This afternoon we welcome the supporters of Bolton Wanderers to the Abbey Stadium. Bolton are a club with a rich history going back to 1874. Bolton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888.  At the time Lancashire was one of the strongest footballing regions in the country, with 6 of the 12 founder clubs coming from within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, The name was chosen as the club initially had a lot of difficulty finding a permanent ground to play on, having used three venues in its first four years of existence. One of the most important days in their history was when they won the 1923 FA Cup Final before a crowd of 126,047 (official) or up to 300,000 (estimate), The match is often referred to as the "White Horse Final" after the police horse that moved the crowd off the pitch for the match to commence​
 
The EFL organise the Family Excellence Scheme which was launched during the 2006/07 season to reward Clubs in their efforts to deliver an outstanding match-day family experience. 

The scheme revolves around 'mystery fan' visits made to all EFL Clubs each season, with assessors and family groups reporting back on their experiences across a range of touchpoints.

The assessments and the feedback they produce help foster a commitment to continuous improvement, and the scheme has seen Clubs set benchmark standards in providing such things as family fun zones, family-oriented concourse entertainment, matchday activity schedules, creative catering options, interaction with Club mascots, players and enthusiastic family-friendly Club staff.

These visits, and the positive changes made as a result, go towards determining whether Clubs are awarded Family Excellence status each season, a desirable and important endorsement to further promote the matchday experiences they offer to new and existing families and their wider fanbases.

The following are the list of clubs that obtained the Gold Award for the 2019/2020 Blackburn Rovers, Brentford, Cardiff City, Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers.

Cambridge United obtained the Silver Award, so we still have some work to work to reach those obtaining the Gold Standard.  One of the clubs that leads in this area is Doncaster who we play against Saturday 4th September against Doncaster. If you want to purchase tickets for the Away Travel coach, see https://tinyurl.com/nyvedrs for more details concerning how to book on the coach

Having attended Family Excellence meetings during recent years Doncaster really do go that further step and show what is possible during the lead up to and on match days. Every club has different facilities available to them and it is easier to do events in newly built stadiums, however it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.

Please look after yourself and enjoy following the team home and away this season. 

You can contact me via dave.matthew-jones@cambridge-united.co.uk or follow what is happening 
via the www.facebook.com/CambridgeUnitedFootballClub facebook site
www.cambridgefansunited.org website or via twitter SLO@CambridgeUTD
If you would like to report a broken seat/bench in the Main or South Stands please contact the club by using the e-form below.  You can also report any facility issues as well via the form and we will endeavor to repair or address it as soon as we can   via the link here

Saturday, August 28th saw Cambridge United play Bolton at the Abbey Stadium

Simon King took some photographs of supporters from  Cambridge United  at the match.

Can you see yourself  or your friends and family in the shots?

Saturday, August 28th saw Bolton play Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium

Simon King took some photographs of supporters from Bolton at the match.

​Thank you for your continued support of the CUFC Lottery.

CUFC Lottery 'Accumulator' Results (27 August 2021) - this weeks winning 'Accumulator' numbers are (4617)
-there were no winners of the weekly 'Accumulator' this week, meaning next weeks 'Accumulator' will be £1300.

CUFC Lottery 'Main Draw' Results (27 August 2021) - this weeks winning 'Main Draw' numbers are (5302)
-there were no winners of the 'Main Draw' jackpot this week.
-next weeks 'Main Draw' jackpot will be £300.00.

As the 'Main Draw' jackpot was not won this week
- there is 1 CUFC Lottery member matching the first pair winning £10.00
- there are 2 CUFC Lottery members matching the second pair winning £10.00 each

If you are a winner of either the 'Accumulator' or 'Main Draw' you will be notified individually by email.

Yours sincerely,
the CUFC Lottery Team,
https://www.cufclottery.co.uk

​ Cambridge   Fans   United  recently launched   Programme  on a Page. 

It is a combination  of a team sheet and   programme  on   one sheet of paper. 

