Chester FC

After a long, enforced absence I’m back in the saddle so to speak. So, what’s been happening in and around Chester? There is plenty to catch up on. One situation that has reared its ugly head again is the sorry plight of Chester FC. What has happened there? Although Chester FC are not my team, several of my friends are Chester FC supporters and go regularly. I speak to them for their views regarding events on and off the pitch.

Chester FC

It is difficult to decide which is the biggest problem at the moment. Events on the pitch, or off the pitch. The two, of course go hand in hand to a large extent. Obviously, for long term survival, the off the pitch situation is of paramount importance. On Saturday just gone, Chester FC fell to another defeat. This time against Woking away. Every Saturday evening I read the BBC teletext reports on all the football that day. It wasn’t until I read the National League reports that I found out that Woking played most of the second half with 10 men. Playing against a team down to 10 men is no guarantee of course that you will win. But, it does at least give you a better opportunity. An equaliser, or better still, turning the deficit into a victory does not only give you much needed points, but can also be a huge confidence booster. It seems however that Chester FC are in a downward spiral when it comes to events on the pitch. And, as mentioned above, the team’s poor form goes hand in hand with events off the pitch. A chicken and egg situation in a way. How do you improve your financial position? One way of course is to get more supporters through the turnstiles with team performances.

Home Form

In the calendar year 2017, Chester FC only managed 3 League victories at home. Set against this, 16 home losses and the fact that football is ultimately an entertainment business, it is easy to see why attendances have dwindled. Having said that, Chester FC still boast the 10th best average home attendance in the Vanarama National League. Sitting in 14th place in the current average attendance listing is Macclesfield Town, the current leaders of the Vanarama National League.

Fan Owned Clubs

After problems with ownership before the ultimate winding up of the original Chester FC, the club reformed in 2010 under the guidance of a fan ownership model. This was seen as the best way forward for long term stability. Speaking to some Chester FC fans, they were shocked by the recent announcement that the club were again in desperate financial straits. As the club’s plight was announced at the City Fan’s United (CFU) first meeting in 2018 at the Deva Stadium on 25th January, fans called for the Board to resign. The club’s financial predicament was described as an ’embarrassment’ by one of the Board members. In what way was it an embarrassment? Was this an admission that the club has been badly managed by the Board? It looks as though it is. It was also mentioned by the Finance Director that the club need in the region of £90k per month to survive. Also revealed was the playing budget for 2017/18 was in the region of £450k. Twelve months at £90k/month is £1.08m. If the playing budget amount of £450k is correct, then this leaves £630k (£52,500/month, or £12,000/week). If I was a Chester fan I’d be curious to see where the additional £630k is spent. I would have thought that one of the pre-requisites of a fan owned club would be greater transparency?

The Way Forward

One thing I have noticed about Chester FC is that it doesn’t appear to be marketed particularly well. If at all. I was talking with a Chester FC fan the other week and happened to mention that when walking through the city centre, you wouldn’t know Chester had a football team. There doesn’t seem to be any promoting of forthcoming matches. I understand that Chester FC run a lottery. How is that marketed or promoted? Is it possible for lottery tickets to be sold in pubs, clubs and shops in the city centre and surrounds? Maybe they are, but I can’t recall seeing any on sale anywhere? What about utilising the stadium for other, non-football events? For instance, musical events, or a regular car boot sale in the club car park, or some sort of market stall events. No doubt the Council would have a large say in this. But has this been explored? If the Council are not prepared to allow the Stadium to be used for such events, then why not? Surely it is in the best interests of the city as a whole to have a football club to be proud of? If that is the case then shouldn’t there be some sort of Marketing plan in place to promote the club? Why not contact local website owners and ask them to promote forthcoming matches and events? Yes, I include my website in that category? If anyone at Chester FC want me to promote any matches etc, then by all means, get in touch. Every little bit of promotion helps.

What About The Big Boys?

