Category: CFU Board News

Election to the Board of City Fans United and Chester FC

The date of the AGM has already been published and I now formally confirm that it will be Thursday 3rd November 2022 at 7.30pm in The Blues Bar.  I am writing to all our members to invite them to stand for election to the Board of City Fans United and Chester Football Club.  Due to a resignation since last year and expiry of tenure there will be a total of four vacancies, to bring our numbers back up to our normal Board of eleven.

If you would like to meet with a director, please let me know as soon as possible and I will make the necessary arrangements for this to happen.

If elected, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the future success and on-going development of Chester FC and City Fans United; you will normally serve as a Director for a period of three years before standing down or being re-elected.  More information about the role of a director is attached.

To be eligible to stand for election, you must be 18 years of age or over and must have been a member of City Fans United for at least 60 days prior to the closing date for nomination which is 21st September 2022.  This means that you must have been a fully paid up member by 23rd July 2022.  The same eligibility rule applies if you are nominating someone to stand for the board.

Linked below you will find a nomination form should you wish to put yourself forward for one of the vacant board positions.  You should complete the form and also obtain two nominations from other members of City Fans United (a current member of the Board cannot be a nominee).  The nominations can take the form of a signature on your application form, or can be provided separately by email in support of your application if you are unable to obtain a physical signature from your sponsor.

You have the opportunity to write a manifesto of not less than 400 words and up to a maximum of 800 words.  The manifesto should be set out based on the template linked below and used to sell the skills and expertise that you can bring to the board.  You should also include a passport size photograph of yourself which can be circulated to members along with your manifesto.  There will be no campaigning other than circulation of the manifestos: this includes self-promotion of any form including use of social media.  Full details of the election policy are included on the CFU website and you must abide by the rules for the conduct of elections set out in the policy.  In the event that we have more applications than places available, an election will be held and members will use this information to elect candidates of their choice to the board.

If elected you will be required to complete a criminal record check and the FA Owners’ & Directors Test’; the requirements relating to this may be viewed at www.thefa.com.  This test is broadly similar to our requirements of board members:

·      You must not be a disqualified director

·      You must not be subject to a bankruptcy order or have an Individual           Voluntary Arrangement in place with creditors.

·      You must not have any unspent criminal convictions.

Nominations with your manifesto should be returned to me at the Deva Stadium (registered office), Bumpers Lane, Chester CH1 4LT and marked “Private and in Confidence” or emailed to me at chris.robson@chesterfc.com , to arrive no later than 4pm on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

If you have any questions on the election process or on board membership in general, please contact me via email address or telephone 01244 371376.

Finally, on behalf of the board, thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Christine R Robson

Secretary, Chester City Supporters’ Society    

Document Links:

Duties of a Director
Manifesto Template
Nomination Form

Ian Swettenham Joins CFU Board

City Fans United is delighted to announce that Ian Swettenham has been appointed as a Director.

Ian, who is well known to Chester FC fans for his long-standing support of the football club, joins the Board having been co-opted this week.

Swettenham Chemists, which Ian and his wife Dawn have run for more than 30 years, play an active role in their communities and have sponsored the Blues for a decade.

Their support includes sponsorship of the Swettenham Chemists’ Community Stand at the Deva Stadium and the club’s Academy, where they have been crucial to the achievements of our youth section, which has now seen 19 players graduate to the first team since the reformation.

Ian is also a chartered accountant and his skills, experience and success further strengthens the Board as we seek to continue progressing on and off the pitch.

Welcome aboard, Ian!

Introducing our newest CFU Board member…

The Board of City Fans United are pleased to welcome Kate Mylchreest as a new Director.

Kate, who is the Head of Development at Storyhouse, has been co-opted on to the Board and will provide focus on the commercial portfolio.

Kate has worked in fundraising for the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years after gaining a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Newcastle University. She is an avowed champion of supporting community programmes, particularly supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

She has considerable experience in the NHS and held senior positions at both the Countess of Chester and The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, before moving to Storyhouse.

Welcome aboard, Kate!

CFU Announcement: New Chair Appointed and Portfolios for Directors

Following a formal board meeting on Monday 7 February, the board of City Fans United is pleased to announce that Kieron Shiel has been elected as Chair. Jim Green will continue in his role as Vice-Chair.

Kieron has served on the board since 2019 and during that time has overseen improvements to the club’s retail provision, significantly increasing profits from merchandise sales. As well as being a qualified football coach and scout, he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in leadership, project delivery management, people management and technology.

In addition to the appointment of our new chair, the board is also pleased to update members on the portfolio assignments of current directors. These can be viewed here.

Alongside our new Chairman, portfolio holders will be working to identify key objectives. Our intention is to share the club objectives in the coming weeks to provide fans with a clear view of board priorities and our vision for the future of the club.

The board wishes to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Morris for his hard work and dedication during his time as Chair. We wish him all the best for the future.

