Does my beloved Chelsea care about us?

[DavidEU 2,023]

Article written by Tom Allen, who fronts a new CFC organisation called CFC Youth Group, aiming to get more 16-21 year olds following Chelsea, and making noise.

I am writing this article in response to Chelsea’s decision to ignore the 16-21 age groups. As you probably have read, or heard, I am trying my hardest, to try and put young support back into Chelsea, something which has been lost for many years. But I feel as if I am wasting my time because the club do not simply care about us! And they would rather care about the support In China, and Russia to name a few, who have shown no loyalty other than buy their merchandise. It really does bring a sour taste to my mouth, when I pay the money I pay to watch Chelsea most weeks, and sing my heart out, and I get what out of it? Nothing but pure rejection in some ways.

I and many others my age and in Chelsea Youth Group have done our best to make as many games as we can, and considering I am a member, and still at school, I have only missed 3 home league games. I have made all cup ties, home and away, and also around 8 away games. Which means I am probably in a position to get a season ticket next year, point wise anyway.

Will I be able to get one next year? No. One of the things I know the reps on the fans forum have pushed for is a season ticket for 16-21 year olds because there is no transition from leaving being a junior season ticket holder, to an adult season ticket holder. Sadly we as fans did not succeed and they just expect you to make that jump from £330 to £650, which is not financially viable for me and everyone I know who is 16-21.

This is not an exaggeration, but the club seriously are going to loose what would be future life long followers, and passionate one’s as well. Obviously, I am going to stick my guns and not be knocked back at something like this, and keep pushing for improvements, to increase the support and membership for Chelsea Youth Group, purely because I love Chelsea and can not let it go that easily, but sometimes I do sit and wonder, and think, what if I watched my local team (Crystal Palace), I could have a season ticket for £180 and go every week.

But obviously I will not do that. But some will. Some will leave Chelsea on principle, not because they are not true Chelsea fans, but for the same reason others, watch non league and local football. It is cheap, passionate and a fans game.

Not only do I pay over the odds, I get told to sit when I sing, threatened to be kicked out, if I do not sit, and sometimes I have discovered I get told to sit, by fellow fans. Yet I come back to Chelsea for more, simply because it’s Chelsea, simply because from the day my father took me to the bridge for my first game I was hooked. It was inevitable, that I should want to follow them for all my life.

Will I get that chance to follow them home and away every week? I have to say, I do not know. From the birth of Chelsea Youth Group, I think there is hope, hope that, there will be a future group of fans, to chant CAREFREE, but then something like this knocks us back,. I could lie down, and surrender to Kenyon and his dreams abroad, but I will not.

It might have an affect, on attracting numbers to join me and my fellow members of CFCYG, but we have to keep trying until, there is no more hope. It might sound over dramatic, but to me it is not. Chelsea is so important to me, and I do not want to loose it.

Something needs to be done, but once again I call out to all 16-21 year olds not to be down, and to join Chelsea Youth Group, and help us push for improvements, and not just that, but to make many new like minded Chelsea mates, and to also have a good time at Chelsea.

If your in this age category and would like to get involved, contact Tom on the following:

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

MSN: [email protected] & [email protected]

Website: www.cfcyouthgroup.webs.com

Thanks.

[EskWeston 696]

It is an excellant point! There is no transition to being a juvenile going with family to being a young person going with friends! Other than kids with extremely wealthy familys how many 16 to 21 year olds are likely to be able to afford to go to games regulary?

This is the exact age group that should be a target for the club, the future support

[changingman2000 35]

The wee man is exactly spot on in what he say's. Sadly though I doubt that the club will be willing to change things. The fans are at the very back of their chain of thoughts.

[Fulham Broadway 16,980]

Hi, I'm Peter Kenyon, and with all due respect we dont want spotty, troublesome teenagers at the Bridge. They stand, sing and generally make the place look untidy.

We need to be catering for the more discerning supporter, a gentile soul who wears the shirt, hat, takes his family on the Stadium Tour and has three or four megastore bags full of tat. Someone who barely knows the rules of football, and yet can attend now and then, take photos, spend upwards of £250 a visit, and another £100 in the restaurant . Someone who will sit quietly, though we do alow clapping now and then. It's not just football it's the whole Chelsea ''experience'' I'm trying to sell here.

[DavidEU 2,023]

To be fair though FB, I can understand that point of view from Kenyon and the club. Yes, we as fans are upset by it, but at the end of the day, whether we like it or not, football is now a business. Kenyons job is effectively to help this club make money and thats the only way it can be done.

Sadly this cant work for both sides to make it work for both the club as a business, and the fans e.g. the singers all buying merchandise, or the merchandise buyers singing.

This is not me defending PK or BB etc in any way, but sadly thats the way it is.

[Drogba11CFC 108]

This is Blasphemy! This is Madness! (The policy, not the opinions)

[Fulham Broadway 16,980]

Hi, Peter again -and glad you see my point of view David. To be honest I'm just in it for the wedge -you remember when I declared ''I'm a Manc for life'' at Old Trafford ? Ha Ha loads fell for that,..and maybe it was true. Anyway, enough about me.

You're quite right, my remit is to make Chelsea Football club a business first and foremost because profit is the most important thing. (The fact that Roman is one of the richest men in the World, is neither here nor there). Do you think I care about teenagers not being able to afford to watch ? Do I fooking 'ell as like. HA HA HA.

I suppose there will come a day when there are so many tourists and corporates that we will play in near silence and it will affect team performance, but I will be long gone by then, a very rich man, and some one else will be licking Romans arse. Anyway we will introduce new measures like we have with the flags, such as 'realistic' crowd noises on state of the art sound system, and Neil Barnett s fake yank introductions to whip the TV audience into a frenzy.

Regards Peter