James Mills aims to help develop Cambridge United Supporters' Panel after being elected chairman

James Mills is eager to spread the word and develop fans’ engagement with Cambridge United Supporters’ Panel after being elected the new chairman.

CUSP was formed in 2019 after criticism of the interaction between the U’s board of directors and its supporters, and was aimed at bridging the gap to represent the views and interests of fans.

Nigel Browne was the inaugural chairman, but Mills has now been elected to take over the helm.

The 24-year-old is a lifelong United supporter, first attending a match with his father when only three months old, and holding a season ticket since he was four.

Deciding to initially put himself forward to be elected to CUSP last year was a case of putting his money where his mouth was for Mills.

“I’m sure every football fan is the same, with little niggles and frustrations about communication from the club being a bit slow or hearing something through the grapevine,” he said.

“I used to moan about things, and when the opportunity of CUSP came up, I said ‘I’m going to try to make a difference rather than just being a fan on the side moaning all the time’.

“That was my manifesto to being elected, and it seemed to be taken really well by the fans.

“The main thing is being that communication between fans, taking on queries and qualms and taking their view to the club. Then hearing the club’s opinion of that, how it can change and how the club can be better for the fans. The ultimate aim is for the fans to have a voice and for the club to listen to the voice to improve the whole experience.”

Mills believes that the group have now got a good working relationship with the club.

They held three meetings over Zoom during lockdown to get updates from the U’s on issues such as furlough and league resumption, but admits that it can sometimes be tricky on what can be relayed given the issue of confidentiality.

“It was good to be the sounding board for the club so Ian (Mather, the United chief executive) got our opinion as we’re representing the fans as an elected body,” he said.

“It was really good for us, and I think it was a good tool for the board for when they made announcements whether it would be taken as a positive and not a negative.”

The board’s involvement and interaction with CUSP is more than just lip service.

There is an open dialogue with chief executive Mather, and Mills urges supporters to get in touch with the group with any queries as the questions can either be asked directly or people can be pointed in the right direction.

“Ian is very interested in how the fans feel and see certain decisions,” says Mills. “We communicate everything we can, and it’s not just the club saying they will speak to CUSP, they do talk to us and we put forward questions that fans have.”

CUSP is involved in a number of initiatives. It has a mental health lead, David Burkett, who can be contacted by fans who may be struggling and in need of assistance. And last week, they were able to unveil a new fixture board at the front of the ground – an issue that had been first suggested by a number of supports and passed on to CUSP.

The biggest battle is showing supporters that they can have a say and get their views aired with the club.

“We’re not there to change the world, we’re not going to change the football club overnight, and we’re not going to spend a million pounds on a new striker because everyone wants one,” says Mills.

“But it’s showing our relevance to the fans, showing what we can do as a panel of supporters.”