CFU Statement

City Fans United can confirm Andrew Morris has decided to step down from the Board of Directors and his position as Chairman.


Andrew was elected to the Board in October 2017 and has served as Chairman since April 2020, helping guide the Club through a period of unprecedented challenges.

Andrew tendered his resignation on Saturday evening and the Board wishes to place on record its collective gratitude and appreciation for his significant contribution. We thank him for agreeing to a handover period to ensure an orderly transition, and wish Andrew the very best for the future.


“The past few months have seen a great deal of soul searching and reflection, and I think it is the right time to pass the baton on to someone else and stand down from the board,” said Andrew.

“I joined the board on the brink of financial crisis and have encountered a relegation, flooding, a takeover approach, global pandemic, two curtailed seasons, the misallocation of National Lottery funding, and the recent border issues, so I can certainly say it has been an eventful time and an incredible experience.


“The coming months are going to be challenging as the Club seeks to build a competitive side for next season while continuing to ensure the short and long-term sustainability of the football club, and it is only right that this work is led by someone able to commit the time that this demands, therefore I have decided to resign from my position to allow a new Chairman to mould and shape the future direction for the coming season.


“Without doubt it has been a pleasure to serve on the Board since 2017 and I wish all associated with the Club, from the Board, employees, volunteers through to Steve, the coaching and playing staff all the best.”


The Board plans to meet this week to confirm the appointment of a new Chairman, with Vice Chairman Jim Green fulfilling the role in the interim.

Election to the Board of City Fans United and Chester FC

The date of the City Fans United AGM has been published and will be Thursday 4th November 2021.

With this now in place our members are invited to stand for election to the Board of City Fans United and Chester Football Club for one of four vacancies.

If elected, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the future success and on-going development of Chester FC and City Fans United; you will normally serve as a Director for a period of three years before standing down or being re-elected.

To be eligible to stand for election, you must be 18 years of age or over and must have been a member of City Fans United for at least 60 days prior to the closing date for nominations which is 21st September 2021. This means that you must have been a fully paid up member since 23rd July 2021. The same eligibility rule applies if you are nominating someone to stand for the board.

If you have any questions on the election process or board membership in general, please contact chris.robson@chesterfc.com via email or telephone 01244 371376.

Independent Review – Executive Summary

In November 2020 the previous Board instigated an independent review into Stuart Murphy’s involvement at the club, and any lessons that could be learnt from the process. Richard Birchett has now produced this review which the Board have accepted, and his Executive summary is shown below for Member’s information.

 

On Behalf of the current Board, Andrew Morris Chair of City Fans United stated ‘I would like to thank Richard and all those who participated in the Review for their time and effort to complete this piece of work as it is important that we as a Club continue to learn from everything we do’.

 

Stuart Murphy – statement from City Fans United board

Following a thorough review, we can confirm that no commitments remain outstanding, and that matters have now been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. We again thank Mr Murphy for all his considerable financial assistance over the last two years, and wish him well with his 1885 Sporting Village project.

CFU Board Appointments & Portfolios

The board of City Fans United is pleased to update our members on the portfolio assignments following the recent AGM and elections.

 

Andrew Morris has been elected as Chair and will continue in the role with the board electing Jim Green as Vice Chair. Chris Robson will provide valuable support to board members having been appointed to continue as CFU Secretary.

 

Nick Phillipson, who previously served as a Non-Executive Director, has been co-opted to the board, and Chris Robertson has been co-opted until spring 2021 to facilitate a handover having decided to step down from his position as an External Director and Treasurer.

 

With the exception of Andrew Morris as Chair, each board member has been assigned at least one portfolio, with support from board members, staff, volunteers and working groups as appropriate.

 

Commercial – Paul Bodman

Community – Jim Green

Facilities – Nick Phillipson

Fan Engagement & Membership – Jeff Banks

Finance – Chris Robertson

Football – Jim Green

Fundraising – Adam Langan

Governance – Nick Phillipson

Marketing & Digital – Alex Owen

Retail – Kieron Shiel

Systems – Alex Owen & Kieron Shiel

Volunteering & People – Kieron Shiel

Youth – Mike Vickers

 

Andrew Morris, Chair of CFU, said: “Without doubt the coming 12 months are going to be up there with the most challenging in the Clubs’ history as we move out of the current lockdown and deal with the long-term impact of Covid on the Club and our local community. That said I am pleased that we are now in a position as a Board, post AGM, to respond to these challenges in the most robust way possible and continue to work in a transparent manner for the benefit of the CFU Members”

 

Portfolio holders will now identify key objectives and priorities for their respective areas of responsibility, which will be communicated to members at the next CFU members meeting in January.

 

The board wishes to take this opportunity to thank David Williams, Mike Day and Mark Jones for their valuable contributions to CFU and outstanding service over a number of years having stepped down at the AGM.