Chas Banks, the secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association (MUDSA), has been awarded an MBE for services to people with disabilities in the New Year Honours list.
Banks, who went to his first United match against Luton Town on Christmas Day with his father in 1957, has been involved with MUDSA for 25 years and campaigned to enhance facilities for disabled supporters at Old Trafford and other stadia in Greater Manchester. An £11million upgrade to disabled facilities at United's stadium was completed in 2021.
The 72-year-old said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive this honour and it was an amazing surprise when I was informed. There has been huge progress made in the way that disabled fans are treated at football games and I’m proud of the role that MUDSA continues to play in that ongoing process, particularly at Old Trafford.
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“Of course, it’s a great honour personally, but really this is for everyone who has been part of building MUDSA into the biggest and best disabled supporters’ organisation in football. That wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Manchester United, my wife and carer Shirley, the MUDSA committee, and all our loyal members.”
Banks was born in Stretford Maternity Hospital in 1950 and grew up in Trafford. The lifelong United fan sold programmes on the Stretford End during the 70s, a decade that encompassed some of the most vibrant and tumultuous seasons in the club's post-war history.
A member of the fans' forum, Banks is a full-time wheelchair user having become disabled in 1996 due to the neurological condition transverse myelitis.
Overall, Banks has organised 23 consecutive MUDSA annual dinners since the first one in 1998 which was attended by Sir Alex Ferguson. Banks attended the Champions League finals in Moscow in 2008, Rome in 2009 and Wembley in 2011, when over 300 disabled fans were in attendance for each final.
MUDSA arranged for 165 disabled fans to attend the Roma final, still a record for the most disabled people on a plane. There are now seven disabled sections at Old Trafford that accommodate 278 wheelchair positions and 278 personal assistant seats, with 278 amenity seats available for home and away fans.
The United chief operating officer, Collette Roche, said: "Congratulations to Chas on this fantastic achievement! He is a big character with a big heart and there are few people who epitomise the spirit of Manchester United better than he does.
"Everyone at the club is tremendously appreciative of everything he has done for our many disabled supporters over the past 25 years.
“We are particularly grateful for MUDSA’s support and input into our ongoing efforts to improve the experience for supporters with disabilities at Old Trafford. Chas has been integral in that process and the results can be seen in the tremendous variety of accessible seats available around the stadium, making it one of the best places anywhere for disabled fans to watch football.”
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