to attract 105 monthly contributors, but that number has dropped to 74.

The initial financial target was to reach a £60,000 annual contribution to be solely used towards the youth development budget.

However, monthly contributions reached £18,000 in its first full year and are currently sitting around the £14,000 mark now despite a relaunch of the scheme in 2017.

All the details regarding the consultation – which will only last until Tuesday, June 4 – are available on the Raith Rovers website here

Ali added: “Details on how you can contribute to the new scheme, once relaunched, will be available in the coming weeks.”