Chester FC bosses have insisted the football club is English

Chester FC bosses have insisted the football club is English after the club was accused of breaking Welsh Covid rules.
Chester, whose Bumpers Lane home straddles the England and Wales border, staged two home games over Christmas.
The club has been warned about playing further home matches with crowds.


Andy Morris, the club's chairman, said the location of the ground was no longer a joke and "had become a very real problem".




On Saturday, the Welsh government insisted Chester FC's stadium was in Wales and the club's home games were therefore subject to Welsh Covid restrictions.



Since rules capping the number of spectators at events in Wales took effect on 26 December, Chester have hosted two home fixtures at Bumpers Lane - against AFC Telford and AFC Fylde - both in front of 2,000-plus crowds.



The club had insisted it had been told it was not eligible for financial support - from the £3m available for clubs in Wales impacted by fan restrictions - as it was an English club, but the Welsh government has now said: "As a club based in Wales, Chester FC would be eligible for support."
Probe into perceived Chester Covid rule breach



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Prior to the Covid pandemic, Mr Morris said the significance of the stadium's unique location had been regarded as little more than the answer to a common quiz question.
"It's something we've had for 30 years now since the stadium was built," he said.
"It was never a problem before we had devolution and changes in Covid rules."





The facts are:


Chester, a former English Football side from 1930 to 2000, then again from 2004 to 2009, play in the English league pyramid system



They are now affiliated only to the English Football Association and are not any longer affiliated to the Welsh FA
Land registry records confirm that the whole site is within the administrative area of Cheshire West & Chester Council
The pitch is in Wales but the stadium is considered English




The land of this now fan-owned club owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council
Games are policed by Cheshire Constabulary
What has happened so far to resolve this?
"We had a meeting on Friday morning with Cheshire police, Flintshire police and both local authorities," Morris told BBC Radio Merseyside.



"I get a feeling that nobody really knows what to do with the situation. It's a bit of a political football, with some of the wider Covid restrictions.


"The entrance to the stadium site is in England. The stadium is registered in England. It's actually owned by Cheshire West and Cheshire Council, so it's all very, very complicated at the moment."
"I'm not really sure as to why it's become an issue. It hasn't been for the last two years whilst we wrestled through Covid. We haven't had access to any Welsh government support, Welsh funding, anything like that."

Its ground is policed by an english police force and it pays rates to an english council. Our govt really has enough on its plate and should pick its battles.

Come on Chester FC, take on the Welsh Government and allow crowds into your stadium.
Tell Drakeford to get stuffed.
He wont know what the hell to do if you stand up against him and his cronies.
This rule is ridiculous, we can go to away games but not to home games.
Chester is in England and in the English league.

Chester FC.png

I work for a law firm in Chester and here is a Google Earth picture of their ground.

You can see that the whole of the pitch is in Wales - and their Administration Office is in England.

Its a silly situation

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It's petty. WG need to grow up in this instance. Common sense ffs.