CHESTER FC will be roared on with a little extra encouragement this weekend as the city's business leaders will be out in force to cheer the Blues.
Chester Business Club will be among the thousands of fans cheering on Chester FC during their match against Farsley Celtic on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The CBC is the Match Day Sponsor for Saturday’s game and a 30-strong party, led by Roy Shelton, the chair of the CBC and Jan Chillery, the vice chair, will be in attendance.
Businesspeople and professionals, together with guests and children, will be among the CBC members attending.
Roy Shelton, CEO of DropJaw Ventures, said: “We are delighted Chester FC recently joined us as a corporate member of Chester Business Club. I am keen to drive forward our goal of adding value to the local community and improving links between Chester business and Chester sport. CBC being a match day sponsor is a worthy contribution.”
Jan Chillery, insolvency partner at Aaron & Partners LLP, added: “Chester Business Club is proud to sponsor the Chester FC v Farsley Celtic match on Saturday. It will be an exciting day and we expect the Deva Stadium will be packed. Our CBC party is really looking forward to supporting this home game.
“I’m really looking forward to watching my first Chester FC match and it’ll be a great social event for CBC members. My friend and CBC colleague Abi Smith of Eventure Ltd is coming with me, as well as our teenage daughters Bessie and Chloe – the next generation Chester FC supporters!”
Chester FC had a crowd of more than 3,400 at the Good Friday game against Chorley FC, as the club pushes for promotion back to the National League. Hospitality tickets at the Legend’s Lounge on Saturday are completely sold out.
Long-time member of CBC and staunch supporter of Chester FC, Will Lamb of the Tall Group, said: “The Farsley Celtic fixture is a huge match for CFC, who have been playing superbly well in the National League North and we hope they can finish the season in the play-off finals. Chester FC is managed by a local man, Calum McIntyre, who was the former youth team coach. The collaboration between CBC and Chester FC is very welcome.”
Roy Shelton added: “Supporting our local businesses, charities and sports clubs’ growth and sustainability is at the heart of why CBC exists. The benefits of watching and participating in sports-based activities has so many mental health and wellbeing benefits which is why we are so proud to be sponsoring and supporting Chester FC.”
On a recent visit to the home of Chester FC at the Deva Stadium on Bumpers Lane, Roy, Jan Chillery and Georgina Slawinski, the General Manager at Chester FC, laid out their plans for the exciting new relationship between CBC and the football club.
Their plans include creating additional hospitality opportunities for CBC members at Chester FC, attendance of Chester FC at CBC events to increase awareness and support for the football club generally, as well as its match days and other campaigns, plus how a wider audience can become involved at a volunteer level to aid Chester FC’s growth.
Georgina Slawinski said: "Chester Business Club has over 200 leading businessmen and women as members, many with prestigious roles and well-known businesses.
"Being a corporate member will allow us to expand our network to achieve further business growth. We look forward to working closely with Chester Business Club and its members to continue embracing the local footballing community and reaching out to the wider community.
"I would like to thank all at Chester Business Club for their support, and we look forward to welcoming them as our match sponsor on April 15 for the Farsley Celtic match."
Chester FC have already guaranteed a play-off spot and are now highly likely to finish in the top three, although they still have a mathematical chance of winning the title with three games to go.
Should Chester FC finish third, they would avoid having to play in the first round of the play-offs, which sees teams from those finishing 4th-7th in the table playing each other, with two progressing into the next round.
The semi-finals of the National League North play-offs are on Sunday, May 7, with the final on May 14.
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