Chester FC sets out bold plan for five year vision of the future – Cheshire Live

City Fans United has produced a draft strategic plan setting out a five-year vision for Chester FC and is now asking members and supporters for their views to help shape the final plan.

An initial consultation has been launched giving fans and stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback and tell the club what matters to you.

The consultation, which runs until Monday, June 1, includes an online survey and a series of interactive virtual workshops.

Developed in collaboration with Chester FC Community Trust, the draft plan aims to provide a blueprint for the future and establish the club as a successful, sustainable force for the long-term.

It is based upon six strategic pillars which will enable the club to achieve its ambitions: Football Excellence; Membership and Fan Engagement; Better Facilities; People and Culture; Finance and Governance; and Community.

Andrew Morris, City Fans United chairman, said: The final strategic plan will reflect our shared vision and ambitions for the club so the contribution of members and supporters is of vital importance.

These are unprecedented times for football and all clubs are having to respond to overcome new challenges, but we believe our ownership model is an asset and means we are better placed than many to do this.

Given the uncertainty about when football will resume, what it will look like when it does and whether crowds will be permitted, the board has adopted a flexible business plan model which is an ongoing process.

The strategic plan is a high level summary that will guide the club for the next five years and enable us to move to the next level and realise the potential of the supporter-owned model.

The plan must represent the aspirations of the membership so we are asking every supporter to take part in the consultation and tell us what is important to them.

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To join City Fans United or renew your membership for the next 12 months, visit http://www.cityfansunited.com/join-city-fans-united. The cost remains 12 per year to be an owner of the club and in these challenging times your commitment and contribution is needed more than ever.

A direct debit for CFU membership can be set up via email to nick.phillipson@chesterfc.com as this makes future renewals much simpler and provides further revenue for the club as well giving access to benefits as a CFU member.

Meanwhile, work is now well under way on the annual pitch renovations at Chester FC thanks to the generous support from fans at this difficult time.

Almost 4,000 was raised from the E-Matchdays last month and these funds have enabled the club and groundsman Mike Barrow to ensure the pitch remains in top condition for when football returns.

With no matches scheduled and the recent good weather, work on the playing surface has been able to start earlier than normal with the expert assistance of Duncan Ross Ltd, one of the UKs leading contractors working in sportsturf, land drainage, fine turf, landscaping, agriculture and greenspace.

Mike and his team of volunteers scarified the pitch last week in three directions to rip out any of the weaker grass in preparation for the work.

On Monday the pitch was spread with 70 tonnes of sand which was drag-matted to level out the surface and then seeded four ways with the club grateful to Dandys for providing a fantastic deal on the grass seed.

It is expected that with the forecasted good weather and temperatures set to remain along with some natural rain or sprinklers signs of growth will be seen in 7-10 days.

Then, in around 5-6 weeks, the pitch will be cut regularly and returned to its usual excellent condition ready for whenever football resumes.

Jeff Banks, director of fan engagement, praised the fans, players and management at the club for helping raise funds: To achieve a figure of nearly 4,000 from the E-Matchdays was fantastic and its great that we can visibly demonstrate where that money has been spent.

We have always been proud of the surface at the Deva Stadium and this contribution together with the hard work of our groundsman and support from Duncan Ross will help ensure we continue to prepare the pitch for footballs return.

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Chester FC sets out bold plan for five year vision of the future - Cheshire Live