News
Events over the past month have affected us all in so so many different ways regarding how circumstances affect our outlook on life, and never more so than the sad news of the passing of Joe Thompson. It was devastating to learn that in spite of his painful and courageous battle for the third time, he had finally succumbed to this evil disease.The passing of Joe at the age of 36 is such an unthinkable tragedy for Chantelle and his two young girls, Thailula and Athena Rae, others of his close family and friends, and all who ever enjoyed the privilege of knowing Joe, and serves to put life in perspective in a most emphatic way. He was “One of our Own” and will always be remembered not only for his playing contribution of over 200 appearance for the Club, with many outstanding moments, including his unbelievable contribution on the final day of the 2017/18 season!! He will, as importantly, also be remembered as the man, with an infectious personality, always thinking of others, raising funds for charities and participating in sponsored events in spite of his serious health problems. For those able to attend Joe’s funeral, it will take place at 11am on Monday 12^th May at St Mark’s Church, Worsley Brow, Worsley, M28 2WH. RIP Joe – taken far too soon – but never to be forgotten.As far as putting life into perspective, Joe’s passing coincides with a situation he will undoubtedly love to witness – that of the Club progressing to the play-offs, achieving the initial ambition set by the Ogden family in the first year of their partnership with the Club. With apologies to the Football Gods. we look forward to the first eliminator home fixture against Southend on Thursday 15^th May, progression, hopefully, to the semi-final stage, and, ultimately, a trip to Wembley to participate in the final on 1st June. Joe will certainly be in our thoughts, whatever the outcome of the next few weeks.

Members of the Trust Board were included in those guests invited to attend a special event, hosted by the Ogden Family, and held in the Grand Hall of Rochdale Town Hall on Tuesday evening. Presentations were made of the incredible work going on throughout the borough, in order to foster additional relationships to assist in the achievement of the ambitious plans set by the Ogden Family through the Football Club, the RAFC Community Trust and the newly formed Dale Futures – all under the theme “For Generations To Come”

For fuller details, a full report regarding the highly successful evening has been posted on the Club’ and Trust web site.

In conclusion, and, as always, a reminder that I am on the Club Board to represent you, so please use me to do just that by emailing me on : murray@daletrust.co.uk with your comments, questions and suggestions for me to take up with the Club and report back to you.

Up the Dale
Murray

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Following constructive dialogue with national officials of the FSA during the recent launch of “For Generations to Come” by Cameron Ogden, we are pleased to confirm that our full affiliated status will continue. The FSA has provided valuable guidance on all matters related to football regulations, particularly legal advice following the unsuccessful takeover attempt by Morton House. The Trust expects to be invited to play a bigger part in not only regional football fan issues, but nationally as well, something we look forward to doing.

The FSA reps were interested in how the Ogden family takeover had impacted the Trust, the club, and the fans. They were especially interested in our charitable initiatives scheduled to launch during the 2025/26 season. Many of these initiatives focus on youth and aim to gain endorsement and tangible support for women’s football across all age groups. In addition to these, we will be specifically fundraising for Health charities, all of which we will unveil soon.

Membership in the FSA is open to all individual fans, something we thoroughly endorse as it amplifies the collective voice of supporters nationally and locally.

The Trust hopes to appoint two directors from the Trust Board to be its liaison with the FSA. We will let you know as soon as we have more information.

For more information, current news, and latest campaigns by the FSA,  click HERE

Trust Signings On The Dotted Line…..

The Trust is excited to announce two new board members, who will significantly enhance our initiatives for the upcoming season. One of the latest members will be a familiar face, which may surprise some. The other is a well-known Daley, who is particularly recognised among those involved in memorabilia and Dale Shirt collectors.

First, We welcome Kieron Babbington. Kieron is well known to many as a passionate supporter and will be a great advocate for some of our younger and junior fans who often feel underrepresented. Well, that certainly has changed now!  Bubbling with ideas, we asked Kieron to pen a few words about what he wanted from the Trust. Here is what he said

“One thing I want to achieve whilst on the trust is getting more young people involved. I want to bring a more away fan experience to the trust for our fans.
fell into Rochdale through difficult circumstances several years ago after losing my dad, with whom I went to Newcastle for many years, and wasn’t able to travel up there every weekend.
I came to my first game and fell in love with lower division football and how close it was. I’ve never looked back since.
My favourite player is Liam Hogan, but Calvin Andrews’s last few years stand out to me. My favourite away game has had to be Newport away, last game of the 21/22 season, where I dressed up as Sanka from Cool Runnings and jumped down the train aisle”

Thanks, Kieron, a taste of things to come!

We also welcome Matt Cullen to the trust board. As mentioned above, Mat is well known amongst some of the fan base. Matt also brings a new dynamic to the Trust Board; his experience and knowledge will be invaluable. Like Kieron, we asked Mat to pen a few words about himself. Here is what he had to say.

“I am a teacher by trade and have spent many years away from Rochdale, but am very thankful to have moved back into the local area where I grew up to teach, be close to family, and follow my local team.

