Meltdown at Chester... club statements already!

[RHYLRED]

Originally Posted by Vorporix

Me too statto but luckily for me they are not a bad bunch. Also more Chester supporters than Wrexham where I live so it's a double whammy!

Do you live in a phone box?

[henry8]

Originally Posted by Rob

It is not even the end of August and the newly formed Chester Football Club are already issuing statements asking for calm from their supporter and his dog.

The statement is on Chester Football Club – Official Website » #BlueMonday – it’s time… and reads "There’s no pretending – it has been a frustrating few months with the lack of victories at the Swansway Chester Stadium..... So it is, that we are reaching out to the people who we always seem to ask for help in times of need – our fantastic supporters!

"We completely respect your frustration, your right to offer an opinion and your right to criticise. But, for 90 minutes on Monday, we ask you to turn up in your numbers. Let’s create an environment which will inspire the players to greater things, and to show the true passion and qualities of Chester FC fans."

There is no mention if there will be a rally for the full six fans at the town hall, or if a minutes silence will be held for a drug dealer.

The lego bricks are coming out of the pram already on the new divvy chat The Blues and all other football chat | Devachat

Not saying they are tinpot, but

A history lesson for you young man. Note the times over the last 27 years we HAVE fought for our club, and of course the real difficulties put in our way by crooks, con men and lunatic owners.


Written evidence submitted by Chester Football Club

INTRODUCTION

1. Chester Football Club is a relatively new club, formed in 2010, but with a history in the community going back to the formation of the original Chester Football Club in 1885. The reformed club of 2010 is supporter owned through the vehicle of an Industrial and Provident Society and came about following the liquidation of Chester City Football Club in March 2010. The board of the new club welcome this opportunity to report our ongoing journey to the Commons Select Committee and hope you will find it useful and informative.

2. This report is a case study of our journey. With reference to the objectives of the Commons Select Committee, we believe our experience contributes valuable evidence on the following matters in particular:

— Are football governance rules in England and Wales, and the governing bodies which set and apply them, fit for purpose?

— What are the pros and cons of the Supporter Trust share-holding model?

3. In this report we will:

— Document 20 years of almost total despair with the club in private hands.

— Provide evidence that the FA "Fit and Proper Person" tests are toothless and not fit for purpose.

— Provide evidence of poor governance caused by political agendas between football's various governing bodies.

— Document our rebirth following the inevitable liquidation after 20 years of neglect from both owners and ineffective authorities.

— Demonstrate that supporter ownership is not only viable, but is highly advantageous from a business perspective and also a powerful catalyst for social inclusion and civic pride.

THE SLOW, AGONISING DEATH OF CHESTER CITY FC

4. The recent history of the club begins in 1990 with the loss of our old Sealand Road ground to developers following financial issues which caused the club to sell up and play in exile at Macclesfield's Moss Rose ground for two years. The club returned to Chester to the newly built Deva Stadium in 1992, a smaller but functional stadium at the bottom end of the Sealand Road Industrial Estate.

5. Off field problems were never far away. Property developer Mark Guterman was installed as chairman in 1994 and his tenure saw the club face several winding up orders and threats of player strikes for non-payment of wages. After a long and protracted series of crises, the club finally went into administration in October 1998 with Begbies Traynor appointed as administrators by the courts.

6. Chester's main supporters' organisation during this period of crisis were the Independent Supporters Association (ISA). The ISA organised leafleting campaigns throughout the city to encourage the local populace to attend matches in numbers to help stave off the financial crisis. Fans of other clubs were also encouraged to attend matches to show their solidarity with the Chester fans. The ISA's efforts were acknowledged by the administrators who went on record in February 1999 stating that without the commitment of the fans, the club would have already folded.

7. In July 1999, the club was eventually purchased and brought out of administration by American Terry Smith, son of a wealthy North Carolina motor dealership owner and a former American football player. His tenure was naïve and eccentric to say the least. He got off to a poor start with the fans by immediately appointing himself as manager and using American football coaching techniques to coach a bewildered English "soccer" team. Eventually Terry saw the error of his ways and appointed Ian Atkins as manager, but it was too late and despite an heroic effort by Ian and the players, backed by a mammoth "great escape" campaign orchestrated by the ISA, the club were eventually relegated from the Football League for the first time since their appointment 69 years earlier, on goal difference, on the final day of the season.

