The board’s refusal to include non-card carrying, loyal, match-going fans in the decision-making process over Lewes FC Holdings Ltd is not only insulting—it’s actively undermining the club’s future.
It’s almost chilling to see how Lewes Football Club has been treating a significant section of its loyal, paying fans. Over the past few years, it’s become increasingly clear that the moral compass of those running the club has gone completely haywire. The recent share issue and the laughably disorganized consultation process are just the latest chapters in a disturbing trend.
Thousands of people, completely disconnected from Lewes FC and the town except by a membership card, are being consulted on the future of a club they know nothing about and show zero interest in, at the last meeting someone piped up and asked where Sussex was. His opinion counts because he pays under £1 a week in membership. Fans who will sometimes spend £30-40 at a matchday do not. Crazy isn’t it? Hence only eight members attended the last consultation meeting.
Why? Because the consultation process is being skewed towards those who don’t understand Lewes as a town, as a club, or as a community. The board is seeking opinions from members who joined for ideological or political reasons, not because they care about Lewes FC or even football.
Meanwhile, loyal fans—those who attend matches regularly but aren’t members—are being discriminated against. It’s like saying you can only vote in a general election if you’re a member of a political party. It’s draconian. It’s disgusting. Frankly it’s Russian! And it’s happening at our club. Take my own experience: over the last few years, I’ve brought a dozen friends and family members to matches. None of them are members, yet they’ve all spent money at the club on tickets, beers, merchandise. Out of 15 die-hard Lewes supporters I regularly liaise with through the fanzine, only five are members, deeply passionate hardcore fans. If you look around the terraces, it’s clear that a huge proportion of match going fans aren’t members. So why are these people not being consulted about the future of their club? I seriously doubt half of the regulars at the Pan are members.
By excluding these fans, the club loses a key connection to its loyal local base, alienates those who sustain it financially, and risks creating apathy among the core audience. Ignoring them undermines the club’s identity as a community-driven institution and diminishes trust in its leadership. This short-sighted approach not only erodes goodwill but jeopardizes the club’s long-term sustainability. Engaging non-members is not just fair—it’s vital for the club’s future.
It’s not just an oversight—it’s a deliberate choice. When we previously criticised the club for not sharing enough information about major decisions, the club’s response was, “Why should we share information with non-members?” It’s offensive, it’s short-sighted, and frankly, it’s idiotic. These non-member fans are the lifeblood of Lewes FC. They know more about the club than many on the board ever will, and their input is invaluable. Feedback is a gift. But instead of valuing these supporters, the board dismisses them because they don’t pay a £50 membership fee, even though they might spend hundreds each season on tickets, drinks, and merchandise and have real skin in the game. Oh, and like me, introduce the fans of the future. The result? Half the people at today’s game probably have no idea what’s going on at their club. They’re left piecing together scraps of information from an utterly inadequate consultation process.
The whole situation has become a joke. There’s no enthusiasm for this share issue, there are no other measures the board has proposed because they lack the creativity and vision to come up with real solutions to the club’s financial problems. All I hear from fans is the same thing: we don’t want this “Lewes FC Holdings Limited” nonsense. We don’t care if the club has no money; we just want to watch non-league football. That’s why we’ve been coming to the Dripping Pan for years. And when the club inevitably goes bust, the loyal fans—those of us who truly care—will still be here to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, those new members the club has courted at great expense will disappear without a second thought.
So what’s the plan? Ignore the people who actually care about Lewes FC and consult only those who don’t. Genius, isn’t it? The board’s refusal to include loyal, match-going fans in the decision-making process is not only insulting—it’s actively undermining the club’s future. To be clear, it goes without saying there are members who regularly attend matches, and their voices matter too. But my frustration lies with the complete disregard for the loyal, paying supporters who don’t have a membership card. These are the people who keep the club alive financially, and when the chips are down, they’ll be the ones standing by Lewes FC. It’s time the board started listening to them.
If the club cared about these fans and getting them to be members, it might help if they used matchdays as a recruitment vehicle for membership. Only 6 weeks ago the club announced only 4-500 members were from Lewes. Astounding. Maybe rather than continue putting the future of the club in jeopardy Lewes FC should stop focussing on the rest of the world and concentrate on er….Lewes. At least board member Steve Watts was out meeting the Lewes Chamber of Commerce yesterday, a Lewes FC to the core supporter; maybe the rest of the club leadership can follow his example and engage properly with Lewes FC fans and businesses.
The Rights of Fans. 