Post on 16-Apr-2017
Chester Football ClubFans Working Together
Campbell Smith
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Chester Football Club
• Founded in 1885• Lost Sealand Road in 1990 followed by
two years in exile• Administration under Mark Guterman• Bought by Terry Smith in 1999 after a
visit to Chester Zoo• Bought by Stephen Vaughan in October
2001
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Supporters Groups
• Chester City Exiles– 25 Year History– Strong Close-knit Group
• Chester City ISA– ’90s campaign group– Helped prevent liquidation in 1998– Campaigned against Smith
• Official Supporters– Organise Away Travel
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Supporters Groups
• Chester City Supporters Society– Formed in 2000 during Smith era– Affiliated to Supporters Direct– Representatives from all the other existing
groups.
Too many fans groups for a club this size.
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Vaughan Era
• Success on the pitch in the early years– Playoffs in 2003– Champions in 2004– Warnings from Barrow forgotten
• Conflict of Interest between supporter groups– ISA and Trust both buy shares from
Vaughan• Groups begin to stagnate
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Divide and Conquer
• Nepotism on and off the pitch• Funding mysteriously dries up• Fans become disillusioned• Vaughan wins the PR war – proceeds
with CVA• Trust left with no option but to
support CVA
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Summer 2009
• FA licence delayed• Emergency meeting held– First was a disaster – still fighting
amongst each other• Charlie Lambert invited to host
second– Famous respected fan
• Elephant in room finally addressed
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Late Summer 2009
• Negotiations opened between ISA and Trust
• Media kept updated – momentum gathered
• Fans frustration at delay piles on the pressure
• Old conflicts swept aside• Resign, merge and rebrand
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Launch of City Fans United
• Merged on 22nd October 2009 with 150 members
• Officers elected early December• Membership continues to grow as the
club continued its downward spiral• Legends night organised with former
players invited• Extensive use of media – Chronicle
backs us.
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Death of Chester City
• Members surveyed to gage support for Phoenix club ahead of death
• Fact Finding visits to Telford and FC United
• We take a risk, and take control• Unexpected and unwanted Danish
attention• Unstoppable momentum
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
Rebirth of Chester FC
• Extensively featured on Radio 5 live and Non-league show
• Lease of Stadium granted on 6th May• Formal re-launch on 20th May• Manager appointed next day• Keys handed over almost a year to the
day of creditors meeting
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.
The Future
• Regular members meetings• Surveys approx twice per year• Increase CFU presence on matchdays• Merger with the Exiles• Monthly informal meet-ups• Working closely with schools, Chester
Uni• Use local Media
Our City. Our Community. Our Club.