The latest   copy is now available to   download   below   or it can be purchased at the CFU   outlet  tomorrow before the  match against Bolton Wanderers

Download   your   copy here   or read it on line

If you purchase a copy it   will cost   50 pence  . Proceeds will go towards   the running   of the   Away   Travel coach

Doncaster away postponedCambridge United's upcoming away match at Doncaster Rovers has been postponed.
​
Supporters who have booked onto CFU's coach travel can email cfuawaytravel@yahoo.com if you they would like a refund, otherwise, their booking will remain intact for the rearranged fixture date.

This afternoon we welcome Burton Albion to the Abbey Stadium. Burton Albion were formed in 1950 initially joining the Birmingham & District League, before switching to the Southern League eight years later. Having made speedy progress through the leagues they were as recently as 2018 playing in the Championship.  The memory that most Cambridge United supporters will share is one when two sides met each other in the Conference League Semi-Finals in 2008.  United came out on top over the two legs on that occasion to reach Wembley.  My abiding memory from the first leg was my son losing his watch and then being given it back several days later at the return match by another supporter who had found it on the terraces amongst the yellow pages. The painstaking planning and preparation of collecting the books, shredding them and then getting the pieces ready for the evening was every bit worth it. Whatever happened to Yellow Pages.

During the summer the decision was made concerning the organisation of the supporters away travel being moved to Cambridge Fans United (CFU). The group are maintaining links with Greys of Ely to provide the coaches. The first trip was arranged last weekend when we played against Accrington Stanley and then followed on Tuesday with Plymouth.  The organisers are hoping to run coaches to all matches this season if there is enough interest and demand to do so.
​
Coach seats to Millwall, Doncaster and Portsmouth matches are now on line and can be booked by following the link here or you can email cfuawaytravel@yahoo.com for more details. CFU are running the service for supporters and are not looking to make money from it. Anyone wanting to sponsor the coach service for either a match or the whole season can find out more by emailing cfuawaytravel@yahoo.com  If you prefer use the QR code below

Talking about QR codes. When arriving at any turnstile on match day. If you have a black background on your phone you will need to switch it to a white one. This is done via the phone settings or you will need to open the ticket attachment that was sent to you when making the order. The scanners cannot read a QR code if it is on a black background. This is because the code blends into the background and is unreadable.

Another change that took effect during the summer was the opening hours for the Cambridge United Club Shop at the Abbey Stadium.  It is now open twice a week and, on all Home, Matchdays Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am until 3:30pm. On Home Matchdays, the Club Shop is open from 9:30am until Kick-Off and then after the final whistle for a short period of time.
Supporters can also buy merchandise from the Club's new Grand Arcade store - open everyday -  Tickets and merchandise are also available online from CUFCDirect.com.

Please look after yourself and enjoy following the team home and away this season.
You can contact me via dave.matthew-jones@cambridge-united.co.uk or follow what is happening 
via the www.facebook.com/CambridgeUnitedFootballClub facebook site
www.cambridgefansunited.org website​ or via twitter SLO@CambridgeUTD
​
If you would like to report a broken seat/bench in the Main or South Stands please contact the club by using the e-form below.  You can also report any facility issues as well via the form and we will endeavor to repair or address it as soon as we can via the link here
​

Tonight, we are welcoming Swindon Town to the Abbey Stadium. I first became aware or Swindon when they won the   League Cup by beating Arsenal in 1969 on a muddy pitch at Wembley. What Ian Darler would have made of the that pitch that day wouldn't leave much to the imagination. It shows how much the pitch technology and importance the pitch surface has become. It is also one of the reasons why the national side is doing so much better nowadays.

During the summer the Fans Led Review commenced and the interim findings and recommendations have been forwarded in a letter from Tracey Crouch to Oliver Dowden. Follow the link here to read the letter

This Independent Review is a comprehensive examination of the English football system with the aim of exploring ways of improving the governance, ownership and financial sustainability of clubs in the football pyramid, building on the strengths and benefits that the game has.

Following extensive engagement with fans and stakeholders across the whole football community, on which the foundations of this Review have been based, this interim set of findings and recommendations sets out the direction of travel towards the final recommendations. Further substantive work will take place over the coming months to feed into the Review's final report in the Autumn.

It is really important for supporters, clubs and the game itself that the right conclusions are reached.
One of the projects started over the summer was the Amber Belles and below is an update by Emma Smith who is one of the originators of the scheme.