8. Life was not to be any easier in the Nationwide Conference. Terry initially appointed Graham Barrow as manager to appease the fans, Graham being a popular midfielder who had played for the club from 1986-94. Graham's position was undermined though with Smith interfering in first team matters, culminating in Barrow being sacked at the end of the season despite a decent 8th place finish, a move highly unpopular with the fans.

9. The following season was a disaster. It started with a stewards walkout, resulting in the withdrawal of the club's safety certificate, and fans staging boycotts outside the stadium due to Smith's chaotic reign. Gates fell to around 600, some 2,000 down on the average during the relegation season. A protest march organised by the ISA saw fans carry a symbolic Chester City FC coffin down Bumpers Lane to the stadium. A Supporters Trust, affiliated to Supporters Direct, was also set up by the fans during this period in November 2000. The club finished the season in the bottom half of the table after avoiding another relegation. Terry was eventually forced to admit defeat, and sold the club to boxing promoter Stephen Vaughan in October 2001.

10. The internet age now being upon us, Chester's fans forums were immediately besieged by supporters of Barrow Town FC in Cumbria, Vaughan's previous club, warning us that his tenure there had seen attempted asset stripping of their Holker Street ground and an investigation into suspected money laundering by HMRC. Vaughan, however, had come to Chester promising a great revival and quickly delivered with investment into new players under manager and former England defender Mark Wright. A first season of consolidation saw a promotion push the following season with Chester missing out following defeat to Doncaster in the play-offs. With Vaughan apparently delivering and Chester fans simply glad to see the back of Smith, the warnings from Barrow were soon forgotten. Success finally came in season 2003-04 with Chester promoted back to the Football League in front of a capacity crowd at the Deva Stadium, winning 1-0 to Scarborough to secure the title on 17 April 2004.

11. The good times were not to last, however. A warning came even before the first game of the next season, with Mark Wright being sacked on the eve of Chester's first game back in the Football League. Vaughan soon followed in his predecessor's footsteps, meddling in first team affairs under a string of short-lived managerial appointments as the rot set in. The club became a family and cronies affair with two of Vaughan's sons and several friends on the playing staff matching similar appointments in the boardroom. Late and non-payment of bills became the norm and fans and local businesses alike became disenfranchised.

12. The club was now in terminal decay with fans starting to drift away. The erosion accelerated in November 2007 when fans were asked to pay respects to a "major club benefactor" who turned out to be a Liverpool gangster gunned down in a gangland shooting. Crowds continued to drop with Vaughan racking up huge debts proclaimed to be loans from his own businesses. The club soldiered on for another 18 months before being relegated back to the Conference at the end of the season and put into administration in May 2009 with Vaughan claiming the debt to himself and his companies of a staggering £4 million, much of it secured through debentures.

13. A creditors meeting followed in June which saw the club pass into the ownership of a new company, owned by Vaughan, through a CVA which allowed no competition on favourable terms to any rival bidder due to the presence of the debentures. HMRC contested this CVA through the courts during the course of the close season, and successfully challenged the level of debt claimed by Vaughan-associated creditors, causing the courts to annul the CVA.

14. Chester then became the pawn in a three-way power struggle involving the Football Association, Football League and Football Conference. Without the CVA, Chester should have been prohibited from taking part in the Conference competition, but the Conference came under intense pressure from the Football League to accept Chester; relegated clubs being accepted into the Conference being part of the contract for the two-up two-down promotion and relegation places between the two Leagues. With the two promotion places under threat, the Conference eventually relented with clubs voting to break their own rules and admit Chester into the league several weeks into the season. The FA subsequently transferred the FA membership to Vaughan's new company, but also fined the Conference for breaking their own rules.

15. Vaughan's desperate attempts to retain ownership and cast aside debts had temporarily succeeded, but it was to be short lived. He was disqualified as a director in November 2009 for an alleged VAT fraud elsewhere. Despite the events at Barrow and the dubious CVA of the summer before, it was only this event which caused him to finally fail the FA's "Fit and Proper Person" test. Ownership of the club was subsequently and quietly transferred to his son.

16. Fans were staying away in droves though and crisis followed again in February 2010 when the club failed to fulfil a fixture away to Forest Green Rovers due to players refusing to board the coach until they were paid and the coach company refusing to depart the stadium for the same reason unless paid in advance. The next home game against local rivals Wrexham also fell victim to unpaid bills, the police refusing to provide cover for the event due to unpaid bills leaving the Safety Advisory Group no choice but to revoke the stadium's safety certificate.

