From July, there will be supporter presence at Chelsea board meetings, the Blues have officially announced.
The Blues, who face Real Madrid in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tomorrow evening at Stamford Bridge, have confirmed that three supporter advisors, who will be picked via an election and selection process, will attend board meetings to make sure that general supporter sentiment is considered as part of the club's decision-making process moving forward.
Chelsea will now liaise with the Fans' Forum and several non-official supporter groups to discuss the club's proposed process for picking the three supporter advisors for who will attend the meetings.
Outlining how the selection programme will work, Chelsea have confirmed that the criteria involved for being able to attend the meetings will be representative of the club's supporter base generally and is inclusive and diverse. A new selection will be made before the start of each new season.
Further information regarding this consultation will be communicated to the Fans' Forum and the other non-official supporter groups in the coming days.
Those who are successful in their hopes of being able to attend board meetings will be required to enter into a confidentiality agreement, similar to the obligations of a member of the club's board of directors. This move will allow the Blues to discuss and search for advice on a whole host of matters.
It has been confirmed that supporter advisors will not have any voting rights and will not be allowed to attend any meetings in relation to Thomas Tuchel, his staff, the players and the academy.
Those who are chosen to be able to attend, will attend approximately four meetings a year, and more if it is appropriate to do so.
If they successfully complete the year, they will be entitled to select a UK registered charity to receive a donation of £2,500 directly from the Blues.
This move comes just two weeks after the European Super League remarkably collapsed, with Chelsea amongst the first to signal their desires to leave the breakaway league.
Just days after the Blues pulled the plug on their Super League involvement, they released an open letter apologising for their decision to get involved.
The statement, in part, said: "The Owner and Board of Chelsea Football Club would like to address Chelsea supporters about the events which have taken place over the past few days.
"We have taken time since withdrawing from the ESL to speak directly to various supporter groups and listen to their views and concerns.
"Our ambition with Chelsea Football Club has always been to make it the best club in the world, both on the pitch and in how we work with, and give back to the community off it.
"The joint decision to join the ESL was driven by this same ambition. When it became clear that a new league might be formed, we did not want Chelsea FC to miss out on the opportunity to play in such a potentially prominent league, nor did we want to risk the Club falling behind our closest English and European rivals in competitive terms.
"As a Club, we are committed to an open and regular dialogue with our fans and other stakeholders, but, on this occasion, regrettably, due to time constraints and confidentiality restraints, this was not achieved."
