Source: FOOTYMAD
The Deva is Ours!!!
Council grant a five year lease to City Fans United. Chester are back!! City Fans United have been handed the keys to the Deva Stadium by Cheshire West and Chester Council allowing the newly formed Chester Football Club to continue their preparations for a new start next season. On what will go down as landmark day for football in the City of Chester, the local authority has handed a significant amount of power back into the hands of the fans and the new Chester FC who beat a rival Danish consortium to get the lease. The council's chief executive Steve Robinson said: "It was the panel's unanimous view that City Fans United were further advanced in terms of required management structure and overall ability to enter a team into whichever league is determined by the FA. "Without doubt, their pride in club and city is unrivalled, as indeed would be the support for their proposal from the people of Chester and its surrounding area. "It was these factors combined with the very strong community engagement element in their case which persuaded the panel to assign the lease of Deva Stadium for five years to the CFU board. "Whilst the Danish consortium is bound to be disappointed with the outcome, their enthusiasm to be involved with Chester FC could perhaps still be channelled into work with, and providing support to, CFU." Both parties - City Fans United and their Danish rivals Fodbold Selskabet - pleaded their cases to a special council panel last Thursday morning and after a thorough consideration the authority sided with the supporters group. CFU chairman Chris Pilsbury said: "We would like to express our gratitude to all involved for their assistance in bringing the fans the news they so desired. "We look forward to living up to the faith the council has shown in the CFU business plan, and working in partnership to give our city a football club that we can all be proud of."
