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The
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So, it was interesting to see the club 21/22 strategy when it was published opening itself up to scrutiny by setting a number of aims, mainly in figures, and publishing whether they are achieved when the strategy period ended.
One of the interesting traits of Lewes FC over the years is the sometimes odd interpretation of figures. Too many times I have seen criticism of the club brushed by the club, with an explanation of the lines of the figures are good and ‘we will be doing this’. But interpreting the figures to shed a good light on the club rather than a realistic one. For instance, I was roundly rubbished for predicting the vast costs of the Lewes FC Women and was rubbished. But I was spot on. Because it is so easy using figures to explain current problems that will wash away and nobody able to examine what the club has said until over a year later in the accounts.
So, it was interesting to see the club 21/22 strategy when it was published opening itself up to scrutiny by setting a number of aims, mainly in figures, and publishing whether they are achieved when the strategy period ended.
To me so many of the aims were inconsequential and frankly easy to achieve. But I acknowledge it is a healthy change to see Lewes FC for once utilising, the ’transparency’ part of their contract with the club owners, the supporters. I am really pleased the club did this and thank them.
To me the most important ‘aim’ was to get 3500 new owners. As the club says on the document-
‘We seek to create a club that is fully sustainable, with a vision that one day we will not rely on external sponsors or investors for survival but thrive through our own ownership base.’
The club wished to be self-sustained through the membership. An honourable aim and very much coordinated with the club constitution.
One can argue the aim was pointless in that 3500 new members would equate to an extra £150,000 to £200,000 in income. But the 21/22 accounts saw the additional trading losses for the year covering the strategy well surpassing that figure. I digress.
In the end, the club gained 900 of the 3500. Not a bad figure to say the least, but paltry in comparison to the number needed to make an impact on the club’s desire to get the membership to help self-sustain the club. Factor in too the time and money gone into marketing to get the extra membership.
The conclusion of the club in the review of the review is that it is an ongoing process. Although it was acknowledged at the AGM it was not a great success and Lewes FC will be concentrating its membership drive to the UK. The focus was bizarrely to get the new membership for Lewes Community FC from around the world.
How on earth did Lewes FC really think they would get so many new members and why was it delivered as a worldwide recruitment.
Because Lewes FC believes its own press. The onus of the writing of the strategy read more like a propaganda exercise. We read that we are fully sustained and elsewhere that we want to aim to be self-sustained! Reading it is a classic textbook exercise in self-aggrandizement. The disruptors! No we are not. We are changing values in football and how football clubs are run, no we are not. We are chucking a shit load of money at the Lewes FC Women as a punt at fame and fortune.
It is however a very persuasive document and maybe one more meant for punting for large sponsorship deals more of a manifesto that a practical document.
Don’t get me wrong there is a lot of good in the strategy and it’s existence although disappointing that the 22/23 one is still nowhere to be seen. Every week it remains in the ether diminishes the authority of the current one.
I don’t know how it was marketed or how much was spent marketing it but 900 out of 3500 is a fail.
Because actually nobody is that interested. Interest in Lewes FC it seems to be lost on the club strategist is mainly based in Sussex and that is where you should concentrate your efforts. Instead the club decided the world would be so interested in everything we do who would not want to be an owner?
The world less 900 people.
It is almost breathtakingly stupid to concentrate your membership drive to the world and not locally. As the fail, of the project shows. I mean why would you prioritise you r efforts on worldwide members when local ones are SO MUCH MORE VALUABLE. They will come to games, bring friends, catering and merchandising and the greatest asset of all that Lewes FC fails to recognise, word of mouth.
The leadership of Lewes FC as usual think they are great ‘game changers’ and why wouldn’t people want to know all about them and join them? Because they are not interested. The greatest problem at Lewes is the self-belief that ‘doing things differently’ is smart and clever, when actually doing things sensibly, chipping away, learning on the job, trial and error will always lead you to the strongest outcome. You simply cannot busk the system.
The Rights of Fans. 