Darlington raise £134,000 ahead of their 2021/22 season

With a target of £120,000 being set before the end of the month, over 700 investors helped to achieve a grand total of £134,725 before midnight last night with over £15,000 being raised on the final day of the campaign.

The Quakers, a fan owned set up, rely on the contributions of their supporters to help maintain the long term financial sustainability of the club. 

With the curtailment of last season's National League North campaign and the impact on revenue streams brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the much needed funds will go a long way to securing the future of Darlington as well as significantly increasing the transfer budget.

Speaking before the bank holiday weekend, Darlington CEO David Johnston said: "People have had a very tough year. A lot of people have lost work or found themselves unemployed. 

"They found the lockdown very financially difficult so therefore I didn't want to set too many expectations about what we could or couldn't do as a target.

"Thanks again to the fans for all their efforts. The bigger that budget, the more firepower Alun has to put more quality onto that pitch."

Kallum Griffiths, Junior Mondal, Tommy Taylor, Lexus Beeden and Joey Hope have all joined the club over the summer period with the National League North season kicking off on Saturday 14th August.

As more new signings are expected through the door at Blackwell Meadows, Johnston said: "The National League haven't finished their season yet and we're waiting to see from the EFL when the clubs start to release their retained list. We'll be having a look at that. 

"I'd like to think we can bring in a couple from under the radar that people weren't expecting.

"We still need some more strengthen at the back, possibly up top and in midfield as well so there is positions to strengthen but we just need a little bit of patience. Alun (Armstrong) has got his targets and is talking to players but he's also keeping an eye on who becomes available."