Calum Melville Interview
Back on March 26th this year Dundee FC made possibly their most important signing of 2009. It was the day Calum Melville was appointed to the board of directors at Dens Park.
Calum is an Aberdeen based businessman whose wealth has been much publicised elsewhere. Here at Dundee Mad we're not interested in the finer details of what is his own business suffice to say that to the best of our knowledge he's the first director of any football club in the city to appear in the Sunday Times rich list top 500!!
This appointment came about as a result of an imaginative advertisement placed in the aforementioned Sunday Times by the board of the club. An advert costing £5900 to find out of there was anyone out there interested in helping the club to get back to the SPL and joining the board in that quest. From among all the declarations of interest one stood out in attracting the interest of Chairman Bob Brannan. As we now know that man was Calum Melville.
Yesterday I spoke to Calum for the first time. I have to admit I had no idea what to expect given the press reports I had seen previously regarding his Wall Street style life, his choice of shirts, his vision of being run down in the drive by his wife's Range Rover Supercharger or his membership of the Tory Party Leaders Group. Never mind his allegiance to Aberdeen FC!! Was this a man who could relate to our football club, Dundee FC ,which had been saved from extinction by "ordinary" people doing all sorts of weird and extraordinary things to keep the club afloat in times of darkness. Was he going to fit in?
The first thing that struck me was his friendliness. I had requested that a colleague of his might enquire at some point if Calum would be interested in talking to Dundee Mad and answering a few questions regarding our club and his involvement. Usually in these situations we have to work at getting a few words here and there, piece together a few snippets and generally don't get much of a response so I wasn't holding my breath for a positive reply. Approximately seven minutes later a number I didn't know was flashing on my mobile. "Hi Harry, Calum Melville here you were looking to talk?"
Knowing I was at work he agreed to an interview the following day though I suspect if I'd asked all our questions there and then he would have done his best to answer. We had a bit of a chat regarding the positive news of the day, the signing of Gary Harkins, and some other DFC related matters. Throughout our conversation Calum stressed two things. Firstly that he is no sugar daddy. Yes he will help the club financially where required and where possible but that there was no bottomless pit and everything would be done with a sense of realism. Secondly, and for me more importantly, was the enthusiasm he conveyed for our club. In the last three months or so he appears to have not only gained a genuine affection but an understanding of how our club operates and what it means to us as fans. How the fans support the club came across as very important to him.
What follows is some of the questions put by you guys, the readers and posters of Dundee Mad. I have tried where possible to ask them all though some were very similar to others and therefore grouped together. I have written all of this article so far before the interview with Calum. I have no idea how he will react to finding out that several well known posters here, who are to the best of my knowledge heterosexual hairy arsed 30 something males, would like to have an affair with him!!
Here goes......
Calum Melville Interview June 3rd 2009
H: Good morning Calum thanks for agreeing to answer our questions
CM: No problem but before we begin can I just say that I'm already married and can't take anyone up on their offer!!
H: So you've been on the site then??
CM: Yes I had a look last night to check for ambushes!!
H: So can we start by asking how did you get involved in Dundee FC and why?
CM: Well a lot of it was down to timing. I'm a football fan first and foremost, Scotland fan and Aberdeen fan. I love football. We had just divested a couple of our companies and I was looking for something to get my teeth into. I had no interest in getting involved in Aberdeen mainly because I live here and secondly because I couldn't really take them forward to the extent that the fans there would want. Stewart Milne does a fantastic job there but gets little credit. Also I've never been invited to get involved there. Dundee is a proper football club, an hour from home and the opportunity came up.
H: So it really was as simple as reading the Sunday times and seeing the advert?
CM: Yes basically the timing was perfect for me. I arranged to meet the other board members and took it from there. It had been at the back of my mind to get involved in football and when I met them we all gelled. It's very important that we are all pulling in the same direction. We are all there to benefit the football club.
H: Are there any plans to get other directors on board in a similar fashion?
CM: They'd need to be the right person for the club. Being a director at Dens has it's responsibilities. There is a huge social responsibility to the club, to the area and we are collectively and individually responsible for taking this club forward. Of course we are always looking for additional people who can bring something to the table but the current board gets on well and they would need to buy into that. It is a big step becoming a director at a club like Dundee.
H: Previous directors have stated that Dee4Life owning 26% of the club is a disincentive to getting involved. The "veto" is too much if you like. What's your thoughts on fans owning part of the club?
CM: It's a fantastic thing that there is a fans rep on the board and that the fans have so much involvement. It's their club. George does a 1st class job as a full board member. He works hard like everyone else. It is a great thing that fans have true ownership over the future of the club. It's also a very good model for other clubs in getting fans involved.
H: Tell us, if the opportunity came in some form to get involved with Aberdeen FC what would your thoughts be on that?
CM: As I've said previously I am committed to Dundee Football Club. All other clubs become irrelevant in this situation. I want to help take Dundee FC forward. Nothing else is important and as I've already said Stewart Milne does a great job there. People there really underestimate what he does for them.
H: Moving on to our debt situation.......
CM: Can I state quite clearly there is no debt. There is no borrowing, no money owed to the banks. There was no money borrowed to buy players and no debt to a bank or me.
H: So the current purchases will not show on the balance sheet as a loan from yourself or any other such vehicle?
CM: Absolutely not. Can I just make it clear that Dundee FC own Gary Harkins, Leigh Griffiths and all the other players. Bob Brannan and Ian Bodie have done a fantastic job in getting the debt down and then off the books altogether. I am here to help and whether that help is financial, time or just enthusiasm I am here to complement the other board members. Not to take over. Not to loan money but to help. Of course if we sold a player for say £1 million and the club was in a position to give me some money back I'd be daft not to accept but nowhere is it written up as a loan or anything like that.
