Author: Neil Bellis

Seals lottery November 2017 draw

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The latest Seals Lottery draw has taken place with the random number selector ‘button’ being pressed by Youth Academy Head Calum McIntyre, witnessed by Community Trust CEO Jim Green and Lottery Administrator Brian Burns.

Winners:
1st – £525.00 no. 360 Mrs.S.Crowther
2nd – £393.75 no. 155 Mr.P.Jones
3rd – £262.50 no. 153 Mr.G.Billington

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

http://www.cityfansunited.com/docs/seals_lottery-2.pdf

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).

CFU board summary – 16th November 2017

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Calum McIntyre attended the most recent board meeting on 16th November, 2017 – he briefed the board on the Academy Strategy and highlighted the professional approach of our volunteer coaches and the work that had been undertaken in respect of Continuing Professional Development in preparation for the new season.

Calum also provided details of the working of the recently established Youth Team Scholarship scheme. This scheme enables the club to offer a similar programme to that of other clubs at the same level and above and will help with recruitment.

Ron Smith, who has previously been co-opted to the Operations Board was co-opted again for a further year.

Finance – noted that in terms of gate money the club is slightly ahead of budget with the Wrexham game having taken place recently, although some areas are below budget including programme sales. Changes were agreed to the bank mandates with the change in director appointments.

The main issue for discussion related to new ways of working for the board with all business being grouped into 3 areas – see full details on the CFU website.

Future CFU meetings – it is proposed that there will be 6 formal meetings a year (including the AGM) the dates for these will be published in advance at the start of the year. In the months in between it is proposed that these meetings will become more along the lines of a fans forum and be open to wider than CFU membership; they will be held in various locations in and around Chester rather than at the football club.

CFU board portfolio allocations

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The board of City Fans United (CFU) is pleased to announce a change in how they will work to help drive the club forward as well as improve transparency, accountability and foster closer and more focused working relations with members, fans and stakeholders.

Instead of each director having a portfolio, members of the board will instead be responsible for individual items (e.g. Squad Builder, CFU Membership, Health and Safety) and with each item falling under one of three broader headings.

The three headings are: Membership and Engagement, Governance and Income Generation.

The Portfolio document (PDF) can be downloaded here…

The board have split the items based on the skill-sets and talents of board members but agreed that as income generation is of paramount importance, all directors should ultimately be responsible for at least one project under that heading.

The hope with this restructuring of board member responsibilities is also that both members and fans will have a clear line of communication should they wish to suggest an idea for a certain item or volunteer for one.

CFU chair Jonny Hughes said: “As you can see from the attached document, we have looked at the way we work and agreed a path that will see improved transparency and accountability for our members as well as promoting a more focused and targeted workflow throughout the business.

“The next step for the board on this is to provide a detailed action plan for each item, taking in current and past data, to project realistic targets for growth and to outline a plan for our members on how these targets will be achieved and, most importantly, who will help us achieve them. Items will be monitored and progress reported on regularly.

“One thing which I think is important to say is that this is a working document. Items will be added and taken away as the needs of the football club change over time but that doesn’t mean that if you think there is something missing you can’t tell us. Part of ensuring that the club is successful as a fan owned club is the continued engagement of members, fans and stakeholders.

“In fact, how well we all work as a team is what will ultimately define how successful we are. Whether you are a board member or not, the responsibility of this football club rests with all of us. “In line with this, we will be asking for members and fans to engage with us more than they ever have before and will be releasing details soon of the many ways people can help. If you would like to pre-empt this and get in touch in touch with us directly, then please do.

“The team is you.”

November members meeting and meet Marcus

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CFU Members Meeting : The Anchor – Saltney. 7.30pm Thursday

A reminder that we are switching venue for Thursdays (23rd Nov) CFU meeting to: The Anchor Pub in Saltney.

The meeting will start at the usual time of 7:30pm.

The address for The Anchor is 5 High Street, Saltney, Chester, CH4 8SE. We hope to see you there!

The Streaming Service will available for any owners who can’t make it down to the meeting on the night. You must have renewed before the day of the meeting to eligible to watch the streaming service so don’t hesitate if you haven’t signed up already! Please email neil.bellis@chesterfc.com if you want to watch the stream but haven’t previously signed up.

Meeting for those who are considering standing for the board

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The CFU board will be holding a short meeting with anyone who is interested in standing for the board at this year’s AGM.

The meeting will be held at 6.45pm ahead of this Thursday’s July 27th informal owners meeting, with special guest Jon McCarthy. A few board members will be on hand before the meeting to speak to anyone who is interested in standing for election to the board about what the role is likely to entail and how much of a commitment the role is.

