Chelsea Football Club today makes our Fan Engagement Report for the 2023/24 season available, outlining consultation, engagement and activities with our supporters in relation to the Premier League’s Fan Engagement Standard.
This annual report, which follows on from a Fan Engagement Plan published last year, is a requirement for all clubs as part of a series of league-wide measures designed to promote meaningful, long-term engagement with supporters.
The Fan Engagement Standard was announced by the Premier League in November 2022.
Our 2023/24 Fan Engagement Report details the platforms through which supporters can engage with Chelsea FC, including the Fan Advisory Board, the range of Fans’ Forums, the community groups Chelsea Pride, the Jewish Supporters Group and the Muslim Supporters Group, fan satisfaction surveys and more.
There is a section on the dedicated Supporter Relations team within the club which in the 2023/24 season had four new staff appointed to provide an enhanced service for our supporters.
Highlighted activities from the year include the Sleep Out at Stamford Bridge that raised money for charity, the March of the Living in Poland, a supporter football tournament at Cobham, and heritage events and the Over The Line mental health initiative on home matchdays.
In his introduction to the new Fan Engagement Report, Neil Beard, the chair of the Fan Advisory Board, says: ‘The voice of the fan has to be heard, and has to be able to influence the decisions the club makes, in a very sensible way. The fact that the club recognises this, and the fact that they’re very serious about demonstrating this in the engagements that they’re having with us, really speaks out about the fact that Chelsea really are a progressive club, and want to be getting things right.’
Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, who is highlighted as the nominated board-level official overseeing fan engagement, begins his words in the report with: ‘The 2023/24 season has been exciting and fulfilling on fan engagement with our supporters. We have achieved a lot but without question there is always work to be done.’
Michael Cornall, head of supporter relations, adds: ‘We are delighted to publish our Fan Engagement Report in review of the 2023/24 season. It is evident that there have been considerable successes, and I am proud that Chelsea Football Club now has a dedicated permanent team for supporter relations.
‘There is always work to be done to enhance our offering to our supporters. We already have a number of new campaigns and initiatives in place for the 2024/25 season and through the collaboration of the Fan Advisory Board, our Fans’ Forums and the multiple unofficial supporters’ groups, I am confident that we will continue to develop the experience of the fans.’