By Chris Harris Anyone who was at Leylands Park on Saturday (3/1/26) for the Burgess Hill vs Lewes game, and who’d been to Leylands Park before, couldn’t have failed to notice that this is a club on the up. I hadn’t been for a few years. Back then, they’d just been relegated into the Isthmian … Continue reading A Lesson Lewes FC Can Learn from Burgess Hill Town FC: Club’s Going in Opposite Directions.
Tag: lewes
Collection: The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Parts 1-5
by Chris Harris Below is a 10,000 word thesis, broken up into 5 manageable sections on how a thing that should have been amazing for the town of Lewes was strangled and used as a branding mechanism instead and ultimately ruined. https://july66.blog/2026/01/02/the-death-of-fan-ownership-at-lewes-fc-the-story-part-1-pre-fan-ownership/ https://july66.blog/2026/01/02/the-death-of-fan-ownership-at-lewes-fc-the-story-part-2-2010-17/ https://july66.blog/2026/01/02/the-death-of-fan-ownership-at-lewes-fc-the-story-part-3-2017-2023/ https://july66.blog/2026/01/02/the-death-of-fan-ownership-at-lewes-fc-the-story-part-4-mercury-13-and-the-stale-whiff-of-decline/ https://july66.blog/2026/01/02/the-death-of-fan-ownership-at-lewes-fc-the-story-part-5-the-denouement/ https://july66.blog/2026/01/03/denham-phoenix-fc-a-satirical-diary-of-a-non-league-football-club-on-the-up-episodes-1-7/ #Lewes #Lewes FC #Lewes FC Women #Non League … Continue reading Collection: The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Parts 1-5
The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 5 — The Denouement.
This is part 5 of my blogs on the ‘How Lewes FC Strangled the Life Out of Fan Ownership.’ The links to the four others are below. by Chris Harris A conclusion and then we ask the question, can it ever work? Out of a club drifting in the fog of decline, something unexpected briefly … Continue reading The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 5 — The Denouement.
The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 4, Mercury 13 and the Stale Whiff of Decline.
by Chris Harris This is part 4 of my blogs on the ‘How Lewes FC Strangled the Life Out of Fan Ownership.’ The links to the four others are below. The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 4, Mercury 13 and the Stale Whiff of Decline After 12 years on the … Continue reading The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 4, Mercury 13 and the Stale Whiff of Decline.
The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 3, 2017-2023
by Chris Harris This is part 3 of my blogs on the ‘How Lewes FC Strangled the Life Out of Fan Ownership.’ The links to the four others are below. Meanwhile, the women’s team quietly kept going, punching above their weight, maintaining their place in the third tier of the national league structure. Change, however, … Continue reading The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 3, 2017-2023
The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 2: 2010-17
by Chris Harris This is part 2 of my blogs on the ‘How Lewes FC Strangled the Life Out of Fan Ownership.’ The links to the four others are below. The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 1, 2010-17 It’s fair to divide the fan-owned era of Lewes FC into two … Continue reading The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 2: 2010-17
The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 1, Pre Fan Ownership
by Chris Harris This is part 1 of my blogs on the ‘How Lewes FC Strangled the Life Out of Fan Ownership.’ The links to the four others are below. Steve King led Lewes FC to promotion to the Conference National (now known as the National League) in the 2007–08 season. Under his management, the … Continue reading The Death of Fan Ownership at Lewes FC. The Story. Part 1, Pre Fan Ownership
The Bullshit Detector: Lewes FC’s Barcelona Delusion
by Chris Harris New York Times Athletic 12/7/21 “When I talk about our ambitions off the pitch – which are connected to those on the pitch – they are to become the most fan-owned football club in the world. “At the moment, we have 1,700 owners across 36 countries and we want to turn that … Continue reading The Bullshit Detector: Lewes FC’s Barcelona Delusion
Is Lewes FC’s ‘Equality FC’: Principle, Gimmick, or Something In Between? A Reappraisal.
by Chris Harris Gimmick definition: something that is not serious or of real value that is used to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something. In other words, something eye catching that helps a product or brand stand out from the competition. Whether Equality FC belongs in that category is no longer an abstract question. It is now a pertinent one. The general understanding is … Continue reading Is Lewes FC’s ‘Equality FC’: Principle, Gimmick, or Something In Between? A Reappraisal.
Dulwich Hamlet FC Built A Culture. Lewes FC Built a Brand — Fluffed It and Lost Its Soul
by Chris Harris 13/12/25 Dulwich Hamlet FC 1-4 Lewes FC. A great result, but the truth is the real winner over the last few years has been Dulwich Hamlet FC, a club the leadership at Lewes FC failed dismally to emulate. Dulwich Hamlet are a phenomenon as well as football club. It’s not about results, … Continue reading Dulwich Hamlet FC Built A Culture. Lewes FC Built a Brand — Fluffed It and Lost Its Soul
Last Night’s AGM: On the Brink of Collapse or a Fresh Dawn?
by Chris Harris I don't share the doom and the gloom. There comes a point in every long running story when the narrative can no longer sustain the myths that once held it together. Last night’s AGM felt like that moment for Lewes FC. The numbers were bleak, the mood was flat, the optimism had … Continue reading Last Night’s AGM: On the Brink of Collapse or a Fresh Dawn?
Panic, Not Process: Why Lewes FC’s New Managerial Knee Jerk Recruitment Process Fails the Basics
I can’t, hand on heart, see any reason why Craig Nelson is a better prospect for Lewes FC than Bradley Pritchard, and I believe this knee jerk appointment is further evidence of a board lost in the headlights, stuck in a doom cycle. It was during the winter of last year, when Craig Nelson was … Continue reading Panic, Not Process: Why Lewes FC’s New Managerial Knee Jerk Recruitment Process Fails the Basics