Tag: City Fans United

Football clubs are nothing without their fans

Posted by Jeff Banks on

This day back in 2010, City Fans United were awarded the lease to the Deva Stadium by Cheshire West and Chester Council, a move which was greeted with celebration by Chester fans.

 

 

Recent events in English football have demonstrated just how important it is that fans have a voice and input into decisions and the running of their football clubs.

 

At Premier League level, we have seen what can happen when clubs fail to consult with their supporters before making decisions, which don’t just affect their own clubs, but risking the future of the entire football pyramid.

 

Chester FC is wholly owned by its fans and as those familiar with our story will know, the pitfalls of private ownership can be significant  if supporters are not consulted or represented when it comes to the running of their club.

 

Following the liquidation of Chester City FC in 2010, Chester fans vowed to safeguard the future of football in the City and reformed as a 100% supporter-owned community football club.

 

We have made great strides in the 11 years since, winning three league championships, enjoying the occasional FA Cup run, and building friendships across the non-league pyramid, but more importantly remaining a sustainable club that recognises its responsibility to the community.

 

 

Since 2010, clubs have been extremely welcoming to us and our tremendous supporters, appreciating our circumstances and contributing to our journey so far. The help we received from the likes of FC United of Manchester, AFC Telford United and AFC Wimbledon was vital to our development and we are now using the experience we have gained to help fans of other clubs such as Bury AFC.

 

The power of supporters is no better illustrated than in the efforts of Chester FC fans over the last decade, from the incredible tidal wave of our rebirth to helping us overcome the unprecedented challenges faced in the past 12 months. It is often said football clubs are nothing without supporters but in our case that is unquestionably true.

 

With growing awareness of the importance of fans and the need for reform across the game, Chester FC fully supports those pressing for change and for supporters to be given a greater involvement in their clubs.

 

City Fans United, the owners of Chester FC, have a strong membership that is dedicated to ensuring football in Chester is driven forward properly. We always welcome new members and you can sign up via the link below for just the equivalent of £1 per month, it’d be great to have you as our latest signing!

 

JOIN CITY FANS UNITED HERE

Our City, Our Community, Our Club.

City Fans United Membership Renewals – Renew Today!

Posted by Jeff Banks on

It’s the 1st March and from today City Fans United members not currently on Direct Debit can renew their memberships which will then run through to the 31st May 2022. 

Given the challenges that have been faced at Chester FC over the coming 12 months, we are aiming to provide the strongest possible start to next season for the club and by renewing now you will be helping the club to do just that. 

This year, we’re also asking City Fans United to help choose the new 2021/22 away kit with details to follow shortly on that, so even more reason to renew your membership! 

There are also a number of member discounts available including offers on holidays, food and drink and other great products. 

If you pay your membership on Direct Debit or have a recurring payment set up on Paypal then you don’t need to do anything as your payment will continue into the next membership year.  

If you have a standing order in place with your bank, we would ask you to cancel this and set up a Direct Debit.

To set up please email : nick.phillipson@chesterfc.com  

If not already on Direct Debit: 

To renew your membership, simply follow the instructions below: 

Visit the link – Members Section – City Fans United 

Select Renew Membership 

Log in to your account 

Complete the Renew Membership form including the amount which you would like to pay (the minimum being £12). 

Complete the transaction 

Your membership will be renewed until 31 May 2022. 

CFU Meeting

Posted by Jeff Banks on

Due to the offensive material that appeared during our Zoom meeting this evening, we were forced to bring our meeting to a close earlier than anticipated.

City Fans United would like to apologize to anyone that was offended by the material that suddenly appeared on the meeting, and we removed it as quickly as possible, but unfortunately repeated attempts meant we had no alternative but to close the meeting.

We were at the point where Anthony Johnson was about to do a Q&A, so we will put a separate article together to provide you with the answers that he was going to give to your questions, in the very near future.

Again, apologies for the events that were completely out of our hands this evening.

CFU Meeting – Zoom Instructions

Posted by Jeff Banks on

Tomorrow night it’s your chance to tune into the City Fans United informal meeting, which will be held via Zoom at 7.30pm.

 

There will be brief updates from the board including the very latest from Chester FC with regards to the current situation in the National League North. We will also have Chester FC manager Anthony Johnson on the call as well, who will be there for a Q&A and to bring you an update on how the squad and management team are dealing with the current climate.

 

If you have a question for the board or manager, then please email this to jeff.banks@chesterfc.com by 3pm Thursday 11th February.

 

We’re sure there will be plenty of questions on the same subject, and whilst we’ll be monitoring the CHAT function on the call, we would like to be able to bring you the answers to the questions received by 3pm.

 

This will also help reduce the amount of duplicate questions asked on the night.

 

Thursday night’s meeting is open to non-members too, so please join from 7pm where you will be placed into a meeting room before being admitted into the meeting close to 7.30pm.

