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A growing sense of division within Chelsea’s fanbase took a fresh twist today with the club’s Fan Advisory Board criticising the letter released by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust last week.
Chelsea came under more negative scrutiny after the CST put their recent correspondence with the club out into the public domain.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, they claimed the bond between fans and the club was the ‘lowest since the early 1980s’, that there was ‘a fast-growing lack of trust due to severely limited communication’ and warned it ‘could result in irreversible toxicity with more targeted chanting and impactful forms of protest’.
FAB, an initiative set up by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium comprising of seven lifelong Chelsea fans to improve communication between supporters and the club, have released a statement making it clear they do not agree with the CST’s version of events.
It said: “Bluntly, we don’t recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the Club. This goes directly against our experience.
“Significantly more resources have been allocated to fan liaison than at any point in the club’s history. Before the FAB was created there was one part-time employee devoted to supporter liaison. There is now a department which will number four full-time members of staff. Contrary to what has been suggested, these facts give a full and proper picture of what is going on.
“Chelsea’s FAB is a pioneering effort, created around a year ago, to ensure that the fan’s voice is listened to across the Club. FAB ensures it is very broadly in touch with supporter sentiment, to collect and present these views very directly to the club and its board members.
“The club is aware that, while the FAB is constructive and understands the realities, we are also challenging. We make our views known forcefully. We achieve real change. We work and will continue to work on the relationship.”
CST letter issued to #ChelseaFC on 8.3.24.
Supporter mood at its lowest since 1980s due to lack of direction/communication from board.
Continued lack of engagement with wider fanbase could lead to irreversible toxicity.
Any significant £ increase to supporters would be unwise. pic.twitter.com/WpfVRRSjjH
— Chelsea Supporters’ Trust⭐️⭐️ (@ChelseaSTrust) March 20, 2024
As part of their messaging to Chelsea, the CST argue there should be much broader consultation with the fanbase over key issues such as ticket prices and what plans the owners have for Stamford Bridge. The point was stressed further by CST chairman Mark Meehan after being left disappointed by a response to the original letter from Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek.
To add to the impression of a lack of agreement among fan groups, Meehan is also a part of FAB and yet FAB’s statement continued to distance themselves from CST’s stance.
They continued: “At Chelsea Football Club’s last main Board meeting (on March 11th), (co-owners) Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali directly (and in-person) asked the FAB to help shape the Club’s proposals in relation to ticketing and we have been working on exactly that.
“We have had multiple sessions with club executives to work through potential proposals and provided with data to help substantiate any potential changes. So whilst the precise content of these meetings must remain confidential until any decisions and changes can be communicated with supporters, the idea that fans are not involved and not at a decision-making level, could not be further from the truth.
“Football is a matter of opinion and expressing emotion is part of that. But we have to get behind our team and make our contribution to victory rather than seek chaos and division through attacks and campaigns.
“The only people who benefit from Chelsea fans turning on Chelsea are fans of other clubs. If we’re pulling in the same direction then ‘every little thing gonna be alright’.”
FAB also made it clear how they ‘hold regular in-person drop-in sessions at the Tea Bar at Stamford Bridge’ for fans to express their views with them. The next one will take place ahead of Chelsea’s game against Burnley on Saturday.
GO DEEPER
Chelsea fans warn of ‘irreversible toxicity’ over communication and ticket prices
Chelsea FC Fan Advisory Board statement in full
Following some stories in the press about supporter engagement and the atmosphere at Chelsea Football Club, the Fan Advisory Board (“FAB”) thought it would be useful to let fans know about some of the work we have been doing to ensure the supporter voice is heard.
Bluntly, we don’t recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the Club. This goes directly against our experience. So we wanted to set the record straight.
Chelsea’s FAB is a pioneering effort, created around a year ago, to ensure that the fan’s voice is listened to across the Club. Our Chair Neil Beard was elected by members and ST holders in an open vote.
The FAB represents a wide and diverse range of the Chelsea FC supporter base and constitutes an advisor selected through the Fans’ Forum (Gary Beckwith), the other board advisor through diversity equality and Chelsea Pride (Tracy Brown, FAB Vice Chair).
In addition, four additional FAB members were selected via an open application process, one of whom is the Chairman of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and another represents the views of overseas supporters.
In this way the FAB ensures it is very broadly in touch with supporter sentiment, to collect and present these views very directly to the club and its board members.
Supporters are able to contact the FAB board members directly via the club website The Fan Advisory Board | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club (chelseafc.com) and the FAB hold regular in-person drop-in sessions at the Tea Bar at Stamford Bridge, behind the Shed End. The next one is from 12:30pm ahead of the Burnley game on Saturday.
At Chelsea Football Club’s last main Board meeting (on March 11th), Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali directly (and in-person) asked the FAB to help shape the Club’s proposals in relation to ticketing and we have been working on exactly that. We have had multiple sessions with club executives to work through potential proposals and provided with data to help substantiate any potential changes.
So whilst the precise content of these meetings must remain confidential, until any decisions and changes can be communicated with supporters, the idea that fans are not involved and not at a decision making level, could not be further from the truth.
The club is aware that, while the FAB is constructive and understands the realities, we are also challenging. We make our views known forcefully. We achieve real change. We work and will continue to work on the relationship.We are helped by two other enhancements to fan engagement.
First of all, the Club is doing much more work to survey a significant cross-section of the fanbase’s opinion. And sharing this work with the FAB. So far what we have learned has been well aligned with the advice we have been offering.
Second, significantly more resources have been allocated to fan liaison than at any point in the club’s history. Before the FAB was created there was one part-time employee devoted to supporter liaison. There is now a department which will number four full-time members of staff. Contrary to what has been suggested, these facts give a full and proper picture of what is going on.
Finally, we would like to add this. Chelsea’s men’s team is part way through a season with much to play for. We will soon return to Wembley. We want to rise up the table, with the European places in touching distances. We have exciting young players with real green shoots of improvement in the men’s first team following significant investment. In addition, our Women’s team continues to thrive domestically and on the European stage in Emma Hayes’ final season.
Football is a matter of opinion and expressing emotion is part of that. But we have to get behind our team and make our contribution to victory rather than seek chaos and division through attacks and campaigns.
Every Chelsea fan (including the ownership group) is frustrated at setbacks or results that don’t go our way. But the team and the Club more broadly needs its supporters. The only people who benefit from Chelsea fans turning on Chelsea are fans of other clubs. If we’re pulling in the same direction then ‘every little thing gonna be alright’.
(James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
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