Lifelong Cambridge United fan to be remembered in Trust's 25th year
U's supporter Robert Osbourn was chair of Cambridge Fans United
A lifelong Cambridge United supporter will be remembered at the club's Abbey Stadium today as a supporters' trust he was chair of marks its 25th anniversary.
Robert Osbourn - who died in May 2023 - joined the board at Cambridge Fans United (CFU) in 2006, before becoming chair from 2016 to 2021 and helped guide the group through some of the club's toughest times.
Players will also warm up in specially designed Cambridge Fans United (CFU) t-shirts to mark 25 years of the supporters' trust being set up and the role the group's played in backing the club.
"One of Robert’s most amazing qualities was his ability to roll his sleeves up and volunteer to help with each and every club or CFU activity," a CFU spokesperson said.
"Both CFU and the club valued the vast knowledge he had from his work in local government and knew they could rely on Robert to find the right contact to get the best outcome to whatever problem needed tackling."
Challenge 25
During the day, three CFU members who've taken part in a series of health-based challenges as part of Challenge 25 will also be recognised.
The challenge - which supports the British Heart Foundation - has raised more than £700, having started out as a 10km memorial walk in Robert's memory.
This month, U's supporters have been encouraged to get active by taking part in their own challenges, such as walking or running for 25 minutes a day.
Dave Matthew-Jones, who helped establish CFU 25 years ago, will speak to fans at half-time on how the group has grown over time.
"Even if you didn’t know Robert’s name, we are sure that he was a well-known to our fans who would have bought programmes and 50/50 tickets from his smiling face at the CFU caravan, and more recently the CFU cabin," the CFU spokesperson added.
"Matchdays will not be the same without him."
The event will be marked when Cambridge - who sit just outside the League Two play-off places - take on Crewe Alexandra at 3pm.