Club news
As some of you may know, I was CFO at the club for over two
years. During this time I quickly learned that although the club
is community owned, it is not financially sustainable, and
currently relies on the generous support of a couple of
Directors to avoid insolvency (to the tune of approx. £80kpa). I
understand that this is a common occurrence within
community-owned clubs. Which sort of makes a mockery of
the community-owned model.
We need to fix this, and stand on our own two feet, without
being dependent on two directors. But how?
There are no easy answers to this.
However I believe that at part of the solution lies within us. The owners of the club.
The club needs to do more to improve the ownership experience for existing owners, and reach out to
new owners. We need to do our best to retain our owners, engage properly, understand what our
owners want.
We have over 1,000 owners. Our average home gate for Men’s games is IRO 500 people, for Women’s
games it’s more like 100-200 people. Why is this? How can we get more local owners to engage with
and actively support the club on matchdays?
A straw poll taken at a Men’s game last season revealed that less than 50% of people (including season
tickets holders) were owners of the club. Why is this? How can we get more fans to want to become
owners of the club they support?
During last year’s elections the voting turnout was less than 30%. There were less than 100 people in
the room at the AGM. Why is this? How can we get more owners to engage with the club?
This club also relies heavily on volunteers, but our volunteer base is reducing. Why is this?
How can we
get more owners to feel a part of the Lewes FC community?
I believe these facts show that there is a disconnect between the club and the majority of its owners.
If elected, I will do what I can to make sure that the club improves its understanding and treatment of its
greatest asset – its owners.
Past, present and future.
Issi Doyle