Over recent months the Amber Belles facebook site was gone from strength to strength and over 140 members. The group now has its own twitter account . The following has been written by Emma Smith one of those who set up the group to provide a fuller update.

The Amber Belles are a group of female U's fans. We are a supportive community and have a safe social space for us to talk football and share our love for the U's.

As well as our main hub on Facebook, we can now be followed on Twitter: @theamberbelles. With new Associate Membership of the FSA, we look forward to connecting with other fans groups and sharing ideas and experiences with them. We'll be meeting with members of the Lady Imps in September, when we play Lincoln City.


Some of you will know about the #HerGameToo campaign. It might cause an eye-roll from some, but most of us will agree that verbal and physical abuse on women and girls is never acceptable. Sadly, it does happen at football matches as was seen in results of their recent survey. Some of the things female fans have endured is sickening. This is why #HerGameToo is so important for the current and next generation of female football fans. Let's look out for each other, and please report any abuse.

Back to happy news! We've been talking with Gareth Daniels about stocking some female-focused items in the club shop and he's been very supportive of this. Now that we have a logo, we can use it on Amber Belles merchandise too. I hope to have more news about this soon.

Up the U's! 

Please look after yourself and enjoy following the team home and away this season. The away travel coach for Accrington can be booked via https://tinyurl.com/4ppx7ea4​

Please contact me via dave.matthew-jones@cambridge-united.co.uk or follow what is happening 
via the www.facebook.com/CambridgeUnitedFootballClub facebook site
www.cambridgefansunited.org website or via twitter SLO@CambridgeUTDo edit.

Cambridge   Fans   United  are launching   Programme  on a Page  at the Burton Albion  match

It is a combination  of a team sheet and   programme  on   one sheet of paper.

Download   your   copy here   or read it on line

Some copies will hopefully be  available at the CFU outlet before the match  today

Cambridge United use picturepath to enhance fan experience

Cambridge United has teamed up with picturepath, to provide a visual visitor guide for supporters with an aim to help reduce anxiety for SEN Children...

Ahead of this Saturday's home game with Burton Albion, all fans are able to benefit from using picturepath's visual timelines. The app based timelines will support fans, in particular those with additional needs and heightened anxiety such as autism, in preparation for and during their visit to the stadium.

Richard Nurse, picturepath founder said, "I am really delighted to announce that we’ve been working with Cambridge United to develop our latest product extension, picturepath visitor guides. Cambridge United have been the first organisation to collaborate with us to produce a picturepath visual timeline guide that's now available for home, away and disabled visitors to the Abbey Stadium.

"As a lifelong Cambridge United supporter it is a real pleasure for me to see this come to life. It was several years ago when taking my autistic son Freddie to his first game at the Abbey, and witnessing the sensory challenges he faced, that I realised the need for picturepath. It felt right with our visitor guides to start here, and I am looking forward to using it on my next visit."

Speaking of the collaboration, Cambridge United’s Fan Director Dave Matthew-Jones said, "I am really keen to make our matchday experience at the Abbey as inclusive as possible, providing facilities and support that meet the needs of all of our supporters’ interests. It is fantastic to be at a club that truly supports this. I am delighted that the work we are doing with picturepath strengthens our offering for fans, in particular those with additional needs."

The guides are available within the existing app that can be downloaded for free via your app store (Apple/Android), simply navigate to add routine, and then “visit with picturepath” to access the guides.

https://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/2021/august/picturepath-cambridge-united-abbey-stadium-visual-guide-sky-bet-league-one-efl-english-football-league-thursday-5th-august-2021/
post

Thank you for your continued support of the CUFC Lottery.

CUFC Lottery 'Accumulator' Results (13 August 2021) - this weeks winning 'Accumulator' numbers are (1327)
-there were no winners of the weekly 'Accumulator' this week, meaning next weeks 'Accumulator' will be £1200..

CUFC Lottery 'Main Draw' Results (13 August 2021) - this weeks winning 'Main Draw' numbers are (1785)
-there were no winners of the 'Main Draw' jackpot this week.
-next weeks 'Main Draw' jackpot will be £300.00.

