Article 9 of 12 blogs at Christmas
The previous and future blogs in this Christmas series can be read here-
The Lewes FC Fanzine 12 Blogs at Christmas. – Lewes FC Fanzine Blog (wpcomstaging.com)
Thing is, I don’t really bother any more. The last paper fanzine was 5 years ago. Chris and Gareth who helped drifted away from the club as most of our friends had already done so.
When I picked up the fanzine bug again all that remained was the blog. I have always been intrigued with social media and been shit at it. So I spent the £240 necessary with Word Press to upgrade the blog so I can start discovering more about plugins, working the site and how to build it up. In time for Christmas as I thought I would put the fortnight of Christmas boredom into good use and teach myself to understand blogging more.
The 12 blogs at Christmas is a thorough health check of the club.
But yes folks, I am writing 12 blogs really to teach myself how to understand to blog better! I am having a new ecommerce site built next year for one of my businesses, the one I enjoy and doing so will help teach me to work it more effectively.
Like most of my old friends who regularly supported the club my interest has significantly waned and any latterly musings have been very sporadic. But as I rediscovered the world of amateur writing, I got really absorbed into it more than I had hoped and started researching club accounts, social media feeds, the Crouch Fan Led Review.
A constant theme, historically, throughout the fanzine was espousing new ideas and criticising current ones. This is how a community club should work and it has always amazed me how so many people involved with the club simply do not understand what it is all about. As a paper fanzine with the other Chris, who knew how to format and produce a paper fanzine, it was easy to use humour to make a really powerful point. Now it takes an article. I am lucky, the maniacal workings of my mind mean I can write a blog in twenty minutes, A blog to me is a quick narrative to get a point across, not some piece of outstanding writing. ‘Just as well’ I hear you say!
Some of my blogs are read in up to 12 different countries by people that frankly the number of reads blows my mind. The statistics sometimes disappoints of course. Interesting that the three blogs in this series on women’s football, despite the high profile of our women’s team, are the least read and engaged with. It is an irony how now the fanzine has been in decline our readership has essentially broadened and shot up.
Blogging means we will never have the enjoyment of seeing one of the best football writers of our generation, Paul Hayward, queueing to get into the Pan engrossed in one of our issues. I doubt he surfs the internet to read this blog. Maybe he does….hello Paul!
I have been involved in the Lewes community for 40 years. I love the place and people and I always feel that Lewes FC has failed them dramatically and the ‘community’ project. I know writing what I do has been a revelation at the club governance to some people and these thoughts get passed around. Obviously, I would not do this if nobody listened. I do get some wonderful feedback form new supporters and from older ones who have frankly slated me now agree with me. I have found this so heartening.
In reality though, I am simply not really interested any more. These 12 blogs are a representation of what drives me away. I cannot change how the club is run, but I can educate people and I know sooner rather than later the whole strange circus dysfunctional thing Lewes FC has become will implode and we can get some proper people running it with no agenda other than running two decent teams for the town of Lewes running the club and myself and all my old buddies can return.
I still go to matches as at the end of the day Lewes and the Palace are my teams for life, but I have to balance that with the fact I don’t agree with how the club is run and don’t want to invest my passions into it like I used to. Even up to five years ago missing a home game was unthinkable. For the 15 years up to then my social life and friendship circles revolved around Lewes FC, big pre-match and after-match sessions in the local Kings Head and some fantastic away games which morphed into fab parties! It is an indication of the dysfunction I mention that the current leadership has seen I calculate 45 of the 50 fans who I would know well enough to have a drink with simply do not go. Loads of Lewes FC fans on my Facebook, only 3 still go.
Football clubs have to earn your unadulterated support as Lewes have done for so long for me, but I simply don’t really care, occasionally attend, occasionally comment on social media and write the odd blog. It’s the best I can do. I have a busy life and Lewes FC is down the list now.
I know how to grow an audience, I no longer interact with comments and messages from morons but also fantastic people who care, I have other writers wanting to write for the blog, many very good and two national magazines want me to write some articles. I can give out leaflets to massively lift the awareness of the blog, post it on other blogs sites rather than just Twitter. But that would require an effort, as I alluded to earlier, that I’ll save for something else I really care about.
It is sad when a club’s governance leaves you detached from it. I started supporting Lewes as a football lover and met loads of great people and we all had such fun. Nearly all of them have deserted the club. They are Lewes and football fans, and this club now is a really poor imitation of them both. Football ownership and clubs is a cyclical thing and when the club becomes a decent non-league club for our wonderful town again, we will all be back. When some of the pillocks who are involved realise they are not getting what they want from it bugger off en masse we can resume the party. Interesting how some board members who joined living and breathing Lewes FC are nowhere to be seen once Lewes FC has served it’s purpose.
I think without the fanzine I would not go at all. A boycott of the dreadful club governance and some of the characters involved would be good as so many of my friends have. But occasional blogs and attendance keep a feint pulse going, Some strategic posting on social media platforms can stir a lot of interest on wayward governance and seems to really really wind up some people and that is always worthwhile!
The Rights of Fans. 