Author: Neil Bellis

Member notification

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The Board of City Fans United would advise the membership that we have very recently received an enquiry from a 3rd party individual regarding a potentially substantial investment in Chester Football Club.

The individual who has made the approach wishes to remain anonymous whilst initial investigatory discussions progress.

It should be noted that this enquiry is at a very early stage and we would stress that this would not in any way threaten or affect the principle of 100% Supporter Ownership or day to day control in respect of the club. This crucial principle was discussed and agreed as a pre-requisite for any further conversations.

The individual concerned is a wealthy entrepreneur with many connections to Chester and who is extremely passionate about the City.

This potential investment may represent a fantastic opportunity for Chester Football Club in the pursuit of success and prosperity.

We would advise our members that it is our intention to pursue this matter further once both parties have performed the necessary due diligence.
The Board commits to consult with and update our membership further should this enquiry progress.

Board update

Posted by Neil Bellis on

Following last night’s City Fans United board meeting we can confirm that David Harrington-Wright has stepped up from the Vice Chair role to become Chair of CFU.
Fellow board member Mark Jones has assumed the role of Vice Chair.
Both roles were ratified at the meeting.

Statement on behalf of the board of City Fans United

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The board of City Fans United are both surprised and disappointed at the recent resignations of Simon Olorenshaw and Mark Howell.
In Simon Olorenshaw’s statement, he referred to the fact that his views differ dramatically from the majority of the current board. We do not recognise this as an accurate reflection of recent events, and as such efforts were made to ascertain the substance of any perceived differences, unfortunately Simon Olorenshaw declined the offer.
Mark Howell decided to stand down due to a perceived lack of board support for Calvin Hughes following offensive Twitter postings over the weekend, for which we requested and have now received an apology; We have further requested a full retraction of the original comments made. The board are fully supportive of Calvin in his role as Director and lead of the Football Working Group who in recent weeks have been working hard to significantly reduce ongoing financial liabilities in the playing squad.
There have been a number of positives happening over recent months, including the fantastic fundraising, increase in City Fans United membership, development of a draft strategy and improving commercial relationships.
The City Fans United board are united and wholly focussed, and together with the working groups are committed to delivering the immediate and long term future of Chester Football Club under fan ownership. We ask that all fans continue with the great support that has been especially demonstrated over recent weeks. We are not out of the woods yet but together we can ensure the survival of our football club through these difficult times.
The City Fans United board of directors

Informal CFU meeting rescheduled

Posted by Neil Bellis on

City Fans United can confirm that the informal meeting, originally arranged for Thursday 29th March has been rescheduled for Wednesday 18th April, with a 7.30pm start.
The meeting – open to non-CFU members – will take place at St Theresa’s Social Club in Blacon, as part of continued theme of taking our meetings around the Chester and surrounding areas in a bid to help raise the profile of City Fans United further, and hopefully encourage more new members.
Further details regarding guest speakers will be confirmed in due course.
The address for St Theresa’s Social Club is 8 Blacon Avenue, Blacon, Chester CH1 5BU an there is parking at the venue.
We look forward to seeing you there.

First team manager statement

Posted by Neil Bellis on

Chester Football Club can confirm that First Team Manager Marcus Bignot will leave the club upon the expiry of his contract in May 2018.
The decision was made by the City Fans United Board of Directors at a meeting last Monday.

The board would like to place on record their thanks to Marcus for remaining professional throughout his tenure – especially of late – given the challenges currently being dealt with by the club.
This season has been an extremely tough one to endure for each and every Chester FC supporter. It has also been a challenging environment for Marcus to be involved with. The board wishes to emphasise that we understand the frustrations of all concerned.
We do thank the fans for their continued support and ask for their ongoing backing as Marcus manages the team for the remainder of this campaign. He has worked very hard in extremely difficult circumstances and it is vital that he retains our full support for the remainder of his tenure.

The board of directors
City Fans United

CFU informal meeting postponed

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The informal City Fans United members meeting originally set for Thursday 29th March has been postponed due to the proximity to the Easter weekend.
The meeting was initially a ‘formal’ meeting, however, the formal meeting took place in the Blues Bar on Thursday 1st March, with the meeting on the 29th then planned to be an ‘informal’ one.
Once a new date has been fixed, we will also advise of the venue and kick off time.
We hope you all enjoy your Easter holidays and of course hope to see you at the Swansway Chester Stadium, on Good Friday for our match with Torquay United, with three excellent (we’ve avoided using the pun!) offers for the match, listed below.
– FREE Entry for Under 16s – please download this simple to complete form to then take to the game to claim your FREE ticket
– Reduced Adult prices on the Harry McNally Terrace – it’s just £10 for this match on the terrace!
– FREE Easter Egg for Under 12s – please visit the CFU Gazebo that will be outside the ticket office to claim your FREE Easter Egg! Please note it’s a limited supply and will be on a first come, first served basis and will be restricted to one egg per child!
See you there on Friday!

Race night fundraiser this Saturday!

Posted by Neil Bellis on

This Saturday night sees the latest fundraiser for Chester FC take place as we go under starters orders at The Red Lion in Handbridge for Race Night!
It all gets underway at 7.30pm on Saturday with a fun filled night of 10 races to enjoy, and have a flutter on, and maybe win yourself some money in the process.
Race Nights always prove to be amongst the most enjoyable nights and it’s great to have the support of The Red Lion, who are hosting the event to support our fundraising efforts for the Blues, so we’d love as many of you to join us this Saturday night.
Sat Nav for The Red Lion is CH4 7HL.

Seals lottery February 2018 draw

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The latest Seals Lottery draw has taken place with the random number selector ‘button’ being pressed by Chester FC Media Officer, Albert Davies, witnessed by Brian Burns and Lottery Administrator Barbara Rogers.
Winners:
1st – £526.00 no. 722 Mr Andy Wood
2nd – £394.50 no. 533 Mr Bob Browne
3rd – £263.00 no. 376 Mr Mike Hardy
Total lottery prizes are also matched by funds going to the development of Chester Football Club To join the Seals Lottery, download the Application form today via this link and you could be the next big winner.  Seals Lottery Form for Printing

or pick up a form from the ticket office. (cost is £5 per number per month)
(Note : -The Seals Lottery is now open to anyone aged 16 or over).

Tranmere ticketing announcement

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The board of City Fans United have decided that in light of the current situation at the club, and with the impending need to raise funds for Chester FC, we have reluctantly decided to free up more tickets for visiting Tranmere Rovers supporters for their match here on Saturday 7th April.
Visiting supporters will be allocated the entire Swettenham Chemists Community Stand, in addition to the South Stand, for this fixture.
It is not a decision we have taken lightly given our beliefs in looking after our own supporters, wherever they may be located inside the Swansway Chester Stadium.
We sincerely hope that those 187 supporters who hold season tickets in that area understand why the board have taken this decision, which will be the only occasion this season in which we make such a move.
As we want to look after our own supporters, we would like to invite all 187 supporters that hold season tickets in the Swettenham Chemists Community Stand, to come and select their choice of seat in the Red Insure Stand (not occupied by season ticket holders) prior to the date tickets go on general sale.
Following this date, supporters who have not selected a seat in the Red Insure Stand will be invited to occupy an unreserved seat for this game.
All Swettenham Chemists Community Stand season ticket holders have been contacted today via letter or email and we would like to thank Chester FC supporters for their cooperation following this announcement. Ticket sales dates will be released in due course.
The board of City Fans United