DAFTS was founded back in the winter of 1994 by the sadly departed Bob Barnes, a fan living in the Midlands. He got the idea for the name after hearing of a Rochdale exiles fan-club run by former students in the south west - Bath University Rochdale Keen Supporters (BURKS).

From a first meeting before an FA Cup tie, in recent years with the hard work of Darlington fan Neil Johnson and his trusty notebook, the membership has grown. Following games in the mid-nineties Bob showed the idea to as many people as possible and news of the group started to spread far and wide. A list of equally minded people was gathered, compiled and distributed (something which is still done today), and the rest as they say, is history.

After Bob passed away Neil Johnson and Steve Duffy kept the idea alive and DAFTS has continued to go from strength to strength and in 2001 created itself a web presence. DAFTS are now close to a 1,000-strong group (620+ addresses) of exiles and far-flung fans, who meet together at Darlington away games - and some at home matches too. DAFTS also put fans in touch to help share travelling costs, or just help provide a focus for meeting in the pub or on the more scenic trips or weekends away.