Our good friend David Chidgey (@StamfordChidge) of the Chelsea Football FanCast has informed me that the Chelsea Supporters Trust is ready to launch and asked if I could help publicise the upcoming meeting.
The launch meeting will be held after the Wigan game at 17:15 in the CIU Club (next to the old So Bar) on the 9th of February, where information about how the trust will work and how you can become part of it will be provided. Kerry Dixon will be a Q & A session afterwards which should be a good laugh, so if you’re interested then pop down.
There’s also a Facebook page and Twitter (@ChelseaSTrust) account that will provide information.
The full details of the meeting are listed below:
The Chelsea Supporters Trust – Make Your Voice Heard!
Saturday 9th
February 17.45 (after the Wigan game)
CIU club, 71, Britannia Road, SW6 2JR (3 minutes from ground)
Launch Meeting with special guest: Kerry Dixon
Fed up with Chelsea fans having no effective dialogue with the club?
Frustrated that decisions that affect you are made with little or no supporter input?
Want to be part of a democratically elected, fully accountable supporter’s organisation?
Well, now is the chance to do something about it. The Chelsea Supporters Trust has now done all the boring but
necessary legal stuff and will be open for membership from Saturday 9th February (after the Wigan game). Aha, I
hear you ask, why do we need a Trust when there are already a number of Chelsea supporters organisations?
We believe there are significant advantages to Trust membership, including:-
- All members get the chance to democratically participate, with regular meetings, annual elections and one
person, one vote built into the constitution (which has recently been approved by the Financial Services
Authority) – thereby ensuring the elected board is held to account; - Members decide on Trust priorities and campaigns;
- Membership is open to all supporters in the UK. Affiliation is open to all supporters groups as well as fanzines,
websites, podcasts, blogs etc.; - There is a credibility that comes with being part of a wider, more powerful network of supporters trusts (most
PL clubs have one) and the liaison with Supporters Direct; - The opportunity to actively hold the club to account with professional representation e.g. the opportunity to
interpret and explain club accounts etc to members; - The opportunity to build close links with the local community (residents, businesses, charities, local authorities
etc); - Regular communication with members through newsletters, social media etc. Social events (quizzes etc.);
- The Trust has met with club executives and has already been granted membership of the Fans Forum from
2013/14. We will also be working to have a more effective, on-going, two-way dialogue with the club.
What does the Chelsea Supporters Trust aim to achieve?
Our current objectives include:-
- Build better communication channels between club and supporters
- Work to improve the reputation of the club with the media
- Build an effective working relationship with the Supporters Liaison Officer
- Improve two way communication for the benefit of supporters and the Club and build effective relationships
with other stakeholders, including the local community; - Actively promote sale of CPO shares to supporters;
- To have an elected supporters’ representative on the CPO board;
- To have an elected supporters representative on the board of Chelsea Football Club in the long term
To join the Chelsea Supporters Trust, or find out more about it, you are invited to our launch meeting.
http://www.chelseasupporterstrust.com/
