Formerly Known as The Rights of Fans
by Chris Harris. A Reassuring Statement… But Not the Full Story At first reading, the Board's financial statement of 29 June is encouraging. It confirms that Lewes FC's operating budget is fully funded through to May 2027, removing any immediate concerns over whether the club can complete the coming season. That is undoubtedly welcome news … Continue reading Investment, Equity and Equality FC: What Are Owners Not Being Told?
by Chris Harris and AI The oldest animals at Dripping Pan Farm still remembered the days before the Revolution. Back then, the Farm had been tired, threadbare and permanently short of feed. The owners in charge barked orders from the 70s clubhouse while the ordinary animals huddled together beneath leaking roofs and rusting turnstiles watching … Continue reading Dripping Pan Farm.
“It is a situation most perplexing, Miss Lemon,” Hercule Poirot declared, twirling the ends of his immaculate moustache with grave precision. “You remember the Mercury 13 investigation from a couple of years ago? The situation, I regret to say, remains most… unsatisfactory. There are inconsistencies, contradictions… and, how do you say, a distinct aroma of … Continue reading Poirot-And The Mystery of the Lewes FC Investor
by Chris Harris A “Heartfelt Thank You” That Screams Desperation The Board’s email, titled “A Heartfelt Thank You,” is supposed to reassure. It is supposed to steady the club and calm concern. Instead, it does the exact opposite. Strip away the tone, and what you are left with is not confidence, but desperation. This is … Continue reading Last Roll of the Dice: The Risky Gamble That Could Cost Lewes FC Men Everything
by Chris Harris When Greg appointed Hilario Vincent, Denham Phoenix FC were still rattling around in the third tier of the Sussex County League. Now, somehow, they’d clawed their way into the bottom rung of the national non-league pyramid. Greg had advertised the job successfully, and with pre-season starting next week, time was of the … Continue reading Inside Denham Phoenix FC: A Fantasy Weekly Non-League Football Soap-Part 4: The Managerial Shortlist
by Chris Harris Promotion changed everything at Denham Phoenix, suddenly charm and DIY weren’t enough.Big Mal was fading under the pressure, and Greg knew the club needed new hands on the wheel.Then came Catherine Brown, turning his careful plans, and his focus, unexpectedly off course.As the club stepped up a level, so did the stakes … Continue reading Inside Denham Phoenix FC: A Fantasy Weekly Non-League Football Soap — Part 2: Introducing ‘Economical’ Tony
by Chris Harris This is the first in a series highlighting the comedic goings on (gags!) at Lewes FC. Only Lewes Football Club could make a complete hash of launching a 140th anniversary replica kit. Non league football club; are amateur concerns and fuck ups are to be routinely expected, the problem with Lewes FC … Continue reading Lewes FC: A Football Club From Brewery Town Who Couldn’t Run a Piss Up in One. Pt 1 The Replica Kit Launch Debacle.
By Chris Harris The logo says it all. Suspending belief when you receive an email from Lewes Football Club, is not uncommon. Who can forget the true comedy gold gems, the £10 million valuation and the bizarre claim we were going to eclipse the 140,000 membership of Barcelona FC, for the record our current membership … Continue reading Buy Lewes FC’s 140th Anniversary Replica Shirt and Change the World. But Hurry Before the World Get a Chance To.
by Chris Harris This isn’t so much a match report as an observation on the changing culture of myself and my contemporaries as we grapple with getting older, as those halcyon days of getting smashed off our faces at football have passed us by, the lagers replaced with the delights of Bovril and Dave defying … Continue reading Match Report, Burgess Hill Town FC 2-1 Lewes FC: The Old Bastards Bovril Club. Getting Old!
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
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.
By Chris Harris The second part turns the spotlight on the top end of the pyramid. Here the focus is on the EFL, why the Football League has resisted branding a formal Division Five, how its clubs protect their own status, and why the National League has become a fifth division in everything but name. … Continue reading Non League National League: A Shifting View Part 2: Protecting the Brand of the Football League