17. HMRC had also filed another winding up petition against the new company, trading only since the previous summer. A crisis meeting of Conference clubs was called due to the unfulfilled fixtures and this time there was no hesitation. Chester, unrepresented by anyone from the club, were expelled on 26 February and effectively ceased trading. The result of the winding up order then became a mere formality, and on 10 March 2010, 125 years of football history in Chester came to a sorry and tragic end in a 30 second hearing at the High Court in London.

CITY FANS UNITED

18. Well, it didn't quite end there, and for one simple reason. Football clubs are not limited companies or PLCs. The heart and soul of any football clubs lies firmly with its loyal supporters. Weary from the chaos of 20 years of mismanagement, Chester fans once again rallied for one final, mammoth battle to rescue their club from the abyss.

19. In August 2009, during the crisis of being refused to play the first games of the season, Chester fans held an emergency meeting and the seed was sown to merge the ISA and Supporters Trust to form a new organisation which became known as City Fans United (CFU). CFU was launched in October 2009 and formalities were completed in December 2009 with the election of the board.

20. 500 supporters packed the GuildHall in Chester on 18 February 2010 with the crisis nearing its conclusion, to hear from the board of their plans to re-launch a club should it become necessary. Representatives from AFC Telford United, FC United of Manchester and Supporters Direct were also present, all experienced in forming new fan owned clubs through adversity. The largest applause of the evening came at the end of a presentation from Telford, who were by then fan-owners of a vibrant, thriving, community-focussed football club, six years on from the liquidation of Telford United. Chester fans were ready for what was to come.

21. The next three months saw huge activity as the board put the business plan together with assistance from Supporters Direct and three other fan-owned clubs affiliated to them. With their guidance and support the structure was put in place to form a new club following the events of 10 March. With the lease to the Deva Stadium safely secured from Cheshire West & Chester Council on 6 May, Chester Football Club was formally re-launched on 20 May, fans again packing the GuildHall to witness the unveiling of the new crest and hear encouragement from several former players. Neil Young was appointed as manager the following day and began to assemble his squad of players.

22. Membership of CFU had risen sharply during the first half of the year as the phoenix first emerged tentatively from the flames and then soared and took flight. Volunteers came forwards in droves to help with much needed maintenance work and redecoration of the stadium and to take on roles in the new club. A major sponsorship deal with MBNA was secured. In addition to sponsoring the club's shirts, they also provided the temporary secondment of one of their employees, a lifelong Chester fan, to work full time as CEO of the new club during the crucial setup period. Positive news only was now flowing from the club; the fans had hope for the future for the first time in years. The scene was set.

CHESTER FC

How a community can make the world of difference

23. After a long pre-season, Chester played their first competitive game against Warrington Town on 24 August 2010, drawing 1-1. The first home game of the season on 8 September saw 2,734 supporters turn up to witness a 6-0 victory against Trafford, an attendance some six times larger than the 460 who had witnessed the previous fixture at the stadium in February, three divisions higher.

24. At the time of writing, January 2011, Chester now stand 8 points clear at the top of the Evostik Division 1 North with home crowds at the now sponsor-named Exacta Stadium averaging 2,359 in the league fixtures. The football side is up and running, the club profitable and stable, but it doesn't end there.

25. Chester Football Club is founded upon the Club motto, "Our City. Our Community. Our Club". The 2,700 members, all of whom enjoy equal voting rights, made it very clear to their elected board that they wanted a football club they could be involved in. They wanted a football club that was a cornerstone of our community; one that would be a source of pride for them and the people of our beautiful historic city.

26. Key to this was our engagement with our local communities. To this end, we have worked with our local schools; our community coaches have been into over 40 different schools, and worked with over 3,000 children, coaching them and educating them in healthy lifestyle. We have given away over 2,000 tickets to schoolchildren, and worked with local schools to incentivise challenging children.

27. We have worked with children within our areas, visiting community schemes, schools tournaments and working with one of the local schools in these areas to deliver a seven week year 8 PHSE course on making new beginnings. This course was delivered with the local Fire authority, and will be rolled out to other schools within the area over the coming months, this time with involvement from Cheshire Police.

28. The Deva Stadium, for so long the pariah of the footballing community within the city, has become the hub. Local amateur and junior leagues use the facilities for meetings, and all of the Chester and District FA finals are to be held at the ground this year. This includes two days of junior and mini soccer finals, where over 400 children will get the opportunity to play at the best stadium in the city.

29. We are encouraging the children and youth of Chester to shape the future of our game too, with 21 local sixteen year olds currently on an apprenticeship scheme in sports management at the Club. Cheshire FA refereeing courses are held regularly at the ground, and the introduction of a youth development programme for local youngsters has just been announced for next season.

