I wrote most of this blog in December 2022, pretty much foreseeing the
current debacle at Lewes FC. This is an updated version.
A 100% fan owned club. Yet the board as of the end of August 2023 have
announced they propose
However, this is merely the icing on the cake of recent developments at the
club where the board seem to have forgotten our core values and aims of
self-sustainability, democracy, accountability and financial prudence in
exchange for, well, the opposite.
The current stand-off with seemingly the majority of fans is on the back of
the above poor governance.
There is no greater damnation of the governance of Lewes FC than the Tracey
Crouch Fan Led Review.
It is galling how so many points of poor governance are relevant to the
Lewes FC Board of Directors apparent mishandling and negligence of proper
governance and unaccountability.
People close to the club are all aware of the plethora of excuses and the
occasional ‘we know we make mistakes.’ But the Crouch Review sums up the poor
governance far more than the odd ‘mistake.’
What the club cannot argue against is the absolute clarity and authority of
the Crouch Review. The most in depth look at poor governance in British
football ever.
Approved by the Lewes FC Board of Directors, prior to the current consortium
proposal, has been a huge private investment in chasing glory for the Lewes FC
Women. Our tiny club was bankrolled last season by £600,000. Nearly 50% of its
turnover. This seems to be step one of finances running out of control as such
is the huge demand for money to run the Lewes FC Women to keep them competitive
it is alleged the new consortium will invest £2,000,000. Not confirmed. Either
way significantly more than £600,000.
Crouch Review-
‘The Review concluded that English football’s fragility is the result of
three main factors-
1)— misaligned incentives to ‘chase success’’
Yes, that is investing vast sums of money you do not have chasing success.
We are doing that textbook. Tick
2) Slating- ‘Club corporate structures that lack governance’ Yes that is us,
a Board sanctioning this unsustainable investment, approving private endowment
fund contributions. in contravention of the stated core aim of our constitution
to become self-sustained. As a community club carrying this out without
consulting supporters and explaining costs is disgraceful.
3) Not taking ‘sufficient account of supporters failing to scrutinise
decision making’ When did the supporters and 2500 owners say it was okay to put
the club in possible financial peril? Why are the board even procrastinating
over a vote on the proposed investment, it should be a given a vote should be
held on anything so fundamental to change of the club ownership structure.
Crouch Review-
Notes a ‘tick box’ approach to supporter engagement from many clubs, often
leading to a significant gap between club and supporter perception of the
provision of fan engagement’
Make no mistake over this. This is damning stuff of the Lewes Football Club
Board of Directors who have sanctioned a dramatic sustainably funded quest for
glory in breach of our constitution hiding behind the utterly farcical
‘democratic’ set-up that approves it which is basically irrelevant as it is not
fit for purpose. Owner engagement in the recent AGM and Director hustings was
about 5%.
The Crouch Review would suggest Lewes FC has an immediate remedy.
- We need
an immediate addition to our constitution to rid us of some of these
dreadful board members by establishing Director’s Tests
‘Directors tests
- To hold
the board PROPERLY to account the Crouch Review suggests establishing a
second fan Shadow Board, a de facto House of Lords. This would contain
proper fans set up properly, not the current poor selection of board
members with no history with the town or club. It would be like the Lewes
FC Supporters Trust that pre-dated the Community Club, a group of
long-term proper fans, smart and very protective of the club and
representative of the supporters with no personal agenda.
Crouch Review-
‘Supporter advisory/Shadow Board
This is a ‘board’ of a number of diverse supporter representatives which
would discuss the business and strategy of the club in more detail than other
forms of engagement.
Here is my opinion. The Lewes FC Board of Directors would not dream to
sanction anything like the recommendations above because it is too basically
incompetent and I think Tracey Crouch would agree with that great football
classic, ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’
The review delights me as it agrees with much of my general gist and
criticisms of the club.
I will from the New Year start looking further into the ramifications of the
Crouch Report.
The Rights of Fans. 