Following the sad news that VSC Member and Forum User Hoolahoop is currently undergoing treatment for Chordoma, the VSC is accepting donations from our members and forum users in aid of Chordoma UK, a charity chosen by Hoola himself.

What is Chordoma?

Chordoma is a rare primary bone cancer, meaning that it arises in bone (rather than spreads to bone).
The bones involved are those at the base of the skull, the vertebral bodies (back bones), and the bone of the sacrum and coccyx at the base of the spine. Chordoma is thought to arise from a persistent embryonic tissue (notochordal cells), which normally disappears before birth, but can persist in some people. However, the majority of individuals with notochordal remnants do not develop chordoma. Chordoma is part of a family of cancers called sarcoma, which include cancers of the bones, cartilage, muscles and other connective tissue. Chordomas are generally slow growing, and tend to recur after treatment. 

Why are Chordoma UK raising money for Research?

Treatment options for chordoma are limited. The average survival of patients diagnosed with chordoma is less than 10 years from first diagnosis although for some the course of the disease is longer. Initial diagnosis of chordoma is often difficult as its presenting symptoms can mimic more common musculoskeletal pain or other more common diseases. Research has led to a definitive marker for chordoma, but now further research is needed to use these findings to discover how best to treat patients. There is little funding available for research into this relentless bone cancer mainly because it is relatively rare, occurring in only 1 in 800,000 of the population. Without a focused approach to raising money for research into chordoma, little will change quickly. To find out more about what Chordoma UK please visit: http://chordoma-uk.org/

To donate to Chordoma UK please click the donate button below, log in to your Paypal and simply enter the amount you wish to donate.

Ahead of the Blackburn Rovers match, Doncaster Rovers' captain and fan favourite Rob Jones was presented on the pitch with the VSC's Player of the Year trophy for 2012/13. As we all know, Rob led the team to the League One title and turned in a series of commanding performances throughout the season, and this was reflected in his scores in the Man of the Match voting for each game.  At the end of the season the votes were all tallied up and Rob had won with a couple of matches to spare!

Rob was presented the trophy by VSC members Dave Wright (left) and Matthew Lamb (right), who were randomly selected from those present at the recent AGM. The VSC would like to thank everyone who voted in the 2012/13 Man of the Match polls. 

Please remember to vote for your Man of the Match after every match in the Man of The Match section and help decide who should win the Player of the Year 2013/14

This week, the VSC asked regular forum poster OggyCompton (aka Paul) to kick off a series of interviews to show the human face of the people at the club.  Shaun Lockwood, the club's Head of Marketing, was the subject of the first interview and he took some time-out from the build up to the club's Open Evening to speak with Paul.

Click HERE to read the full interview.

Many thanks go to both Paul and Shaun for finding the time to do this.

What a way to end the season!  Doncaster Rovers are promoted back to The Championship as Champions of League One!

The victory came in dramatic style with a last gasp 1-0 victory at Brentford, which undoubtedly will be discussed for years to come in the same excited tones as the victories at The Brittania Stadium, the Millennium Stadium and Wembley.

So, now that the season has ended and we can all look forward to a summer break (and for our heart rates to return to normal), why not consider joining the VSC?

This past year has seen a phenomenal amount of change at Doncaster Rovers FC, both on and off the pitch, and the VSC has been at the forefront of this with the fan engagement project "In Rovers We Trust".  This has lead to many successes that put the supporters back at the heart of the club, including....

• Cash Turnstile Trialed in 2012/13 and introduced for 2013/14 season
  
• Renaming of Lakeside Bar to Belle Vue Bar
  
• Rovers fans invited to donate memorabilia (alongside VSC) to decorate the Belle Vue Bar
  
• Improvements to the after-match bus service
  
• At your seat food service trialed at home games in the family stand
  
• Smoking bubble introduced at home games
  
• Singing section trialed at home games
  
• Rob Jones day
  
• Ran a poll for fans to vote on fans designs for next seasons shirts which were submitted to the club
  
• Help raising funds for charities The Lewis Jeynes Fund and Oliver's Tree (former Rover Ian Duerden's son's charity)
  

The Club and the supporters now have a fantastic platform to move forward together.  Please become part of this exciting project by joining the VSC.  It only costs £1 a month to join, and the more members who join gives the supporters a stronger say in how our club operates and the priorities it follows.

For those of you aware of Ian Duerden and his son Oliver's remarkable story, the VSC are hoping to raise funds for Ian and his family and will present him with a cheque at the Doncaster Rovers VS Swindon Town game on Monday 1st April. To raise funds we are planning to raffle and auction off Rovers memorabilia next week to help Ian and his wife Caroline raise enough to get Oliver the adapted wheelchair he needs.

For those of you who won't be able to make a donation on the day, or if you would like to donate something now you can do do via Paypal by clicking the donate button below. All the funds raised will be given directly to Ian and his family.

We understand times are hard for some of you, but this really is an inspirational story. Ian helped our club in our time of need and the VSC feels it is time we rally round and repay him the favor so please donate as much or as little as you can. It will gratefully received.

Thank you

The VSC are very pleased to announce that a Rovers legend, Ian Duerden, will be attending the Swindon game on Easter Monday with his wife Caroline and children Oliver and Nancy. Ian was an important part of the Rovers squad in our first few seasons in the Conference after relegation from the Football League. Amongst other things, he will be fondly remembered for a memorable hat-trick against rivals Rushden and Diamonds at Nene Park, and a fine winning goal against Farnborough in the Conference Cup Final at a packed Belle Vue, as well as the now infamous 'Get Duerden On!' chant which could often (and sometimes still is!) be heard in the stands. Ian will be attending a Supporter Q&A session in the Belle Vue Bar before the match, so make sure you're there!