30. We have also worked hard to build up strong relationships with our local health authority, who use our facilities during the week for drop in clinics and for a less formal environment to engage their mental health patients. We held a "think pink" day for our local breast care unit, raising almost £4,000 for them. They are one of many local charities we work with.

31. Whilst we see a benefit from our community programmes in developing a stronger supporter base, we take real heart in receiving letters from our members telling us of their pride that the Club they support and own is making a real difference to people within our society. Our members feel, as we do, that we are part of the Big Society, actively contributing to the greater good of our community.

SUPPORTER INVOLVEMENT THROUGH VOLUNTEERING

32. Another big part of the Chester FC business plan was the ability to utilise volunteers. This was always a concern of the board, as volunteers are often difficult to source and motivate. What we have found has been the complete opposite. Due to the success of the Club in building up a good reputation within the community, and the very nature of being the Club owners, our members have a massive sense of pride and belonging.

33. This has led to us being blessed with a volunteer database that gives the business hundreds of work hours per month for free. Our volunteers do everything and anything, from building maintenance, to cleaning the stands and dressing rooms, and manning our front office all day, five days a week. Our thank you to these great folk, a Christmas party, had over 120 people on the invite list. This level of supporter involvement gives people a real feeling of ownership, which we feel is extremely important for the longevity of the business.

34. There is a real co-operative, roll up your sleeves spirit developing here. People will encourage others to pick up their own litter, because if they don't, "one of us will have to pick it up". A website appeal for people to lay pitch covers results in 25 people turning up in minus 2 degree temperatures. This feeling of being in it together, a family, was what we had missed all along. The football almost becomes secondary, as "the Club" becomes the focal point.

35. The benefits of being a community focused, not for profit Club as a business are tangible. The Club has sold around 1,000 season tickets this season, a 20 year high. Attendances at home are averaging over 2,300, the highest since 2004 (a Championship year). We have sold over 1,000 replica shirts, 700 scarves, 600 tee shirts etc. Our shirt sponsors are the biggest employers in the city, MBNA Bank of America, our three free stands have paid sponsors, and we have sold out of match day, match ball and programme sponsorships for the season. Not bad for a part time Club at level 8 of the national game.

36. Everything that we have achieved thus far would not have been achievable were we not a supporter owned Club, that was not for profit. We find that as a supporter owned Club, garnering the trust of our community, our schools, sports clubs, local authorities, business community etc was a lot easier than it would have been as a privately owned Club. People and companies are a lot more willing to be generous with facilities, time and money, when they know that it will be used in the right way.

37. Football is a great vehicle and the ethos of "using football for the common good" should, in our opinion, be at the core of the Big Society programme. We have got a long way to go, but out of massive adversity, Chester now has a football club to be proud of. The people and the great and good of the city are supporting it, and the community are benefiting. So should communities everywhere.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

38. The board would like to take the opportunity to place on record our thanks to Supporters Direct, AFC Telford United, FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon for their incredible support over the last 12 months in guiding and supporting us to build a business plan and form a club. Finally, we pay tribute to and thank our volunteers and supporters for the tremendous backing they have given to their new club. The efforts of everyone are now being well rewarded.

January 2011



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© Parliamentary copyright 2011
Prepared 29 July 2011

[Phils-an-alki]

Tl;dr

[BillEBadass]

Henry - never let the truth stand in the way of a good ribbing! - interesting article though, I hadn't seen the demise of Chester FC in that light before .

Think you'll do well to avoid relegation this season, and I hope you do, as it now looks as though it might be easier to watch us at Chester than the likes of Dover/Eastleigh etc. although I'm sure the 'bubble coach' travelled via at least one of those.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Phils-an-alki

Tl;dr

Vaughan came in and killed the club off, but chester fans fought him in a battle only second to Leningrad, but he still won.

Plus it is now appears documented in parliamentary history now that they had a minutes silence for a drug dealer.

[Vorporix]

Originally Posted by RHYLRED

Do you live in a phone box?

Ha - nice one RR.....

[EnglishRed]

The sad thing highlighted by that article is that attendance average is down quite significantly from their Isthmian league days. For all their good work the supporters ownership model does seem to be failing at Chester, which is a worry.

[ted mcwhirter]

Well said Sir H. I take no pleasure in seeing clubs with your history struggling in the financial minefield that supporter-owned clubs have to operate within. I hope you finish 5th from bottom.

[Flintshire Red]

I bet no one made it to the end of Henry's post!