Official Booster Club Status

Back in 2013 when the Silver & Black UK Raiders Fan Club was founded we had strong aspirations to build close links with not just other fans from around the globe but also with formally recognised NFL organisations including the Raiders Organisations themselves. It has taken a few years to formulate our direct patch a supporting structures and processes we would need to get there.

The goal was set that during the 2016-2017 off season to complete all the required stages to be recognised by the Raiders as an official Booster Club. This process involved evidencing our operations to date (hence why we didn’t form back in 2013) and a multitude of protection policies we had in place such as Member Conditions, Mission Statement and Club Charitable Partners.

Unfortunately, despite having been in active discussion with the Raiders for approximately 6 months our formal application has been declined. We have been informed though that this is not thought any fault of our own. It has come to the Raiders attention that they need to manage their recognised groups of booster clubs growth and are currently looking at reorganising their booster club network to operate more efficiently. The Raiders believe that our application was a strong one and were impressed with our setup and achievements to date. As

So, what does this mean? Not a great deal. The Silver & Black UK will continue to operate as we do today. There is no harm in the Silver & Black UK not being recognised by the Raiders – that being said we will be first in line when the application process resumes later this year to ensure we are recognised and can work closer with them to enrich our member experience. In addition to this some of the founding partners Oli DeRuyter, Keith Smith and Kelly Daggers Smith will be travelling to Oakland and look to meet with the Raiders Organisation leadership to talk through the aims and ambitions for the Silver & Black UK and solidify the bond between us.