If you wish to speak to an existing board member about standing for the board but are unable to make the time on Thursday then please email marion.needham@chesterfc.com and another time can be arranged.  (more…)

CFU meeting next Thursday

Posted by Neil Bellis on

The next City Fans United owners meeting is next Thursday, July 27th in the Blues Bar at the Swansway Chester Stadium with a 7.30pm start.

The meeting is an informal meeting and on the night the special guest will be manager Jon McCarthy.

After Jon there will be a general Q&A session with the CFU board.

The streaming service will available for any owners who can’t make it down to the stadium on the night. You must have renewed before the day of the meeting to eligible to watch the streaming service so don’t hesitate if you haven’t signed up already! Please email neil.bellis@chesterfc.com by July 26th if you want to watch the stream but haven’t previously signed up.  (more…)

Own your club 2017-18 reminder

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The CFU board would like to remind all those who wish to stand for the board or nominate someone to stand for the CFU board then you must renew your ownership before Monday June 26th.

This is because our constitution states that anyone wishing to become a board member or nominate a person for the board must be a member 60 days before the AGM which will be on October 5th.

If you do not wish to stand for the board there is no deadline for renewals but we would urge everyone to renew their ownership of CFU and Chester FC.

You can become an Owner today, by joining in the following ways.

* Online via this link to our website. http://www.cityfansunited.com/join-online.html

* OR http://www.cityfansunited.com/renew-membership.html for existing CFU members

* Call our office on 01244 371376 (open 10am-4pm) to pay via credit/debit card. Also this Sunday June 25th the club office is open from 10am to 4pm for season ticket and ownership renewals.

* Post a Completed Form, downloadable here (http://www.cityfansunited.com/docs/cfu_membership.pdf) Please make your cheque payable to City Fans United, and send to the following address:

City Fans United

Swansway Chester Stadium

Bumpers Lane

Chester

CH1 4LT

The CFU Ownership is the new name for the CFU Membership, existing Members from the 2016/17 season, are encouraged to renew their commitment to the club, by becoming Owners for the 2017/18 season. Thank you for your continued support. (more…)

Three co-opted onto the CFU board

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Three more directors have been co-opted onto the City Fans United (CFU) board.

The CFU board put out an appeal for fans to apply for the board to help move the club forward and the board is delighted to announce that Dave Harrington-Wright, Andrew Morris and Sam Swash have been co-opted onto the board until the AGM in October. They join David O’Toole who was co-opted in April. (more…)

Own your club – 2017/18

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City Fans United (CFU) is proud to launch the CFU Ownership campaign for the 2017/18 season.

The Ownership offers individuals over the age of 16, the opportunity to become owners of Chester Football Club, for the annual fee of £12.

In seven years of fan ownership at Chester FC the club has enjoyed a rapid rise through the leagues, including three back to back titles, and since then we have become a stable and sustainable National League club. Chester FC is a not-for-profit organisation, run sustainably, which means all money raised is reinvested into running the club.

Chester FC is run democratically by its supporters, as an owner you would receive a vote on all major decisions, such as electing a board. You can attend and vote at owners’ meetings and help us to shape the future of our club. If you are an exile you can watch, and take part in the meetings on our streaming service – we are the first, and only, club in the country to offer this service.

CFU, the owner of Chester FC, is also taking advantage of every opportunity to influence the direction in which the professional game moves. We continue to work in co-operation with Supporters Direct to lobby key stakeholders in the game to ensure supporters views, and supporter ownership, is represented.

Whilst most owners are committed fans of Chester FC, we also encourage anyone who believes in our ethos and the history of our club, to become an owner of Chester FC. By putting supporters and community at the heart of our club, we’re showing that fans can have a powerful say in the way football should be run. That’s why we need you to join the CFU Ownership today, as the more owners we have, the louder our collective voice will be.

You can become an Owner today, by joining in the following ways.

*   Online via this link to our website. http://www.cityfansunited.com/join-online.html

*   OR http://www.cityfansunited.com/renew-membership.html for existing CFU members

*   Call our office on 01244 371376 (open 10am-4pm) to pay via credit/debit card

*   Post a Completed Form, downloadable here (http://www.cityfansunited.com/docs/cfu_membership.pdf)

Please make your cheque payable to City Fans United, and send to the following address:

City Fans United
Swansway Chester Stadium
Bumpers Lane
Chester
CH1 4LT

The CFU Ownership is the new name for the CFU Membership, existing Members from the 2016/17 season, are encouraged to renew their commitment to the club, by becoming Owners for the 2017/18 season.

Thank you for your continued support,

The City Fans United Board

(more…)

Board member Alan Povey resigns

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City Fans United (CFU) director Alan Povey has decided to step down from his role as director/chair for personal reasons.

Alan goes with the best wishes of all the other board members and their thanks for his contribution over the past year.

Current vice chairman, Jonny Hughes will serve as acting chair of CFU until the AGM in October. (more…)