Where Are The Co-Opted and Casual Directors We Desperately Need?

It is verging on depressing. A week after we learn the Board and COO embarked on a harebrained scheme months ago to break up fan ownership in exchange for a cash grab, we find out they hadn’t even checked with the relevant authorities to ensure they could action the scheme. So now, the scheme is enjoying gardening leave.

I am rarely encouraged by any statement of intent from Lewes FC. However, four months ago, our COO, Kelly, acknowledged the need to co-opt board members to support a depleted board struggling with the fallout and mess left by the previous leadership. She assured us that an army of volunteers was eager to step in and help, and that there were places on the board to co-opt new directors. Hurrah to that!

The board is allowed to co-opt up to four directors onto the board. When elected directors step down during their term, the board is also allowed to bring in ‘casual’ directors outside the auspices of the normal annual elections. Lewes FC has previously co-opted directors onto the board, some outside the normal annual election timing.

Rule 65 of the Club Board Constitution: “The Club Board may, at any time, co-opt any owner of the club, or the representative of an organisation that is an owner, to fill a casual vacancy on the Board of Directors.”

It is just as well, at a time of dwindling finances, fresh blood is desperately needed, not just to relieve the pressure on existing directors and staff, but to bring in new ideas and energy. And guess what? It costs the club nothing. This is such a simple solution to a simple problem, and part of the bog plan.

Co-opted directors at Lewes FC can bring invaluable skills, connections, and financial support to help the club navigate its current challenges. Experts in finance, sponsorship, and fundraising can unlock new revenue streams, while marketing and digital specialists can boost fan engagement, merchandise sales, and ticket revenue. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and local influencers can open doors to strategic partnerships, investment opportunities, and cost-saving initiatives. Meanwhile, football professionals, legal advisors, and community leaders can strengthen governance, operational efficiency, and grassroots connections. With the right mix of expertise and passion, co-opted directors could be the key to ensuring Lewes FC not only survives but thrives.

You’ve guessed it—at a certain football club in Lewes, yet again, the simple things continue to prove industrially vexing.

So, what have the COO and the Board done to make this happen? Four months later—absolutely nothing.

It was in November 2024 that we were told of this grand scheme. Only eight months previously, the board also stated that they wished to co-opt three directors to help run the club. To date, we still hear the familiar “we’re working ourselves to the bone” complaints, but clearly not enough to bother actually getting help in.

If, as Kelly told us, volunteers were queuing up, then why has nobody picked up the phone? Why has there been no action whatsoever to bring them in? The responsibility for co-opting new directors usually falls to the club’s board of directors, often led by the chairperson, in accordance with the club’s constitution or governance rules. However, the COO might be involved in identifying suitable candidates, advising the board, or facilitating the process.

Well, they have all failed.

Three very crucial points here:

1. In the Lewes FC Holdings Ltd business plan, co-opting directors onto the board is paramount to its success. Yet, the board has shown itself completely incapable of doing this, backing up what I have always said—the plan is hogwash and just a cash grab.
2. Tell me, when have you seen or heard the club ever reach out to source co-opted directors to owners?
3. Or the wider public and non members. Co-opted directors do not need to be owners. They can become an owner at the same time as being co-opted. FFS, I’ll pay their membership fee.

Okay, so we can all agree we want co-opted directors, but the board does not know how to get them, even though they are desperate for them.

Now explain this: we have upcoming elections. Why is the board so daft that when requesting new directors, they are not offering an opportunity for individuals who do not want the commitment of full directorship to be co-opted on? Unlike an elected director, who is typically bound by the club’s constitution and expected to fulfil a full term, a co-opted director is often brought in on a more informal or short-term basis to fill a gap or provide expertise. This means they could negotiate the scope of their role, time commitment, and responsibilities before agreeing to join. As the club is struggling to recruit, they might have to be more accommodating in allowing a co-opted director to contribute on their own terms rather than expecting them to take on a full workload.

Where on earth do they come from? Tell me how many of these task have the overbloated bureaucracy of Lewes FC been asked to do by the board of directors to alleviate the problem of a lack of directors and to co-opt fresh blood.

Internal & Network-Based Approaches

• Ask existing directors/trustees for recommendations – leverage personal networks.
• Approach active club volunteers or members – those already engaged may step up.
• Identify passionate supporters with relevant skills – financial, legal, marketing, or operational experience.
• Engage local business owners or sponsors – those with a vested interest in the club’s success.
• Speak with former directors or board members – they may be open to returning temporarily.

External Recruitment Methods

• Advertise on the club’s website and social media – a direct appeal to the fanbase.
• Send targeted emails to club members – highlighting the need and what’s involved.
• Use LinkedIn or professional networks – search for people with the right expertise.
• Reach out to local councils or community leaders – they may know suitable candidates.
• Contact football industry networks – including non-league forums, FA contacts, or other clubs.
• Post on volunteer recruitment platforms – like Reach Volunteering or Do-It.org.
• Engage with local universities – business or sports management lecturers might have contacts.

Tailored Approaches

• Offer flexible terms – allow co-opted directors to set their level of involvement.
• Define short-term or project-based roles – making it less intimidating to commit.
• Provide incentives – such as networking opportunities, club perks, or even honorary titles.
• Host an open meeting or Q&A session – to demystify the role and attract interest.
• Use word-of-mouth at club events – matchdays, community initiatives, or sponsor gatherings.

(courtesy of ai)

With the club struggling financially, recruiting the right co-opted directors could be the difference between survival and decline. Instead of just looking for general board members, targeting individuals with direct value to the club, whether through money, skills, or connections, would be crucial.

Sadly, we seriously have people running this club who fall at the first hurdle of basic competence. You need help—get it. It is akin to a drowning person failing to jump in a lifeboat.

There will be plenty of capable people willing to step up. For instance, you will see my business plan for the hospitality. Because of the fanzine and other reasons, I wouldn’t join the board, but there will be lots of other people out there who would be happy to be co-opted onto the board with fresh ideas, people who would be a significant improvement on some directors and bulk up numbers.

When we are as desperate for money as we have been over the last year and have done very little to improve the situation, it is customary, when you have lots of people wanting to help, to welcome what may well be fresh ideas on fundraising and cost-cutting. To embrace them.

Maybe I am missing a trick here. Is this protectionism—guarding and trying to justify the huge wage bill for seemingly inexperienced and misdirected bureaucratic staff? Fresh people should be coming in, working for free, doing what our paid staff should be doing much better? Is this a group of people running our club too matey with the staff to take incredibly difficult decisions re redundancy as we drown in piles of bills?

This, I believe, is part of the wider problem at Lewes FC—a club too used to being bankrolled, where every issue is seen as one that can only be solved by throwing money at it rather than rolling up their sleeves and getting back to basics. Clearly, that’s deemed too difficult, upsetting the unsustainable coziness at the helm of the club.

Ten days ago, we were informed that T. Wells, the chairman, was set to release a statement about Lewes FC Holding Ltd part of which was asserting that fan owned clubs no longer work, raising an obvious question: Is fan ownership inherently flawed, or is Lewes FC simply being mismanaged? The answer seems clear—there is a glaringly significant degree of incompetence at the club’s helm. And I am being polite.