BEVERLY HILLS, May 04, (THEWILL) – As the fallout of protests against the English Premier League sides that were part of the founding members of the European Super League continue and as changes are beginning to be made, London club Chelsea have announced changes to the composition of their board meetings.
The Blues will now include some supporters at all board meetings starting from 1 July, although the club noted that these supporters will not have voting rights for decisions that require voting.
The several high-profile fan protests that fans of these big six EPL clubs that joined the ESL have embarked on is beginning to make a difference already. And, Chelsea fans were one of the first to start, holding a prominent protest that delayed their side’s game against Brighton last Tuesday.
Defying COVID-19 protocols, hundreds of supporters lined the streets surrounding Stamford Bridge and only left after news broke that Chelsea was processing the papers to pull out of the ESL.
On Sunday, a Manchester United fan-led protest caused their fixture against Liverpool being postponed after the fans broke through the gates and invaded the Old Trafford pitch, venue of the fixture.
Chelsea may be acting fast with these changes to prevent an occurrence of that nature at their Stamford Bridge grounds. On Tuesday, the club announced their commitment to supporter representation at board meetings.
The official statement read: “Chelsea Football Club announces that, as from 1 July, there will be supporter presence at the Club’s board meetings.
“Three supporter advisors, picked through an election and selection process, will attend board meetings to ensure general supporter sentiment is considered as part of the Club’s decision-making process.”The club went on to explain that they will be liaising with supporter groups about how best to select the three representatives.
“The successful candidates will be required to enter into a confidentiality agreement, similar in scope to the confidentiality obligations of a member of the Chelsea Football Club board of directors. This will allow the Club to discuss and seek advice on a broad range of matters,” they continued.
“The supporter advisors will not have any voting rights and will not participate in any meetings relating to players, staff, the Academy and related matters. Supporter advisors will attend approximately four meetings per year, and more if appropriate.
“If they complete the year successfully they will be entitled to select a UK registered charity to receive a contribution of £2,500 from the Club.”
IT MAY BE A FORMAT THAT OTHER ENGLISH CLUBS MAY ADOPT TO BRING MORE FAN PARTICIPATION IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AS THAT HAS BEEN A MAJOR BONE OF CONTENTION FUELLING THESE PROTESTS, ESPECIALLY AS FANS think selfish owners have become more prone to make financial decisions that fail to consider the fans.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