 

Usual etiquette on the Zoom meeting applies, and all microphones will be muted during the meeting unless invited to un-mute.

 

Here’s the link for the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92243332658?pwd=SW1qRlNtTFZxNGlmcnV5Zi95RHBwUT09

 

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Board Statement – Wednesday 3rd February

Posted by Jeff Banks on

Chester FC wishes to update our supporters regarding the National League resolutions received on Monday evening.

 

The Board has begun a detailed review of the resolutions and the potential implications of the possible outcomes for our club.

We recognise the urgency of the situation and intend to respond as quickly as possible, but not before full consideration has been given. We have written to the National League asking for clarification on several points to assist us in reaching the best decision for our club.

We do not believe it reasonable to expect clubs to continue playing matches and incurring additional costs until the outcome is known. Given the importance of the resolutions, we feel the suspension of fixtures in the North and South divisions should be extended for a further week to allow clubs to focus fully on the matter at hand.

 

We will continue to keep our members and supporters updated.

CFU Meeting put back to Thursday 11th February

Posted by Jeff Banks on
This week’s informal City Fans United meeting initially scheduled for Thursday night will be put back by one week given the board of directors are currently working through the resolutions distributed to its member clubs by the National League.
We will be raising a number of points with the National League before we look to vote on the resolutions to consider the outcome of the 2020/21 season and would like to have full and accurate information available to inform those attending the CFU meeting which will now take place on Thursday 11th February at 7.30pm.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding and look forward to seeing you all at the Zoom meeting next Thursday night.

City Fans United Informal Meeting – February 4th 7.30pm

Posted by Jeff Banks on

It’s been a while since we last held a meeting, but we’re pleased to be able to announce that the next members meeting, which will be an informal meeting, will take place via Zoom on Thursday 4th February, starting at 7.30pm.

The meeting will offer those who are members and those that aren’t (yet) to tune into find out the latest from within Chester FC.

As the open meeting will take place via Zoom, we will send out the link for the meeting closer to the date, and will be announced both on the CFU website and Chester FC social media channels.

We’ll have updates from the portfolios held by the directors, and hope to confirm other guests in due course.

We look forward to you joining us on the night.

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.

 

CFU Annual General Meeting – Thursday 12th November 2020

Posted by Jeff Banks on

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of City Fans United and Chester Football Club will be held on Thursday 12th November 2020, at 7.30pm.

 

The meeting will be held by Zoom due to the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions. If you are an existing member, please email jeff.banks@chesterfc.com with your membership number (online current members will be permitted to watch the meeting via the link provided), by at the latest 5pm Wednesday 11th November 2020.

 

The link to the meeting will be sent over to those members emailing their request to join next week by at the latest Thursday afternoon. On the night upon joining the meeting you will be placed into a ‘meeting room’ before being admitted into the AGM. Please ensure you have your name showing as guests will not be admitted. Please visit this link for guidance on how to do this.

 

Members have been emailed the documents relating to the AGM so please check your inbox for this information. If you cannot see the email in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folders in case it has dropped into those. Members not on email will have been sent out paper copies to the address we have on record for you.

 

We will send out further updates with regards to next week’s meeting in the next few days in order for members not familiar with Zoom to have an understanding of how to use the application.

 

AGM Deferral Notice

Posted by Jeff Banks on

It had been anticipated that we would be writing to you this week with all the documentation for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) as required under our constitution. A key element of the AGM is to review the historic financial performance of the club and provide an outline of our finances over the coming year . We are not required to have a formal audit, but our Accountants, Hargreaves and Wood, provide members with an independent assessment of our statutory accounts for 2019/20 and comment on the club’s financial prospects for 2020/21.

 

As you all will be aware Football finds itself in very uncertain times at present with significant threat to the 2020/21 season given the ongoing impact of COVID-19. This has been further compounded following the recent decision by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to retain our elite classification, preventing the admittance of spectators, and this has created significant uncertainty over the financial modelling for the coming year.

 

At present the Club is awaiting details of the financial support we understand that central government is prepared to provide to enable us to play our matches behind closed doors. Once we have these details we will be able to judge whether this is sufficient to cover the resulting funding shortfall (i.e. gate receipts, season tickets, hospitality, sponsorship, etc.). The Board and our Accountants feel that these things need to be finalised before we can effectively brief members about the financial position and our plans for the season ahead.

 

As a Board we believe that the financial sustainability of the Football Club Is a fundamental cornerstone of the AGM process and as such it would be inappropriate to hold the meeting until such a time the club and our accountants have the necessary details and can provide an informed narrative. As such the decision has been made to postpone the AGM meeting until Thursday 12th November at 19:30, which will be facilitated via the Zoom platform to comply with social distancing measures. The documentation for the AGM, including the financial report will be sent out at least two weeks in advance of the AGM.”