Club news
The Annual General Meeting of Lewes Community Football Club will take place on Thursday 28th November 2019 at 7.30pm at The Rook Inn, The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, BN7 2XA.
Our new board for 2019/20 will also be confirmed at the meeting.
Our Strategy
Lewes FC’s goal is to be an “Exemplary football club on the largest achievable stage.”
What does this mean?
We believe that football is a vehicle for positive change. We want to play good football (and win) and use football for good. It’s not a choice between focusing on football or focusing on change – the two aren’t exclusive, they are complementary.
We believe that the world of football, and the world in general, would be improved if lots of other clubs, or all other clubs, followed this approach – a few already do. To be exemplary means that we actively seek out opportunities to lead in this respect (for example, via our Gambling with Lives initiatives, equality and numerous campaigns over the last ten years).
We will always seek to do this in a way that gives us the largest possible stage:
a) in ways that help us to achieve the greatest possible success on the pitch (for example, generating commercial support, sponsorship and partners that provide revenue for the club, increase our playing budgets, and generate more opportunities for winning); and
b) as a result of this success – the more our teams progress up their respective pyramids – the more visible our initiatives become at a global level, and the more they can catalyse genuine change.
How far our teams progress is primarily a function of how much money we generate. While our actual stadium is small, our opportunities for revenue-generation (and such opportunities in football generally) are increasingly independent of physical scale. For example, our ownership base is already global – we can have a million owners and still win Leagues playing at the Dripping Pan.
Board Elections 2019/20
Of the current Board, Ed Ramsden and Charlie Dobres are at the end of their current three-year term, whilst there are two further board positions available.
Therefore, there are FOUR positions open for election to the board.
To become a board member, you will first need to be an Owner of the club. Details can be found here: www.lewesfc.com/owners. We are interested in receiving applications from all and any owners who feel they can make a genuinely positive difference to the club. Being a board member is a voluntary position, and as a rough rule of thumb you can expect to devote half a day to a day a week to club activity – although this fluctuates.
Areas in which we are always busy include: HR, operations and ground facilities, finance, commercial and sponsorship, marketing and communications, matchday support, plus many others!
It should be noted that all board members are elected on a purely democratic (and closed/private) voting basis by current owners of the club, details of which follow below.
How to Join the Board
Anyone who wishes to be considered for election to the Board of Directors for Lewes Community Football Club needs to be a current owner, nominated and seconded by other owners by midnight on Friday 15th November 2019.
Candidates should submit an election address setting out why they wish to stand and what they want to achieve if elected to the board. Should an election address be greater than 500 words, a 500 word executive summary should also be provided for publication in the match day programme. Candidates should also include the name of a proposer and seconder, both of whom must also be owners of Lewes Community Football Club Limited.
This should be marked for the attention of john@lewesfc.com or John Peel, The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, BN7 2XA by midnight on Friday 15th November 2018.
The current directors are available to contact at any time to discuss the areas of responsibility and should you need a more formal discussion with the Board please contact the above email address and this can be arranged at a convenient time.
The addresses of each candidate, irrespective of whether there is an election or not, will be posted on the website as well as being published in the matchday progcast for any games played at The Dripping Pan prior to the 28th November 2019.
Voting for Board Members
Should there be more than four candidates, then online voting will commence on Saturday 22nd November 2019 and will close at 12pm on the day of the AGM. A voting link will be emailed to everyone who is a valid owner for the 2019/20 season as of midnight on Friday 21st November 2019.
In-person polls will take place at the club AGM on 28th November – starting at 6.30pm and closing at 7.30pm when the final counting will take place. The four candidates receiving the most votes (in-person and online) will be elected to the Board.
All appointments to the board are subject to passing the FA’s Owners & Directors Test. Should you require a postal vote then please contact John Peel (john@lewesfc.com) by close of play on the 18th November 2019.
The AGM
Other business of the AGM will include:
– Presentation of Annual Board Report
– Presentation of Accounts
– Announcement of new Board members
– Any Other Business
Please remember to bring your membership card or proof of ID to the AGM (you can use your owner’s app, or physical support & save card), as you will not be able to vote without it. If you are under 16 years of age you can attend the AGM but will not be eligible to vote.