CLUB STATEMENT | Chester FC vote for Null and Void

Chester Football Club can confirm it has voted to null and void the 2020/21 season with immediate effect.

This has been an extremely difficult decision but one that has been taken solely to ensure the continuation of the club our supporters have worked so hard to build since 2010.

While the overwhelming desire of the Board was to complete the season given the efforts and sacrifices of our players, management, staff, volunteers and fans, it is with regret we no longer believe this is possible without the grants that clubs were assured would be in place until it was safe for crowds to return.

As the custodians of the football club, we must act responsibly to safeguard its future and ending the season is the only certain way to do this given the options available to us and will help us recover from the unprecedented financial challenges of the past 12 months.

There remains a high level of uncertainty about COVID-19 and its impact on football at all levels, and it is on the basis of that uncertainty that we have reached this decision. We submitted four questions to the National League on Wednesday which we hoped would assist us in this process but still have yet to receive a response.

We are grateful to the National Lottery for the £10m in grants that enabled clubs to start the season but have no doubt the unfair distribution of these funds has contributed to the position in which the league now finds itself.

Until the outcome of the resolutions is confirmed, we will continue to play matches should it be confirmed clubs will be subject to sanctions for failing to fulfil fixtures which was one of the questions we requested assurances on.

Finally, we wish to thank our loyal fans for their outstanding and unwavering support during what has been an exceptionally difficult period.

Please be reassured Chester FC will be here next season and we look forward to welcoming you home.