A Shadow Board will be formed from the start of next season to allow fans' groups a greater voice with the Club...
Following the Fans Led Review, Cambridge United - in full agreement with Cambridge Fans United (CFU) and Cambridge United Supporters Panel (CUSP) - has decided to improve the way in which the Club engages across the whole fanbase. This builds on the positive steps taken in recent times.
Consequently, instead of a Fans Elected Director - in-line with the Fan Led Review - there will be a Shadow Board from the start of next season which will represent fans’ groups in a fuller, more effective and more structured way.
Andrew Stephen, Chair of CFU said, "CFU have been enthusiastic supporters of the Club’s ground breaking involvement in the Fans Led Review and are very excited about this development. It is very clear that fans will now be more fully engaged in and consulted on the issues which concern us all through the creation of a Shadow Board. This - taken together with plans for a Golden Share - will mean that things which have been placed in jeopardy at many other clubs due to a lack of engagement with fans, will be effectively prevented. But more than that it will allow us all to come together and help promote the club and the interests of its fans.
"It is great that CFU will be fully involved in helping to design the Shadow Board’s structure, meeting pattern and remit together with other fan groups. While the details are being worked out over coming months, Dave Matthew-Jones will remain as FED for a little longer. Both the Club and CFU see this as a very exciting opportunity. It will mean in the years to come that Cambridge United and fans groups will be working ever more closely together for the benefit of the Club we all love. United in Endeavour."
Godric Smith, Director and member of the Fan Led Review Panel said, "We are fortunate to have such brilliant fans at Cambridge United who have stuck by the Club in bad times and good, and continue to give such great support. Now is the time to build on the great work carried out by CFU, CUSP, the Amber Belles and many others to create a Shadow Board which can formalise engagement so there can be a genuine two-way dialogue with all our supporters.
"We start from a good place with the Club’s fan engagement rated as one of the best across the EFL in a recent national survey, but we want to keep improving. It's obviously a priority for all of us to keep growing the fanbase. We will work with supporter groups over the summer on these new arrangements so they can be in place for next season."