As the 'Main Draw' jackpot was not won this week
- there are 2 CUFC Lottery members matching the first pair winning £10.00 each
- there are 0 Lottery members matching the second pair

If you are a winner of either the 'Accumulator' or 'Main Draw' you will be notified individually by email.

Yours sincerely,
the CUFC Lottery Team,
https://www.cufclottery.co.ukre to edit.

Over 1400 disabled fans have their say in Level Playing Field’s largest survey to-dateLevel Playing Field’s annual fan survey report reveals the most in-depth results in the charity’s 22-year history.In its inaugural year the focus of the Level Playing Field Annual Survey is to receive greater feedback year on year, helping to drive change towards better access and inclusion for disabled sports fans.

Download the Level Playing Field annual fan survey report

Level Playing Field has carried out a number of specific surveys in the past, but this is the most comprehensive survey ever, reviewing the matchday experience of disabled fans.

The survey is a first of its kind, with a strong focus on club-specific feedback that will help clubs target specific areas to improve their facilities and services.

Thanks to support from clubs, leagues and partners who helped to publicise the survey, Level Playing Field received a total of 1408 responses.

Key findings include:

• 30% of respondents stated that there were sports or sporting venues that they felt unable to attend due to poor access for disabled supporters
• 25% of respondents said that ‘anxiety or lack of confidence’ was a barrier when attending live sport
• Following lengthy restrictions on attending live sport due to the pandemic, 73% of the supporters surveyed said they would want to attend a match ‘right away’ once permitted
• The top 3 covid measures that fans wanted in place when returning were: hand sanitising stations, hand washing facilities, and mask wearing (bar exemptions)

Level Playing Field Chair Tony Taylor said: “This first Level Playing Field annual fan survey provides a great insight into the experiences of disabled supporters as they attend live sport.

“We are grateful to the 1408 fans who took the time to share their experiences with us. It is our hope and expectation that their responses will serve to bring about improvements to services and facilities as clubs see their feedback and comments.

“With 73% of disabled fans eager to return to live sport ‘right away’ following various restrictions on attending, clubs need to ensure that they are ready, and this report can help with that preparation.

“There is clearly much that still needs to be done to ensure that disabled fans have an equal matchday experience to non-disabled fans. The fact that 30% of respondents said there was a sport or sports venue they felt unable to attend, due to poor access, highlights this inequality. Level Playing Field will continue to promote full access and inclusion for disabled fans and we expect that will be reflected in the results of our future fan surveys.”

Download the Level Playing Field annual fan survey report

This afternoon sees the beginning of a new season and for the first match at the Abbey Stadium we welcome everyone from Oxford United. Both clubs have had a similar history playing in and winning the Southern League title and followed by being elected into the Football League. Unfortunately, both then lost their places in the Football League before fighting their way back again and reaching League 1

In recent years the supporters' groups of both clubs have assisted each other. They are still doing so even now by trying to find ways that will benefit their supporters. Ideas, advice and information has always been exchanged between the groups and outside the ninety minutes of match day all supporters should help each other to create a better game.

This time last year Cambridge United  were embarking on one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. To achieve that success meant everyone coming together from the players on the pitch to the supporters at home to becoming one team together. To achieve the results required this season we will once again need everyone to come together again and also keep the faith throughout the season. We may be underdogs but we can always be United in Endeavour.

Today will see a new app in operation that is aimed at reducing the anxiety for SEN children coming to matches. Picture Path is an app that individuals or families can download for free and provides a visual timeline to be used to reassure those with additional needs what to expect when undertaking activities

Simon King has taken a series of pictures around the stadium and surrounding areas, public transport etc. These images will be turned into symbols and made available for all fans who have downloaded the picturepath app (free download from the apple and google play stores). Users will then be able to create a visual timeline which is personalised to each fan and can be updated at any time during the day. This will reduce stress and anxiety, especially amongst people who are autistic, or have dementia or Alzheimer's, providing a visual reminder of what to expect. Fans who are visiting grounds for the first time, or haven't been for a while, will also benefit from having a visual guide and this will improve their experience.  
 
