Manchester United pay tribute to disability campaigner and lifelong fan Chas Banks MBE
Manchester United has paid tribute to their Disabled Supporters' Association secretary and "longstanding friend" Chas Banks MBE who has died.
Chas had been part of the vital organisation since 1997, the year after he became disabled, and “worked tirelessly" to improve the experiences of disabled football supporters around the UK. He become the secretary in 2016.
The life-long United fan died at the age of 74 following a short illness and fans, along with those associated with the club, have been sharing tributes to “a true Red” through and through online.
Chas helped shape and drive forward the club’s £11 million investment in the stadium’s accessible facilities that created 118 new wheelchair positions and 158 new amenity seats in Old Trafford.
Chief Operating Officer at Manchester United Collette Roche said: “This is truly devastating news for all of us at the club who knew and worked with Chas.
"He was an important figure within our fan community and represented MUDSA with integrity and passion, as well as playing a significant role on our Fans’ Forum for almost a decade.
"Chas was a relentless advocate for the interests of fans with disabilities and played such an important part in driving forward the development of our accessible facilities at the stadium.“We send our sincere condolences to Chas’s family and friends. The best tribute we can pay to Chas is to continue strengthening the bond between the club and MUDSA and continuing his hard work to make our game accessible for all.”
A wreath was placed in the Ability Suite by Denis Irwin in remembrance of Chas and his "great contribution" to the club and MUDSA.
In 2022, Chas was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to people with disabilities in Greater Manchester and North West England.
Tributes have also poured in from the music world as Chas was a prominent figure in the industry during his career as a band manager. He worked with the likes of the Pixies, Curtis Mayfield and Sugarcubes.
Teenage Fanclub, who he managed for a decade, said: "The band received the shocking and very sad news today that Chas Banks passed away this morning.
"Chas worked with Teenage Fanclub from 1991 to 2001, initially as tour manager and then manager. Together with his wife Shirley as C&S Management they looked after all of us and everything related to the band with great skill and care, and we had a huge amount of fun along the way."
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