It was no surprise to see the lowest ever contingent of Chester City fans present for the Blue Square Premier League game against Ebbsfleet United on Saturday. Less than 400 Chester fans were present at the Deva Stadium to witness the club’s fifth successive defeat, and following on from the lowest ever turnout for a professional Chester City match in January, we now witness the lowest ever number of City fans at a home match, the boycott fans called for is clearly taking effect.
This was further evidence that the fans of Chester City FC have clearly had enough of the current regime, and are now – hard as it may be – doing the right thing, in staying away from the Deva Stadium, and believing in their own principles. Previously, fans have attended the Deva in their numbers to attempt to help keep the club in the Football League, sadly, this ambition was not matched by the owner of the club, and resulted in the club’s relegation to the Conference. Now, Chester City FC 2004 Ltd, are witnessing the fans own beliefs that the future is better without the Vaughan family at the helm.
It takes a high amount of self belief to stay away from the Deva Stadium, but fans will not be dictated to, or have false promises delivered by the officials of the club – remember, recently Chester fans were advised that the club would be under new ownership three weeks ago, yet the club is still owned by members of the Vaughan family. In the last two weeks, we have seen the club put up for sale, for £750,000 then £1.00, a startling but welcome reduction in value, however, what isn’t clear is the amount of debt involved in the purchase of the club, this is only accessible when potential purchasers can prove they have £500,000 in CASH available, proving that yet again, the club is unlikely to be sold before March 10th, the same date as the impending High Court case.
The Players of Chester City FC have only received one week’s wages since November, which itself is an absolute disgrace, and raises the question of where the money has gone from the home games prior to Christmas.
Chester City FC need not die, but in outpricing any potential owners, the intentions of those currently in charge of the club confirm that the best interests of the club are clearly not held at heart, and until their own debt is written off, the club will cease to exist. It is because of this threatening scenario, that City Fans United continue to plan for both the continuation of the club, but also the idea of a Phoenix club. CFU committee members have been encouraged by field trips to Telford and FC United of Manchester, which have shown that not only is a phoenix club viable at our level, but it can also facilitate community participation and engagement to create a proud asset for our city.
City Fans United can confirm a response from Brabners Chaffe Street, which will be posted to members very shortly, in order for us to form an official response, however, we believe that the financial requirements are such that any potential investor will be put off from taking over the club.
We encourage anyone who is not a member of CFU to become one now, as this is the most important time in the 125 year history of the club, and as the CFU grows, we want to ensure that all fans voices are heard – just visit www.cityfansunited.com and join online today to join the growing band of supporters who want to make the difference at their club.
The CFU continue to look towards fundraising, and are delighted to announce that the membership is heading towards the 600 mark, and are looking forward to it’s first social evening of 2010, following on from the success of the Legends Night, “A Night at the Races” takes place at the Home Guard Club on Saturday 20th February – tickets are available from contacting CFU on 07925 519418 or purchasing them from www.chestercitytv.co.uk.