About
The Chelsea Supporters Group – What’s it all about?
Those who either surf the Chelsea websites or even read the Chelsea fanzines will realise that there are several disparate groups and bodies in existence as well as several well-known and outspoken individuals, all with their own unique ideas and views about what would be best for the club.
However, the one thing that they all have in common is their love for the Chelsea Football Club.The principle behind the Chelsea Supporters Group (CSG) is to give as great a number of Chelsea supporters as possible the chance to state their concerns about Chelsea Football Club, as well as putting forward their ideas and thoughts to the club’s Board in a rational and reasoned manner.
The CSG is run by an elected committee, thereby avoiding the possibility of any one individual taking or claiming an autonomous decision making role. Those on the committee have been elected by CSG members as their representatives and, should the membership wish to, they can be voted out at the yearly AGM. By the same token, any member can stand for election to the committee.
The CSG is here to serve as an umbrella organisation to which every group, body or individual can turn to in order that their voice can be heard. Those groups or individuals who want their views represented will, by joining the CSG, be able to state their case and have it taken forward to the club without the fear of individual ‘retribution’ from the club.
Whilst it is clear that hearing and acting upon each and every viewpoint would be an impossible task, by reaching a consensus on major issues such as the club’s pricing policy and the way that match tickets are distributed, the CSG will hopefully be able to influence the club to act positively on such matters.
Those on the committee of the CSG are confident that they will be able to argue their case on the members’ behalf and have no fear of the club placing sanctions upon them simply for putting forward an opinion. That said, there is strength in numbers meaning that the greater the membership in terms of numbers, there is less of a likelihood that the club will be able to ignore the views that the CSG represent.
During the 05/06 season, those who formed the CSG produced and distributed a self-explanatory leaflet / flyer which outlined why they felt that the organisation needed to be formed and what they hoped it would achieve. One paragraph stated;“We, the Chelsea supporters responsible for the production of this booklet, can claim to represent a wide ranging spectrum of opinion from within the ranks of the Chelsea support, as well as carrying their hopes and best wishes. We are dedicated to our task, well motivated and will, together with your support, do our best to ensure that consideration given by the club to Chelsea supporters is ranked at the top end of their agenda, rather than somewhere down the list.”
Since the above mentioned flyer was produced, the status of the CSG has been given recognition by the club in as much as it has, as a body, been invited to join the Fans’ Forum. We are also pleased to say that the CSG has meetings with the club away from the Fans’ Forum with Chelsea FC officials. This means that those representing the club at the quarterly and various other meetings, take on-board the views of the CSG in an official capacity, making the views of the CSG membership harder to ignore.
If you are an existing member, your continuing support is appreciated and we’d ask you to spread the word. If you haven’t yet signed-up, please join.
Remember, Chelsea Football Club is YOUR club. Join the CSG for FREE and help ensure that it stays that way!
( With thanks to David Johnstone)
Chelsea Supporters Group 2005 – Memorandum and Articles of Association can be found here
Chelsea Supporters Group 2005 – Rules and Constitution can be found here
Chelsea Supporters Group 2005 – Equality, Diversity_Inclusion Policy can be found here
Chelsea Supporters Group 2005 – Complaints Procedure can be found here
DISCLAIMER: All articles written for the Chelsea Supporters Group 2005 (CSG) are those of the author and do not represent the views of the CSG. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited in the article. The CSG do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.
