Club 84 were formed by like-minded individuals for a whole host of reasons. First and foremost, from 2015 to the beginning of the first lockdown, the atmosphere at Pride Park deteriorated dramatically. Both Gary Rowett and Frank Lampard directly referenced the lack of noise generated as a significant issue. We as a group believed strongly that this was a symptom of club policy and subsequent logistics as opposed to a dilution of the passion the supporters had for our football club. The 2021/2022 season proved us completely right.
The noise generated at Pride Park last season was as impressive as anywhere in the country. Our belief is that this was due to a combination of the football club’s greatest-ever existential crisis, a forced rethinking of ticketing prices and ticketing plans and a new connection between players and supporters. As such, the need for our group subsided and our members enjoyed the noise and the limbs more than at any point in the Mel Morris era. Our group referred to the Rams Trust and Black and White Together when considering the most affective course of action to supporting the rescue effort. Now in peace time, we at Club84 have had to ask difficult questions about whether we are still needed.
We have concluded that there remain aspects of our football club that could be improved. We feel we would be able to assist with these improvements. The list includes match day displays, a greater celebration of the football club’s heritage and supporting fan-based initiatives that utilise the power of Derby County to improve our communities. We will outline these proposals regularly throughout the season in this No Ordinary Ethics blog.
In relation to displays, as a group, we have learnt a great deal in a very short space of time. We want to continue to capture the moments but improve the quality of what we produce. We certainly want to expand the pool of talent that contribute and are determined to be a vehicle that facilitates the creativity of the Derby County community. We have established links with high quality manufacturers.
Further to this, we aim to:
Reach out for ideas and designs
Build relationships with officials at the football club to best utilise Pride Park for each display
Develop funding streams beyond going cap in hand to our fan base on twitter during a cost-of-living crisis.
Up the shagging rams.
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