Senior Blues Meeting Recap: September 2024

Chairman Chris opened another well attended meeting just after 10.30 and closed it almost two hours later.

The intervening period was both interesting and entertaining with excellent contributions from Beth Radford of The Community Trust, Steve Jones from the CFU Board and Andy Walsh, Head of the National Game and Community Ownership at the Football Supporters Association.

Rather than bore readers with detail of all three speakers’ contributions, let’s try and be succinct for once. Suffice it to report that Beth gave up playing football, having progressed through Chester Nomads to Chester U-18 level, to take up a full time job with the Trust. Her work incudes visiting schools (from nursery to year 6), working at the Academy with different groups including Girls and Disabled, and looking after mascots and the “team of the week” on match days. She faced the customary interrogation from Chairman Chris with good humour and aplomb and expressed her intention of following a career in football with a C licence next on the Agenda. Thanks Beth, we wish you well.

Steve reviewed work being done at the Academy (see Mike Allcock’s report on the Club Website) to improve the pathway from 9 years old to the first team, including the appointment of 3 new coaches. He also reported on substantial progress in his goal of improving disabled access at the Deva including a lift and viewing area for wheelchairs and companions. Design, planning and funding are being thoroughly examined. Steve drew attention to the fund raising walk to Marine being undertaken by Blacon Blues on Boxing Day specifically for this project. We look forward to further updates on these long overdue facilities.

Andy Walsh talked at length about the FSA, Football Chaos, Community Ownership, FC United of Manchester, and the Future of Football in a presentation that made an hour fly by. These few lines cannot do justice to his passion for the game and its governance.

In brief therefore, some highlights recorded by yours truly…

Chester FC is an affiliate member and one of 50 community owned clubs, 38 in England and Wales, (including Phoenix clubs) of which Exeter and Wimbledon are the highest up the pyramid. Wrexham, Scunthorpe and Nuneaton were used as fascinating examples of what can happen to football clubs in private hands. Andy asked the question “who is looking after honest football people?” The level of debt throughout the game is astronomical and Andy believed we all have a role to play as supporters in making the game fair, honest and transparent. Added financial pressure on fans, like dynamic pricing and removal of concessions, is rife at the top of the game and pressure should be kept on the authorities by the fans.

The Community Ownership model was covered and Andy used the core principles developed at FC United to explain that it was far from just a business and was built on football, facilities and the local community. He also outlined difficulties arising at fan owned clubs; not least, maintaining active supporter participation, governance, distrust and tension, ego and control. Some of these topics, as well as the observation of Board meetings, make up of the Board, and the establishment of an Independent Regulator were expanded in a Q&A session.

Thanks for the reality check Andy.  Plenty to reflect on. We have our destiny in our own hands. For now.

Our City, Our Community, Our Club.

Next Meeting. Friday October 4th. Guest speakers are Director Mike Vickers on Fair Game, and former midfielder Jimmy Redfern + John Bithell’s Big Quiz Challenge.