A GROUP of Newport supporters will raise the issue of Dragons branding and "the Black and Amber elephant in the room" at the club's general meeting next week, writes Chris Kirwan.

A meeting is being held next Wednesday and a number of fans and shareholders are keen to discuss professional rugby at Rodney Parade.

They have met over the past fortnight to discuss their approach and have drawn up a list of queries for the club's hierarchy.

Among the group's chief concerns is the marketing strategy of tenants Newport Gwent Dragons, who they believe are playing a risky game by heading down a 'Gwent' route at the expense of their Newport stronghold.

Supporter David Williams said: "I followed the Dragons until around three years ago when they started to use 'Kingdom of Gwent' and playing in blue and black of Monmouthshire. I felt disenfranchised and I know plenty of people who feel the same.

"But this is not anti-Dragons, we understand that there are a generation of kids who have known nothing but the Dragons.

"We are not pushing for a name change but for the brand to be stronger. They have done everything they can to ignore the Newport support and have ignored the Black and Amber elephant in the room.

"In a recent interview Stuart Davies (Newport and Dragons chief executive) said that the majority of supporters are from Newport so we want to know why they have never attempted to brand the professional side as being more Newport given that it has been a struggle doing it as Gwent.

"A key moment for me was seeing a European quarter-final against Cardiff and it wasn't a sell-out.

"We are trying to make it a sustainable business and believe that using Newport's history would help."

The group want to know the situation regarding loans owed to Dragons board members Tony Brown and Martyn Hazell and why a loan was taken out against Rodney Parade.

They also want to know the reasoning behind not attempting to take ownership of the Welsh Rugby Union's 50 per cent share in the Dragons and how much it would cost.

"It is important to try and get as many shareholders to the meeting as possible," said Williams. "We want to use our votes and maintain our voice."