Chelsea have today announced the establishment of a six-person Fan Advisory Board (FAB), which will meet at least three times a year with members of the Chelsea board and other senior officials to discuss potential medium and long-term decisions that will impact supporters.
It was during the takeover process last year that the Todd Boehly/Clearlake consortium, which included lifelong Chelsea fan Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, outlined their desire to be "pioneers" of supporter involvement should their £2.5billion bid to purchase the club prove successful.
The FAB is – in part – a fulfilment of that promise, with Chelsea stating the Fan Advisory board will "engage in discussion, exchange information and share insights on potential decisions that impact Chelsea supporters. The focus will be on the club’s strategic vision and objectives, as well as medium- and long-term decision making."
READ MORE: Why Graham Potter is failing as Chelsea head coach as difficult Kai Havertz decision emerges
Three of the places on the FAB are reserved for Supporter Advisors to the Board. The club will select a further three supporters via an open application process – those interested can apply here. Chelsea have also confirmed Fans’ Forum and Accessible Fans’ Forum will continue alongside Fan Advisory Board meetings.
Finkelstein, a director on the Chelsea board, will have strategic oversight of the FAB. He said: "As a life-long Chelsea fan and season ticket holder, I am proud to be serving on the board of the club I have always loved. I was also a member of the panel in the Government’s fan-led review and am committed to fan engagement within the club.
"Through my position on the board, I want to ensure the club has the ability to respond reactively to supporter issues. Through our Fans’ Forums and other communication channels, we believe we are working well to capture this feedback and will continue to develop mechanisms to do so.
"In addition, I want to ensure our supporters are represented when we are considering long-term plans for the club. Our supporter advisors to the board have been an important step in the right direction, and we know we can do more. I believe the Fan Advisory Board is a critical step in this process and look forward to working closely with the members of the FAB."
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) has campaigned heavily since its inception for supporter representation at a senior level of the club. And while the establishment of the FAB has been welcomed, the CST has stated its concern that three spaces will be filled by unelected representatives.
A statement read: "We have worked closely with Chelsea FC on this proposal and are delighted to deliver a commitment that we made to our membership.
"While this initial proposal issued by CFC forms a good base and addresses many of our asks, we believe that there is still a significant amount of work still to be done before many of our concerns over the unelected nature of a large percentage of the FAB are removed. It must go further than what has been included within this initial proposal before it is fully endorsed by the CST.
"Nevertheless, we will engage with the club and work within the parameters they have initially set. The CST Board would like to place on record its sincerest thanks to CFC for the continued efforts on this proposal. We appreciate that the FAB is a complex concept and believe that getting this right for supporters will be beneficial to the long-term prosperity of our football club."
READ NEXT:
Gabriel Slonina shines against Arsenal as Leo Castledine earns Chelsea late win over Gunners
Chelsea could face unthinkable Premier League reality if Graham Potter is unable to halt slide
Chelsea handed double injury boost after Tottenham defeat as Graham Potter oversees training
Todd Boehly hands Graham Potter 'sacking timeline' as Chelsea dressing room question 'concerned'
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
