Category: CFU Board News

Introducing our newest CFU Board member…

Posted by Jeff Banks on

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

Posted by Charlotte Walker on

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

Posted by Albert Davies on
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

Posted by Christine Robson on

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

Posted by Jeff Banks on

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’.

 

Independent Review – Executive SummaryDownload

Stuart Murphy – statement from City Fans United board

Posted by Mike Day on

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

Posted by Jeff Banks on

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.

 

Elections to CFU Board 2020

Posted by Mike Day on

City Fans United members who believe they can contribute to the future success of Chester FC are being encouraged to put themselves forward as candidates for the board.

City Fans United is the supporters’ group which owns Chester FC and any member can stand for election provided they are aged 18 or over and have been a fully paid up member since 8th July 2020.

Directors normally serve for a period of three years before standing down or being re-elected, and if elected you will have the opportunity to play a key role in the ongoing development of Chester FC and City Fans United.

This year’s AGM is being held on Thursday 22nd October 2020 and there are seven vacancies on the board to return it to its normal number of 10 due to resignations since last year and expiry of tenure.

The deadline for nominations has been extended to Monday 14th September 2020. The board agreed to the extension after learning some communications to members were undelivered so as to ensure everyone who is eligible is given adequate time to consider and submit an application if they are interested.

Andrew Morris, Chairman of City Fans United and Chester FC, said: “Serving on the board of our football club is a real privilege and a hugely rewarding experience.

“It does require a significant amount of time and energy so it is vital prospective candidates understand the role and responsibilities of a director, however we would encourage any member who feels they have the ideas, enthusiasm and drive to help our club succeed to put themselves forward.

“Our club is having to navigate through unparalleled challenges but there is a great deal to be positive about and many reasons to be optimistic about the future, and it is critical we have a skilled, diverse and committed board to take us forward.”

More information about the role of a director can be found here (https://cityfansunited.com/docs/Duties-of-a-Director-2020.pdf) and any members who would like to speak with a current board member to understand more about the role can email chris.robson@chesterfc.com to arrange this.

If you wish to put yourself forward for election, you will need to complete the nomination form found here (https://cityfansunited.com/docs/Nomination-form-2020.pdf) and obtain two nominations from other members of City Fans United. These can take the form of a signature on your application form or can be provided separately by email if you are unable to obtain a signature.

You have the opportunity to write a manifesto of not less than 400 words and up to a maximum of 800 words, setting out the skills and expertise you can bring to the board. This can be submitted using the template found here (https://cityfansunited.com/docs/Manifesto-template-2020.pdf) and you should also include a passport size photograph of yourself.

Please note 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 there are 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 City Fans United secretary Christine Robson at Deva Stadium, Bumpers Lane, Chester CH1 4LT and marked ‘Private and in Confidence’ or emailed to  chris.robson@chesterfc.com, to arrive no later than 4pm on Monday 14th September 2020.

CFU Board Update

Posted by Jeff Banks on

The board of City Fans United have strengthened their ranks with a new addition.

 

We would like to welcome Adam Langan, who has been co-opted to the board until the AGM later this year.

 

On joining the board, Adam said, “I am honoured and delighted to be joining the board in such a pivotal time for our club, I am excited to offer my skills to benefit the club I’ve supported for 20+years. I’m extremely excited to solidify the links between the council and the club and am extremely passionate about improving the stadiums facilities and the clubs infrastructure as these are the long term assets that if improved will enable us to compete at a higher level.”

 

CFU Chairman Andrew Morris, officially welcomed Adam to the board, “On behalf of the CFU board I am delighted to welcome Adam following his co-option to the board this week. Adam brings with him a range of skills and experience developed through his time working in local politics as well as experience and skills in community engagement which will be vital as the Club moves forward.”

 

In 2020 there have been some movements on the board, with Nick Phillipson joining as an Non-Executive Director, effectively assuming the role of Richard Lynes who stood down in December, and of course David Harrington-Wright stepped down as Chairman earlier this year.

 

 

CFU Board Statement

Posted by Mike Day on

The Board of City Fans United can confirm we received notification from Stuart Murphy, on behalf of Exacta Plc, on Sunday 10th May advising his intention to end his association with the Club forthwith.

Therefore the Board wishes to advise members we consider Stuart’s approach to takeover the ownership of Chester FC to be withdrawn.

We can confirm that to date we have not received settlement of the outstanding financial commitments for the 2019/20 season, however we remain in discussion with Stuart regarding this matter.

Chester FC would like to place on record its appreciation to Stuart for his financial support and donations received since his association with the Club commenced in 2018 and we wish him well for the future.

The Board will provide further updates to members over the coming days and weeks, and is committed to fully engaging with the membership in developing a revised strategy to ensure we can overcome the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, continue to function sustainably and remain competitive when football returns as a 100% supporter-owned football club.