The organisation that is known as Shaymen Down South (SDS) was originally founded in October 1993. A chance meeting between two southern based Town supporters on the platform of a London Underground station started the ball rolling. As word spread about the fledgling organisation the number of new members grew steadily so that by the time of the first ‘official’ SDS trip (Runcorn FAT 3) there were about 20 names on the register. Membership cost £1 that included a membership card and the right to purchase an official metal SDS badge.

For the next year or so nothing much happened and the SDS basically existed in name only. The organisation needed a kick-start so with some help from Elaine Jowett and Derek Newiss a meeting of interested parties was organised after the away game at Kettering on March 7^th 1995 during which the first committee was voted in. Four months later the first (and to this date only!) AGM was held at the Wenlock Arms in North London.

The above meetings helped formulate a structure that could take the SDS forward. A newsletter produced by Ripley based Richard Wood helped keep members informed about events at the Shay. To cover the cost of the newsletter the membership subscription was increased to £3.50. October 1995 saw the SDS make its first financial contribution to Halifax Town, the £45 sponsorship of Darren Heyes’ boots.

Due to increased work commitments Richard Wood was unable to carry on producing the SDS Newsletter and the baton was passed on to Simon Denton. The first Welwyn Garden City produced newsletter (SDS5) rolled off the press in July 1996.

The basic membership subscription increased to £4 and with the help of this increased funding Mick Norbury’s shirt, socks, shorts and training kit were sponsored, as was the match ball for the game against Bath City on February 15^th 1997. A defining moment in more ways than one! At the end of the 1996 / 1997 season Andy Woods was the proud recipient of the first SDS player of the season award.

The 1997 / 1998 season, for obvious reasons! Saw interest in the SDS increase significantly. By the end of that most memorable season membership had doubled to more than eighty. In early May 1998, after the Welling game Brian Byles organised an end of season celebration at the Shipwrights Arms that is still talked about to this day.

For the 1998 / 1999 season the basic membership subscription was increased to £6. Having already had a makeover in the summer the newsletter underwent an even more radical transformation in October 1998 and was re-born as the SDS fanzine. In February 1999 as well as being sent to members, the fanzine also went on general sale at the Shay. The increased revenue the fanzine was now generating, along with the regular income from the SDS Lottery Syndicate meant that the SDS could pay for a party of 20 to attend the Match Sponsorship of the game against Leyton Orient.

The start of the 1999 / 2000 season saw the basic membership subscription increase to £8, a rate that is still applicable today. Fanzine sales continued to do well and the increased exposure helped push the membership to over 100.

For the start of the 2000 / 2001 season the fanzine was increased to 28 pages, at no extra cost, and improvements were made to many sections including ‘Away With The Shaymen’ which now included detailed travel information to supplement the well used Beer Guides. With the Shaymen now not doing as well on the pitch the membership rate stabilised at just over 100. Fanzine sales continued to do well with each publication having a circulation of around 250.

A similar story really for the 2001 / 2002 season. It was difficult to maintain the enthusiasm with there being little to excite both on and off the pitch. Pleasingly, though, both membership numbers and fanzine sales held steady which helped enable the SDS to pay for ISDN equipment so that live commentaries could be broadcast on the official website.

So what next? Well we anticipate the fanzine to continue to be the mainstay of the organisation, along with the regular, and much needed, income that is generated from the Lottery Syndicate. On the social side we are always looking for opportunities to organise events but the sheer geographical spread of members makes this difficult. Members generally get together by following ‘Brian’s Beer Trail’ before each away match, which has taken us to many interesting places! Prior to home matches the SDS regulars tend to meet at ‘Shaymen’s Corner’ in the Pump Room at the bottom of New Road.