This of course is out of Chester FC’s control, but what about the Big Boys? As the TV deals for the Premier League get even more lucrative (and ridiculous!!), why isn’t there any consideration by these top teams for the lower Leagues? Not just Chester of course, but so many others are in a financial predicament. Now we are into an era where a Premier League player is allegedly earning £600k/week, it is a crying shame that the grass roots are completely forgotten about. Imagine if a mere 0.5% or 1% of the mega TV deal was filtered down to the lower Leagues? One of the complaints Premier League clubs is the lack of competitive matches for their youngsters. Why not loan them to local lower League clubs so they get that competitiveness. Offering to also pay their wages would be another big boost.

Benefit Match – 15th February 2018 – Kick-Off 7.45pm

Great credit to Colin Murray and Michael Owen for stepping in and arranging a benefit match for this Thursday, 15th February 2018, kick-off 7.45pm. Colin Murray, although a big Liverpool FC fan, has backed Chester FC in a big way since its reformation in 2010. Colin has arranged a “Colin Murray’s All Stars XI” v “Chester Select XI” for this Thursday. And of course, Michael Owen’s father, Terry played for Chester FC during probably their most successful period while still in the top four divisions. Who remembers the magnificent effort in reaching the League Cup Semi-Final in the 1974/75 season? This remember, was in the days the League Cup was still a huge trophy to win for top flight teams. Not like nowadays when so many clubs put out largely second string teams in the early rounds of the competition. For those Chester FC fans for a bit of a reminder of happier days, take a look at these videos from that epic League Cup run…….

Chester League Cup – 1974/75

First of all, Chester 3, Leeds United 0. Leeds were the current Champions and were undefeated before meeting 4th Division Chester. And what about that semi-final against Aston Villa? And who is that scoring Chester’s first goal in the 2-2 draw. None other than Michael Owen’s Dad, Terry. Both games were played in front of 20k+ attendances. Incredible really. Colin Murray has apparently finalised his squad for the benefit match on 15th February. You can see his squad HERE In summary, clubs like Chester need to exist for the fans, the local community, for visitors to the city and, for the good of football generally. Chester FC’s current predicament is a desperate one that needs addressing now. Hopefully, Thursday night will see the Stadium packed and some much needed revenue is generated. From then onwards who knows what the future will bring. Assuming survival is achieved, what will be the way forward for Chester FC. Will they remain 100% fan owned? Or will new owners be sought? Or maybe, a combination of the two? I am sure the new Board members will be feverishly looking at all possibilities. At least things are out in the open now, so the situation is known to all the club’s fans. This will ensure the situation remains in focus and any progress can be more easily monitored through a greater, much needed transparency between the Board and the club’s loyal fans. Best of luck on Thursday Chester FC and also for the rest of the season.

For More Posts On Chester Football Club – See Links Below

Chester Football Club – Information on the history of Chester Football Club – Click HERE. Goings On At Chester FC – Chester FC sack manager, Marcus Bignot. More chaos at Chester FC. More details HERE. Grenville Millington – Chester legend, Grenville Millington raises money for Chester Football Club – Read more HERE. Gary Talbot – A tribute to Chester Football Club goal scoring legend, Gary Talbot – read more HERE.

Chester Lifestyle Blog Posts

Many thanks for reading my latest blog post featuring Chester FC. Some iconic moments and memories noted. Especially the 1974/75 season. Plenty of other posts and topics as well here on my website. To read my other blog posts on a variety of topics, pop along to HERE.

Chester Lifestyle Wall Art

As this is a Chester related website, you may be looking for the ideal Chester related gift for your loved ones. If so, then have a look at my Chester section of my new Etsy store. You can find out more about my Etsy store HERE. Plenty of originally created downloadable digital artwork for you to have a look at HERE. And, as I say, a variety of Chester related products to choose from. Go on….you know you want to!! Simple instantly downloadable images – an ideal gift for any occasion….. Gifts like……an instantly downloadable image of Eastgate Street as seen from the Eastgate Clock. And there’s more. A lot more and not only Chester images.