H: What is the current situation with the ground?
CM: There is an agreement in place for me to buy the ground for the benefit of the club. The Sale/Purchase Agreement is with my lawyer just now and it should all be tied up by the end of July. These things take time and being frank I go on holiday next week for a fortnight so that will hold it up. I'd imagine the end of July will be the latest time it will be sorted.
H: So when we play Morton at Dens the ground will be owned by the club?
CM: Absolutely yes.
H: Again talking about reports elsewhere can the club sustain the players wages if you were not there?
CM: Yes. This is not a Gretna situation. This club is only sustainable in the long run in the SPL and that is where we need to be. We can pay good money now so imagine doubling the crowds and having SPL football to offer. We are aiming for regular 4th to 8th place in that league. I need to make it clear the players joining the club just now, they are not mercenaries. They are not being paid SPL wages they are being paid good 1st Division wages. There are fantastic bonuses in place for success in this league and to get out of it. They are buying into the idea that this club wants success and so do they. Of course some may see it as a stepping stone to greater things and why shouldn't they? But for now they are ambitious guys, not ones finishing their careers but starting them. Guys who are hungry, who want to be winners. They get 1st Division wages now with built in SPL wages after promotion. They are buying into the opportunity we are giving them. The board, the fans, the backroom staff and the players, we are all in this together. Everyone wants to see this club back in the SPL.
H: Going back to the ground, any South Enclosure plans?
CM: Not in the immediate short term no. Ian and I looked at the finances. The two most important things are the squad and ground ownership. We'll have dealt with both by the end of the month.
The ground is adequate for now and when we get to the SPL the south enclosure is unacceptable and needs looked at. We have other priorities today though.
H: In terms of priority where does youth development come in?
CM: Huge priority; not only youth development but also getting kids involved in and supporting the club.
We are in the process of setting up a charitable trust, DFC in the Community, that will see Dee Promotions, a new Business Club and the fans groups (working in unison) all working collectively, under the umbrella of the club, targeting to raise approx. quarter of a million pounds to completely fund the entire youth infrastructure ....from Pee Wee's to the Under 19's. This is a significant undertaking, and although I'm aware of some previous issues, they look to be in the past and is again another great example of everyone now all pulling in the same direction. Youth development is vitally important to clubs like ours. We need to bring our own players through and there has been a reversal on cutbacks and the The Board have just approved another full-time Community Coach which will be in addition to Craig Feret who is already doing a magnificent job.
In addition to our own playing staff we are committed to the city in terms of initiatives like DFC In The Community which will get kids to come and watch the team. You have to get in there early. This is crucial and the Board have already discussed this at length and will be launching various initiatives from the start of the season that will include donating free tickets to schoolkids and looking to enhance match-day activities. Dee 4 Life are also committed to supporting both matchday and community projects and initiatives
I remember my first visit to Pittodrie as a boy and when I went into the ground it seemed to me to be as spectacular as the Bernabeau. Nearly everyone who gets hooked on football remembers why. We need to get more kids along and keep them interested in Dundee FC. We can do that by winning football matches.
H: Changing direction, did you hear Craig Leveins comments about Dundee FC and unsustainability on the radio, mainly due to you not being a Dundee fan?
CM: (Laughing) Yes I did and I don't think Craig understands what I was trying to say. If he looked around he'd see many clubs run by or owned by people who never supported them. Chelsea and Man Utd to name two.
H: Don't forget the Chairman he liked so much.....
CM: Well, i'm not keen on discussing other clubs but whats happened here is that Setanta has come full circle. I don't need to be the Chairman here to feel important. I'm here to help, that is all. Dundee FC is a proper football club and i'm enjoying being part of it. The team I supported is irrelevant to me now in this situation and I'll be there to see us beat Aberdeen on the 25th.
H: This links us nicely to Wesolowski....are we interested in him?
CM: Yes we are. He is also interested in coming to us but at the moment there are some obstacles, namely that he is so far outside our wage structure as to make it a non starter. It is exciting and remarkable that we can compete with SPL clubs for players such as this and the Setanta money that is not available to them now is making it possible to compete which we intend to do.
Jocky Scott is building a team for the SPL, with 3 yr deals and players well capable of playing there now or in the future. Potentially our team can go straight from the 1st Division to compete well there with a couple of additions. That's our aim.
H: To finish, we go back to the marriage offers. How can our posters progress this?
CM: Well I've seen the posts and though i'm married if they want to send their pictures into Dens for my attention I'll have a look. I'd also ask that they wear hair gel as that seems important to some people just now....
H: Calum thanks very much for your time and for answering our questions...
CM: No problem at all. As I said I'm not here to take over the club it's your club and I'm here to help however I can.
End of Interview
In conclusion I have been very impressed when chatting with Calum. As you are mostly aware I have spoken to nearly everyone who's had an interest in our club over the last 10 years or so. Some have been genuine people with our club at heart, some have been absolute charlatans and some have have been out and out crackpots.
What is striking about Calum Melville is that there are no promises, no pledges and no magic wand. He speaks plainly and speaks his mind. If it's not what you want to hear that won't alter it.
This is a man who I am delighted to know is in our corner, who will be standing beside us shoulder to shoulder as we try to get back to the SPL. He doesn't appear to be in it for personal gain, to own the club nor to have a stand named after him.
Calum has been an Aberdeen fan all his days, but make no mistake he's a Derry boy now.
Welcome aboard Calum.