CIA MOVING FORWARD 2017-18
As many of you are aware, Chelsea in America (CIA) was formed in 2007 and almost singularly run by Beth Wild. In light of founder Beth’s decision to step down (she’s getting married; time for new adventures), the regional chapter heads have met and created a plan to move Chelsea in America forward. We believe these new changes will create a sustainable and positive direction for our club.
Key points for 2017-18 and beyond:
• A new board, comprised of the regional chapter heads and key volunteers, has been formed and approved a working budget. Beth will shift to a Club Chair Emeritus position so that we can access her experience though will no longer on the board. Long time members John Costello (So Cal) and Allison Kasic (Mid-Atlantic) will serve as the new CIA chairs. Both are long time members and experienced with CIA matters. Most of the other regional heads are key members of the organizing board.
• A new ‘Club Secretary’ position is being created to coordinate many of the duties that Beth handled. This will be a paid roll with small monthly stipend. The board believe this is the next evolution to increase the long term level of club services for our members and the only way to replace the super-human hours donated by Beth the past 11 years. Erik Coulbourne, the Desert-Texas regional head, has accepted this roll. Primary in his functions will be overseeing membership, ticketing reports, and supporting the regional/local chapters. Erik’s club email is Club.Secretary@chelseainamerica.com. While coming up to speed, Erik’s official start date is May 1.
• For the first time ever, a small membership fee increase will be instituted for 2017-18. The member fees have remained the same for 11 years and costs are rising. We believe the changes you will experience in the coming season will more than justify this change.
• A new database linked membership registration system is being introduced. The goal is to enable you to renew your membership and modify information without having to completely reenter all of your information each season. Your patience will be appreciated as we upgrade this service.
All of the membership information for 2017-18 will be available later this spring.
• As a group, the board agrees that the time is right for CIA to refocus our attention to our core priorities: Membership and CFC ticketing functions, support of regional/local chapters, and the organization of summer tours when they occur. We are here to support our local chapters and assist our members with Chelsea FC. If you have ideas on how CIA can better serve our growing member base, please let your regional officer or any of our board members know.
2016-17 Summary: This season, Chelsea in America included 1,522 paid members from 6 regional chapters/38 local chapters. Of our members, 669 (44%) were also True Blue members.
As a group, we look forward to serving you all next season. During the next 12 months, we hope to you will like the evolution that will occur. Not everything will happen overnight but our goal is to set up a vibrant, sustainable, and affordable Chelsea in America that continues to keep our ‘Blue Flag Flying High’.
John Costello, Chair; John.Costello@chelseainamerica.com Allison Kasic, Vice Chair; Allison.Kasic@chelseainamerica.com Erik Coulbourne, Club Secretary; Club.Secretary@chelseainamerica.com
Andy Burbidge, Board Member Jonathan Sharp, Board Member
Tim Whitehorn, Board Member
Brian Wolff, Board Member Beth Wild, Chair Emeritus