No longer do fans have to take lots of cash to the football match after the Supporters Club invested in Paypal Here – a card reader for chip and pin and credit cards that also allows customers to pay by Paypal in the club shop.

So when you see that first team shirt, that waterproof jacket, the latest hat, badge and scarf and the DVD of the County Cup win, you can now walk out with all of them! All you need is the small plastic card in your wallet!

Card payments in the club shop will be available from Shildon’s next home game on Saturday 17th October.

A recent meeting of the Supporters Club committee discussed the issue of discount benefits for supporters and agreed that three Northern League away matches would be eligible for discount travel.

The three matches – the furthest travelled games for Shildon in the league – are: Ashington (scheduled to take place on Saturday 10th October), Penrith (21st November) and Morpeth (Boxing Day).

The committee agreed that if Shildon progress in the FA Vase, other matches will be added to the discount scheme in due course.

In addition, the committee continues to explore other possibilities for members of the Supporters Club to receive additional benefits of membership.

Last month’s league derby match against Bishop Auckland, which the Railwaymen won 3-2, saw eight local community groups receive cheques to a total value of £1,550 from the Supporters Club.

The groups entered the playing field during the half time break to collect their cheques from the Supporters Club’s Small Grants Lottery Fund.

The following groups benefitted from the Supporters Club’s community initiative, which has now seen £4,500 distributed to local groups since the lottery began in September 2013:

Spectrum Roller Skating Club
1st Shildon Baden Powell Scout Group
CATS Theatre Group
Shildon Alive! Community Garden
Tykes Youth Group
South Durham Counselling Service
Friends of Dorset Place
4th Shildon Rainbows

Supporters Club Chairman, Russell Henderson said: “Congratulations to all of today’s groups on their awards. We are delighted that the success of the lottery scheme allows us to keep making a contribution back into the local community.

“The Supporters Club distributes each round of funding after the lottery jackpot has been won three times. The next round of funding will be announced in the local press in due course.”

Small groups looking for financial assistance can claim funds up to a maximum value of £200 in any one year. The application form can be downloaded from this page’s sidebar.

The next meeting of the Shildon AFC Supporters Club Committee will take place on Monday 21st September at 7.30pm.

The meeting will discuss the latest lottery funding applications forms. If any member would like to submit an item for the agenda, it should be received by the committee no later than Friday 18th September.

Items can be emailed to supportersclub (at) shildonafc (dot) com. Alternatively, items can be handed to a committee member any time before the deadline.

A full agenda will be published after the deadline for submissions.

 

The Supporters Club committee has now received membership cards and will be holding a membership recruitment drive throughout September. All past members must re-apply to join the Supporters Club as membership is now processed annually. New members are also most welcome.

Members of the committee will be in attendance in the Dean Street clubhouse each Friday evening in September from 7pm-9pm to accept applications and distribute membership cards.

Application forms and pens will be available in the bar on the night.

Membership of the Supporters Club has been set at an annual fee of £2 adults (over 18) and £1 Juniors (under 18 on 1st September this year). There are no concessionary discounts.

Membership will entitle the card holder to discount travel on the supporters bus. Other discounts are in the process of being formulated and will be announced in due course.

The dates of the clubhouse recruitment drives are:

• Friday, 4th September, 7pm-9pm;
• Friday, 11th September, 7pm-9pm;
• Friday, 18th September, 7pm-9pm;
• Friday, 25th September, 7pm-9pm;

 

Alternatively, membership applications forms can be downloaded here, printed and returned with the accompanying fee to a member of the Supporters Club committee at any time.

Membership forms can also be completed in the club shop on home match days.

Membership discounts will be available immediately on joining the Supporters Club.

Fans can join the Supporters Club at any time of the year although annual membership runs from 1st September to 30th August the following year.

A copy of the Shildon AFC Supporters Club constitution is available for download here.