The CSG came together after concerns raised by like-minded and strong-willed supporters over the way the management of the club were taking us, so the decision was made to form an entity which could vocalise collective concerns and liaise with the club on supporter issues.
Although the implementation of Fans’ Forum was welcomed by many, others saw it as a convenient vehicle by which the club would be able to rubber-stamp plans and give them legitimacy, even though they might adversely affect the majority of Chelsea supporters.
The internet and printed fan press is full of different supporter groups, bodies and clubs fronted by passionate and outspoken individuals – and often, as is generally the case with football support, they don’t always agree on key issues. The unifying factor is of course their love for Chelsea Football Club and it is this spirit which has seen the CSG flourish.
The principle behind the 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. This is a principle Blue Tinted 100% backs as key to the modern support of the club.
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.
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 two other members of the CSG have also accepted an offer to join. This means that those representing the club at the quarterly meetings will have to take on-board the views of the CSG in an official capacity, making the views of the CSG membership harder to ignore.
In 2005/2006 season the CSG produced the following ‘mission statement’ when distributing a flyer educating our support to what the group is;
"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."
I think we can all agree that the excellent work and organisation being produced on our behalf as Chelsea fans deserves praise and recognition. We will over the coming weeks be featuring the CSG and its individual key members, so watch this space.
Also, if you have any supporter issues, queries, problems or concerns please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at BlueTinted.co.uk (info@bluetinted.co.uk) and we will pass these on direct to the CSG, or alternatively you can visit the CSG site (http://www.chelseasupportersgroup.net) to get in touch with them yourself.
Thanks for reading, Fitz
(Article part-sourced from CSG website)
***
Blue Tinted competition!!! If you haven’t already entered, click ‘Home’ to the left of this piece to read about the opportunity to win a singing No.1 Chelsea Fan figurine by simply answering in 100 words or less: “Which goal sums up the Abramovich era at Chelsea to date, and why?” Send your answers to competitions@bluetinted.co.uk or info@bluetinted.co.uk – competition closes Sunday at 21:00pm so enter quick! Click ‘Home’ for more details.