People with autism (and similar conditions) find change to be difficult to cope with and if they cannot visualise an event or sequence of events, this creates anxiety. For an autistic child or adult who likes football, the number of people and the number of images and senses that they are processing can be very hard to process. There is a lot of evidence that providing a visual timeline reduces the anxiety and stress for these individuals. For parents with autistic children, a visual guide is a very powerful tool to reduce stress and can make the difference between being able or unable to visit an event as a family. My Picture Path web can be found via the link https://mypicturepath.com/
 
The club also has a range of equipment that can be used on match days or when visiting the ground see https://www.cambridgefansunited.org/sound-sensory.html the equipment ranges for ear plugs to ear defenders and stress reducers. If contacted in advance of a match we can ensure your entry into the ground can be made easier. Email CFUmp@outlook.com if you would any further information

Please look after yourself and enjoy following the team home and away this season. 
The away travel coach being orgainsed for the Accrington match. You can book a seat via https://tinyurl.com/4ppx7ea4

Please contact me via dave.matthew-jones@cambridge-united.co.uk or follow what is happening 
via the www.facebook.com/CambridgeUnitedFootballClub facebook site

www.cambridgefansunited.org website or via twitter SLO@CambridgeUTD

Saturday will see the mighty U's go to Accrington Stanley in their first away match of the season

Please see the guide below that Accrington have sent to assist supporters on the day

It can be read on line or be downloaded

There are still a few tickets left on the Away Travel Coach click here to book a seat ​

The CFU AGM took place on the 26th June 2021. 

You can watch the video of the evening below 

The AGM was split into two parts -

Part One = Question and Answer session - Ben Strang, Mark Bonner and Ian Mather took part in a session by Stuart Wood

Part Two = The included the groups official business see below for agenda

1 .      Apologies for absence

2.       Minutes of CFU AGM held in February 2020  (available on CFU website)
 
3.        CFU Annual Report (Robert Osbourn/Andrew Stephen)
 
4.       Membership report (Terry Wilby)
 
5.       Treasurer's Report (Paul Moffat) - (available on CFU website)
 
6.       Election of CFU Trust Board

7.       Election of Fans Elected Director

8.       100 Years of Coconuts Report  
 
9.       Lottery Report
 
10.     Any Other Business
 
 

Now that lockdown and restrictions are being removed we will start to collect food and support foodbanks on behalf of various  local foodbanks. We are re-instating the collections.

Food can now be donated at the CFU outlet on matchdays before the match.

If you would prefer not to bring items to the ground on match days  this doesn't mean we can't find alternatives way of helping. We all probably have food that is surplus and sitting in cupboards doing nothing and more likely to be thrown away than used.
 
We have also donating items to the C3 Church which is local to ground based on Brooks Road on the roundabout by Sainsbury.  Food can be donated to the Coldhams Coffee, C3 Centre, between 10am and 4pm Tuesday-Friday.

There are no rules as such, they can take non perishable items and will allow them to sit before redistribution for any virus contamination.

If there is anyone who works in the fresh world of food or knows someone who the foodbank have the facilities to take surplus fresh food, cook and then distributed.

The organisation has distributed over 100,000 meals to highlight how important their work is.

Any donations would be amazing and very welcome by them

Please check with the foodbank their opening times during the current lockdown

C3Church
Phone: 01223 844415
Email: hello@thec3.uk
 
If you would prefer to deliver to another location below are some of alternative foodbanks locally
 
Cambridge City Foodbank 
2 Orwell House
Orwell Furlong
Cambridge
CB4 0PP
Phone: 07772 538628
Email: info@ccfb.org.uk
Donate money here https://cambridgecity.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-funds/
 
Ely Foodbank
10 Chapel Street
Ely
CB6 1AD
Phone: 01353 468626
Donate money here https://localgiving.org/charity/elyfoodbank/
 
St Ives Foodbank 
 
There are also various Trussell foodbanks in the local area for example Royston, Saffron Walden, St Neots and Haverhill where food can be donated.  For more information visit the Trussell Trust. 
 
Thousands of Premiership supporters recently donated money to their local foodbanks instead of paying for access to see their teams play over the Premier League's opening pay-per-view weekend.  That weekend foodbanks in the North East and North West reported record donations to their crowdfunder pages.  It proves what football supporters can do when they come together. If all the local football supporters and teams came together, I am positive we could make a real difference to so many families living locally during a really difficult period so many.