It was a proud moment to be offered the opportunity to join the Supporters Trust, an organisation I have always admired from afar.
The idea of engaging, communicating and supporting the local community and fans through our local club is an opportunity that was too good to refuse.

My first game was back in November 2000. It was a 0-0 bore fest against Barnet with Tony Cottee in the opposing dugout. Regardless of the result, a spark was lit.

I’m a great supporter of local and Rochdale AFC history and an avid collector of Rochdale AFC shirts, whether old shirts, match shirts or signed ones. My initial aim was to get an example of every outfield shirt since my first game in 2000. My collection has grown somewhat beyond that, and I’m thankful to all who have sold shirts to build the collection. I want to share my shirt-collecting journey on Instagram through ‘myfootballshirtstory’ with a focus on the club and players’ history, so it would be nice to share my passion with the Supporters Trust faithful, too.

I look forward to seeing you all at the desk, games, and events. I am always ready to talk Trust and football, so please do catch me.”

Thanks Mat.

You can contact Kieron and Mat via our email, info@daletrust.co.uk

Dave’s View On The Month
Dave Earnshaw. Director.. Youth Inclusion- Liason Officer DALE 1907Blimey, the months are flying by, here’s my update for April.On the youth side of the Trust, one of our board members has recently been recruited by the club, making it two individuals who have come through the Trust and been given opportunities to work with the club. This is a really positive outcome.

To this end, we may be making another announcement regarding youth involvement, as they wish to become part of the supporters’ trust. I have invited a face that many may recognise to the next trust meeting, along with another supporter who has expressed a desire to join the trust board. So, watch this space; we could have some new recruitment announcements in the coming weeks.

It’s truly encouraging to see the number of enquiries we are receiving to join the trust board; it demonstrates that the future is bright, and I hope you all understand that we aim to represent you to the best of our ability.

We continue to seek to forge new relationships with a broader fan base, and I have arranged a meeting with Rochdale Ladies Football to explore how we can support them and provide potential funding to assist them in some capacity. I will update you once I have something definite in place. This follows the fundraising meetings that the trust has conducted with the club and aids in exploring further alternatives for the now-ceased squad builder.

As part of the ongoing fundraising, the trust hosted the CURRY NIGHT on Maundy Thursday. I know a full article is forthcoming, but I would like to express our appreciation for the constructive feedback from the event. It was a fantastic night with excellent attendance. Again, thank you for your loyal support for this event, and I extend a warm welcome to our supporters who attended for the first time. I hope to see you all again next time year.

Dave
Up the Dale, keep the faith.

Although sad news about Joey T was to be announced the next day, members, fans, and guests had a thoroughly enjoyable time—something we know Joey would have appreciated and enjoyed, particularly as his Dale mentor, Keith Hill, was among the guests.

Curry night wouldn’t be the same without a touch of madness, which would arrive later in the evening, courtesy of Lee Percy! You can read more about that in the article HERE
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The evening was a sell-out in the 1907 Lounge at the club, and the presence of illustrious guests enhanced the events: Josh Lillis, Aaron Wilbraham, and Keith Hill seen above with FPA director Keith Hicks

Also featured in the evening was an Ironing Board, which we suspect will become a particular person’s mascot! If you’d like to find out more, please click HERE.

The evening included a raffle that was both humorous and enjoyable to organise.

The auction, which raised over £800 for the Trust’s charitable initiatives for the 2025/26 season, was a highlight of the event.
One of the standing items for bid was a framed, signed white first-team strip enhanced by a signature from Keira Walsh, an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League and the England women’s national team.
This item attracted many bids and was highly sought after, ultimately being secured by Lee.

Trust Director David Earnshaw, seen above left, organised the evening. He is seen handing over (reluctantly!) the shirt to Lee. Dave cajoled his fellow directors into action to produce the evening. It is honest to say that the effort, if measured in hilarity, enjoyment, and collective fun, paid off.

A complete write-up and more photographs can be found HERE.

Representatives from the Dale Trust board were thrilled to be invited by the Ogden family to this special event. It provided an excellent opportunity to appreciate and celebrate Rochdale’s rich potential while engaging in various discussions with others across the borough.Over 200 members of the Rochdale community gathered for this fantastic event, which highlighted the amazing work being done in the borough. It was also a great chance to build new partnerships and initiate exciting actions that will shape Rochdale’s future for generations to come.

It has been a busy time over the last few weeks; the extension to the season continues to drive news. Cameron Ogden’s recent launch of “For Generations To Come” at the Town Hall in Rochdale was an instant success for the Daletrust. The evening was themed and intended to start the “conversation” for future cooperation among people across the borough, whether in business, community, charity, or as individuals. For us, the impact was immediate, with conversations about joint work, sponsorship, and collaboration with people who share our mission springing up from individuals we had not previously spoken to.

We are already in conversation with representatives from women’s football in Rochdale. The aim is to assist in ways that will benefit younger people, something that Trust members voted to be a theme this year. Our initial work with representatives from “Her Game Too” is coming together, and with our potential work with the women’s teams (all ages), their organisers, coaches, and parents, a massive door is opening for collaborative work with Her Game Too to develop new initiatives in that sector.

