During the election process of the Chelsea Supporters Trust the Board submit to the membership a number of issues which arose in the 2017/18 season and/or were raised in a review of the results of the Annual survey completed in May 2018.
The background to a number of these issues, and details of progress in the past twelve months, can be found in the 2017/18 Chelsea Supporters Trust Annual Report.
The membership then vote on each motion and they become the stated policy of the board for the next 12 months and provide us with a mandate to work towards achieving these aims on behalf of the membership.
These are the motions which were all successfully passed in the recent CST elections.
Motion 2. Approval of 2017/18 Accounts and Use of Independent Examiner
The Chelsea Supporters Trust accounts for the year ended 31/5/18 are approved. Provided revenue remains below £100,000 p.a., in line with accepted practise the Chelsea Supporters Trust Board should continue to appoint an independent examiner at the end of each financial year, rather than an auditor.
Motion 3. Chelsea Supporters Trust Affiliations
The Chelsea Supporters Trust should continue to affiliate to Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters Federation, work with these organisations as appropriate to further the interests of Chelsea supporters, and football supporters in general and take part in national and local campaigns as deemed appropriate.
Motions 4-17 are submitted to the membership following issues which arose in the 2017/18 season and/or were raised in a review of the results of the April 2018 membership survey. The background to a number of these issues, and details of progress in the past twelve months, will be contained in the 2017/18 Chelsea Supporters Trust Annual Report, to be circulated to voting members in advance of the AGM.
Motion 4. The Future of Stamford Bridge
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board notes that the Stamford Bridge redevelopment project has been put on hold indefinitely. The CST board is mandated to continue to work with the club and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a commitment that supporters are at the centre of any further discussions about the future of the ground and that supporter opinion is properly and openly taken into account, with particular emphasis on the continued enjoyment of the match day experience, facilities and ticket pricing going forward.
Motion 5. The Future of Chelsea Pitch Owners
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board re-affirms its support of and commitment to the aims and importance of the Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) in the continuation of Chelsea Football Club at its home, Stamford Bridge. With recent developments relating to the postponement of the development of a new ground on the site of Stamford Bridge, the ‘Board’ actively encourages all members of the ‘Trust’ to buy shares and become a Chelsea Pitch Owner, to safeguard its long-term future. It is mandated to continue to work with the CPO board, and other appropriate bodies, to ensure that the CPO remains relevant to future generations of supporters and to encourage the increasing accessibility of shares to supporters of all ages and backgrounds to expedite this.
Motion 6. Safe Standing
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board congratulates the work of the Football Supporters Federation and other Supporters Trusts in the developments around the introduction of safe standing this year. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to continue to support and contribute to the united effort of fans groups to see the introduction of safe standing in the top three tiers of English football. With particular emphasis on Chelsea the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to press the Club to take a leading role in the support of safe standing and to introduce safe standing sections at Stamford Bridge as soon as is practicable, in line with national developments on the introduction of pilots for safe standing.
Motion 7. Atmosphere Concerns
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to continue to work with the club and other supporters groups looking to improve the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, as appropriate and to encourage the club to continue dialogue with supporters in respect of ‘singing sections’, flag and banner displays and other supporter driven initiatives to encourage atmosphere in the ground.
Motion 8. Ticket Pricing and Availability
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to pursue the issue of fair ticket pricing and ticket allocation for home and away, as well as matters including, but not limited to, rearranged fixtures, away fan travel and stewarding/policing, through whichever channels they deem appropriate. These channels include, but are not necessarily limited to, Chelsea FC; the Premier League; the Football Association; relevant television companies; other Supporters Trusts; the Football Supporters Federation and Supporters Direct.
Motion 9. Fixture Scheduling
Due to the increasing cost and inconvenience to match going supporters caused by the short notice of Premier League games rearranged to suit the television companies, more notice needs to be given for such rearrangements, published announcement deadlines need to be strictly adhered to and the potential for away supporters to use public transport should be a key consideration when compiling fixtures and anomalous fixtures (e.g. midweek trips to the other end of the country) need to be minimised or eradicated.
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to work with the Football Supporters Federation, other supporter’s trusts and appropriate bodies, inside and outside football, to vigorously campaign for supporter impact to be a key criterion when Premier League fixture schedules and television picks, are drafted.
Motion 10. Membership of Safety Advisory Group
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) is a statutory council-led committee set up under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975. The Chelsea SAG has representation from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Metropolitan Police Service. British Transport Police, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, London Ambulance Service, St John’s Ambulance Service, the Sports Ground Safety Authority and Chelsea FC. It meets twice a year to discuss relevant issues with regard to Chelsea Football Club. After representations to the local council in late 2015, the Chelsea Supporters Trust now have the opportunity to review the SAG agenda, submit items for discussion and review the meeting minutes. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board believe, while this is progress, there is no valid reason whatsoever why full membership should not be granted and are mandated to push for this.
The Chelsea FC SAG Terms of Reference can be downloaded here
Motion 11. Ticket Touting
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to use its involvement with the relevant authorities with a view to reducing the activities of ticket touts in the Fulham Broadway area before Chelsea home games and to participate in campaigns designed to achieve this. It is also mandated to work with organisations represented on the SAG to assist in educating potentially vulnerable groups in the perils of purchasing tickets in this way, or through using unofficial on-line ticketing organisations.
Motion 12. Stakeholder Engagement
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board has made some progress since its inception in terms of building relationships with relevant stakeholders at a local and national level. The board is mandated to build on this work and to develop relevant effective working relationships with Chelsea FC; Hammersmith and Fulham Council; Local Members of Parliament; Metropolitan Police Service; British Transport Police; Premier League; Football Association; relevant broadcasting organisations; the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other bodies as deemed appropriate. Where deemed to be more effective (e.g. with the Premier League, FA, broadcasting organisations and DCMS), these relationships are to be built working in conjunction with other supporters trusts or other appropriate organisations.
Motion 13. Football in the Community
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to participate in and support appropriate activities designed to promote football, Chelsea FC and its supporters in the community local to Chelsea FC. This could, for example, take the form of charitable work or through supporting specific supporter based campaigns as they arise.
Motion 14. Club Heritage
Building on the Brompton Cemetery Chelsea Graves project, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to work with the club, club historian Rick Glanvill and other appropriate bodies/individuals to identify appropriate projects to reflect and enhance the club’s heritage.
Motion 15. Supporters Club Ticket Allocations
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board has had representations from supporters clubs in the UK and abroad with regard to the perceived unfairness of the ticket allocation by the club to different categories of supporters club. They are mandated to work with affiliates, and other supporters clubs.
Motion 16. Supporter Liaison Officer
In the UEFA Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO) Handbook, the SLO role includes the following responsibilities: being a bridge between the fans and the club; informing supporters of club decisions and communicating the fans’ point of view to the club; and building relations with fan groups and initiatives as well as with police and security. At many Premier league and Football league clubs the role is independent and effective, seen as representing the supporter perspective in dialogue with the club.
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board firmly believes that a fully-independent SLO, with no conflict of interest, representing supporter interests and no other, is essential in properly fulfilling the UEFA remit and optimising effective supporter dialogue. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to continue dialogue with the club, and other appropriate bodies, to encourage Chelsea FC to look at making the SLO position independent in line with other Premier League clubs.
Motion 17. Supporter Safety
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Board is mandated to engage in dialogue with the club to ensure that the safety of our supporters traveling abroad is adequately considered and of an appropriate level. By doing so we hope to allow shared experiences from other supporters’ trusts from their trips to similar locations so that lessons can be learnt on issues such as travel arrangements, ticket collection, policing, stewarding, security, as well as access and egress of stadium.
