Manchester United have announced the membership of its new Fans ‘Advisory Board, which has been set up to strengthen the dialogue between the club and supporters and increase fans’ input for decision-making.
Seven fan representatives with different backgrounds have been appointed to serve on the board on a voluntary basis to advise club leaders and create a new channel for consulting fans.
The board will be led by Christopher Saad, an experienced associate and lifelong Manchester United fan, and Richard Arnold, the club’s CEO.
Saad grew up in Greater Manchester among a family of United fans and has been a regular at Old Trafford for over 25 years. As a leading legal assistant specializing in sports law, he has represented clients in football-related cases and is a member of disciplinary panels for several national sports governing bodies.
Saad was the unanimous choice as co-chair after an extensive search process. The selection panel included club leaders, representatives of the Fans ‘Forum, the club’s existing fan board and the independent Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST).
United’s Fans’ Advisory Board is designed to create a channel for in-depth consultation at the board level with a focus on long-term strategic issues, including stadium development. It will operate in parallel with the Fans’ Forum, which will continue to focus on operational issues affecting fans.
Two members of the Fans’ Forum, Ian Stirling and Rick McGagh, have been elected by other forum members to join the board to ensure a strong link between the two bodies.
The Board of Directors will also include Jonathan Deitch and Duncan Drasdo, Chairman and CEO of MUST, respectively. The other two fan seats will be taken over by Deborah Henry, president of the Manchester United Women’s Supporters’ Club, and Oli Winton, a senior communications consultant and longtime United fan activist.
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Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom explains what Manchester United fans can expect from new interim manager Ralf Rangnick when he officially joins
Dave Pennington, a retired senior official and board member of the MUST and Football Supporters’ Association, has been appointed special adviser to the co-chairs.
The meetings will take place four times a year, with five senior club leaders also being part of its permanent membership in addition to Arnold as co-chairman. Joel Glazer, the club’s co-chairman, will attend the founding meeting in January.
Fans’ Advisory Board was part of a package of measures proposed by Glazer last June to strengthen the club’s relationship with fans, and the club has been working with fan groups to implement these since then. Other initiatives included a Fans’ Share Scheme to create a path for followers to build a meaningful ownership stake in the club over time. Advanced talks continue with MUST on the details of the proposed share scheme.
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Manchester United vice-president Michael Carrick said it was not an “important decision” to choose not to start Cristiano Ronaldo against Chelsea.
Collette Roche, Manchester United’s CEO, said: “The launch of the Fans ‘Advisory Board is a historic step to ensure that the supporters’ perspective is always heard and understood right up to the club’s highest levels. This will improve the decision – make and reduce the risk of conflict with fans on the main topics.
“We agree with the independent fan-led review of football management that fans should have a strong voice in the running of the game, and we believe that our Fans ‘Advisory Board and proposed Fans’ Share Scheme are in line with the important goal.
“We are delighted to have attracted such a high caliber of people to the board, all with a strong passion for United combined with the ability to defend on behalf of fans. I look forward to working with Chris and the other representatives to get started and establish a key role for it in the heart of the club. “
Christopher Saad said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to combine my professional skills with my lifelong passion for Manchester United as the first fans co-chair of the Fans’ Advisory Board. I am confident we will establish a positive new model .for fan engagement in football.Sometimes there will be agreement, sometimes we will challenge hard.We will not shy away from honest discussion.Our goal is to expand the areas of consensus and narrow differences and to help maintain a healthy and successful “A football club that is in tune with its supporters. I look forward to working with my fellow fan representatives and club leaders to achieve these goals.”
Carrick: No drama about dropping Ronaldo
Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick says there has been no “drama” at the club over his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of his starting line-up for Sunday’s draw against Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 10 goals in 14 games since returning to Manchester United
Ronaldo was left on the bench despite his fine goal-scoring form and did not do much after his introduction in the 64th minute before quickly going down the Stamford Bridge tunnel at the last whistle as the match ended 1-1.
Carrick was temporarily hired after Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s dismissal and is set to remain responsible for Thursday’s showdown with Arsenal, as United’s newly appointed interim manager Ralf Rangnick awaits a work permit.
“I think those kinds of discussions get blown up really, much bigger than they probably are when inside the team or the club,” Carrick said Wednesday.
“Decisions are made for many different reasons, and some, of course, get bigger news than others, but that’s how it was.
“I did not see it as a major decision. It was certainly not within the camp or the group. We all came out of it really well. The game went well to some degree and it was not a drama at all.”
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