We will continue raising funds for health charities, some of which we hope to name over the next month. We will also continue collaborating with the club to provide tangible support within the aims of the Odgen mission. We have found an item that may be helpful to the club in the future. Watch this space, as they say.

All of the above will supplement what we routinely do: represent members, provide answers to questions, interface between the club and fans when needed, and play a full and active role through our two representatives on the CAB.
Our newsletters will continue throughout the year, and our email is constantly monitored.

Finally, we will have some new, more relevant email addresses for you to use, which will connect you to the trust board members who have leads on those subjects. More on that soon.

Former Players Association
From the desk of Keith HicksRochdale AFC Hospitality Appearances 
April saw four legends making hospitality appearances at home matches involving National League and FA Trophy clashes including:
Spennymoor Town 5^th – Will Buckley
Eastleigh 12^th – Stephen Dawson
AFC Fylde 21^st – Aaron Wilbraham
Hartlepool United 26^th – Ben Muirhead
During Q&A chats with Martin Culshaw, we heard how Will began his football career by shining in a Hopwood Hall College friendly against Rochdale Youth, witnessed by the Hillcroft management duo. This led to a YTS offer and a full professional contract, ultimately developing into him becoming a Premier League player. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
Stephen gave us insight into his time at the Crown Oil Arena, detailing how he made his move here and why he left the Dale before retirement. He now works with vulnerable kids who have been expelled from school, describing it as very hard but incredibly rewarding work.
Aaron reminisced about the moment he scored the equalising goal at the Crown Oil Arena against Newcastle United in his forties, which led us to visit St James Park for the replay.
Meanwhile, Ben shared his reaction to taking the final penalty, saying he told the gaffer, “I’ll score the winning goal.” When asked what he thought as he approached the penalty, he said, “I didn’t have a clue! As I got to the penalty spot, I decided I’d smash it, and thankfully it went in. It’s all just a blur, but the celebrations were unreal.”
Curry on up the Dale Evening  – Josh Lillis joined Aaron and Keith for the annual Event, which again brought back memories of wonderful times at Dale, especially during the “Hillcroft” era, but also the current news now that Josh has joined Jim McNulty’s management team.
The guests were fantastic. Unbeknownst to us, they had received the devastating news about Joey Thompson upon their arrival, which showcased their true professionalism as they spoke eloquently of past times at Rochdale AFC.
3 ChallengesVsCancer                                                                                                                                                           The Hicks family completed the second and third legs of the event with a 22 mile walk to Altrincham FC followed by a 52 mile bike ride to the Crown Oil Arena, raising over £4K for Prostate Cancer UK and the ongoing Joe Thompson Appeal.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/3-points-vs-cancer-challenge-145926
http://www.gofundme.com/f/Team-Thompson-against-cancer-again
Articles about ex-Dalehttp://www.gofundme.com/f/Team-Thompson-against-cancer-again players and further information on the Rochdale AFC Former Players Association (FPA), including hospitality, appearances, plus players’ memories, can be found on:Website: www.rochdalefpa.com
Facebook: Rochdale Former Players Association

Are You A  Former Dale Player?

Website: www.rochdalefpa.com,
Facebook: Rochdale Former Players Association
Email: formerplayers@daletrust.co.uk
or  Keith.hicks5@outlook.com
And also on the DALETRUST website HERE.

EXILES

In addition to this newsletter, trust exiles have their personalised newsletters. These focus more on the life of the exile world and are usually published a week or so before the main Trust edition. Ian’s writings are often witty, extremely erudite, and a jolly good read. So, not wishing to deny all our members a glimpse, here is the link to the recent publication—it’s worth a look!
Exiles also have their own dedicated WhatsApp group; it’s moderated by Ian and is for all fans that come under the exile scheme, basically those not locally resident, UK-based and abroad.
Those wishing to join the WhatsApp group can just click on the link   https://chat.whatsapp.com/HHhzjSjR041CD4TJeFdqnW

Questions.
The Trust’s policy has been to respond to emailed questions, queries, and concerns within a few days. If an immediate answer is not available, follow-up work will be carried out, and answers will be provided.
Your questions and concerns are an important part of our daily work, as our case book proves. We have access to the club at all levels and work closely with, besides our members and the fan base, the FSA (Football Supporters Association) and fellow Trusts at clubs both in and out of the National League. Through our website and various social media channels, we aim to keep members and fans informed about current issues.
We generally receive questions, queries, and concerns in two ways: face-to-face at the Daletrust desk, located in the Dale Bar before any home game (unless stated otherwise), and secondly via our email channels. Trust directors are engaged with several Trust initiatives and projects that involve collaboration with either club management, the Club Board, or the Senior Management team, so the flow of information may include live questions from our members.
Contacting the Trust or a specific person at the Trust is easy. If your question pertains to a welfare issue and is private, simply ask for a team member to respond to you personally. If you wish to contact a Trust director specifically, mark your email for that person’s attention.
Of course, the Trust desk before home games is a great way to connect; on average, we handle about 8 to 10 specific inquiries each game