[Football] Lewes FC.

[HangletonGull]

Didt lewes fc almost fold about 10/15 years ago or am I dreaming it

 

[keaton]

We were talking about this last June. You're ITK more than the vast majority if not all on here.

That £79.1m takeover offer by Mercury/13 would changed matters considerably, but at what cost?

Women's football has changed dramatically in the last 2 years, most notably in terms of management and structure. With larger fanbases (albeit not necessarily attendances) being connected with parent clubs, there was little chance of the likes of Lewes surviving in the 2nd tier, now WSL 2. Financing women's football below the 2nd tier outside of sponsorship income is precarious at best

Seeing at the thread has moved from the actual story itself to how it's being presented, words used and the political positions of the media outlets reporting, it might be valuable if you could share a bit more of your thoughts on how the situation's reached such a state.

With what one might imagine to be significantly cut costs across the club, including the men's teams and youth set-up, the financial issues can't be laid solely at the women's changing room door.

When the women got relegated we lost a lot funding and sponsorship decreased. We don't have rich benefactors which is how most of the teams at this level pay for stuff.

We may have to have a lower budget than we did in some previous years, but from what members of the board have said this year's budget will be more than last year's(that was tiny compared to previous years though).

We've got new experienced coaches though and players are signing. And the men are playing at a division above than they were before Equality FC started

 

[kevo]

Is there a fund raising campaign? Always used to go and watch them when Albion were away, in the days of Pip Parris and Steve Ford. And the Dripping Pan is a beautiful ground.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Didt lewes fc almost fold about 10/15 years ago or am I dreaming it

If memory serves, there was some chancer with his eye on the Dripping Pan prime real estate around that time. Then the club got registered as a community asset and he quickly lost interest

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Why would I read an article with a ridiculous, comical, headline?

I already knew a bit about the situation from speaking to people and reading non-deranged media eg. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygvnx4z31o

If you already knew a bit, perhaps you could make a personal contribution to the thread from ground level?

 

[jackalbion]

Shirley the problem is trying to run two first teams on one first team revenue or did the women's side get large gates?

From my understanding it’s based on the funding model of the club, could see this coming for a while. The ‘woke‘ headline nonsense really does not get into what is causing the problems there at all.

 

[A1X]

Wait, is equal pay "woke" now?

FFS they really ought to publish lists of this stuff, it's impossible to remember what is and isn't woke at any one time anymore.

 

[keaton]

Is there a fund raising campaign? Always used to go and watch them when Albion were away, in the days of Pip Parris and Steve Ford. And the Dripping Pan is a beautiful ground.

They emailed owners a few weeks ago asking if people could buy season tickets, merch, life memberships or donate. This was to cover the close season.

They had a break even budget last season and expect to this season.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Wait, is equal pay "woke" now?

FFS they really ought to publish lists of this stuff, it's impossible to remember what is and isn't woke at any one time anymore.

It is in football

 

[keaton]

And from the Lewes FC forum the Telegraph source Barry Collins only spoke to them because they ran a story on him 6 years ago when he resigned and it was inaccurate. Most of the comments they have included are from 6 years ago he says.

You'd have to wonder why they chose to do that, or why they have such interest in a 7th tier football club

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Seems like a thread of people commenting on an interesting article about a local club so they can have a pop at Tories,

…as opposed to starting threads to have a pop at the Labour Party?

 

[dazzer6666]

We were talking about this last June. You're ITK more than the vast majority if not all on here.

That £79.1m takeover offer by Mercury/13 would changed matters considerably, but at what cost?

Women's football has changed dramatically in the last 2 years, most notably in terms of management and structure. With larger fanbases (albeit not necessarily attendances) being connected with parent clubs, there was little chance of the likes of Lewes surviving in the 2nd tier, now WSL 2. Financing women's football below the 2nd tier outside of sponsorship income is precarious at best

Seeing at the thread has moved from the actual story itself to how it's being presented, words used and the political positions of the media outlets reporting, it might be valuable if you could share a bit more of your thoughts on how the situation's reached such a state.

With what one might imagine to be significantly cut costs across the club, including the men's teams and youth set-up, the financial issues can't be laid solely at the women's changing room door.

I was (more so on the women’s side), but much less so now. @keaton summarises the funding issues and good to hear that it maybe isn‘t as bad as being reported. Completely agree with you on the survival of the women in T2 - Durham aside, they were competing with clubs linked to much higher-ranking men’s teams and with the women’s game in a spiral of increasing spending were never likely to be able sustain competing at that level. There were significant divides within the club though (a couple of years ago anyway) - a % of the board were far less enthusiastic about progression of the women’s team. Much of the funding of the women’s team came from FA grants (including several staff salaries) but there wasn’t much transparency (even to ‘owners’) on the relative total costs of the two teams so it’s difficult to know exactly where the money is/was being splashed.

 

[cjd]

The gates for the women’s and men’s fixtures are virtually identical

Were the admission prices for both the men and the womens games the same ?

 

[dazzer6666]

Wasn’t it overall budgets rather than individual wages that were claimed to be the same?

Yes - was actual playing budgets that were equalised, but my sense was the club were very happy for it to be published as ‘equal pay’. Personally always thought it was daft anyway - why would T2 and T7 squads necessarily be due the same pay

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Were the admission prices for both the men and the womens games the same ?

Season tickets are identically priced.

 

[SweatyMexican]

Allowing girls and women to play football at all I’m sure they’d label as a ‘woke’ opinion back in the day.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Allowing girls and women to play football at all I’m sure they’d label as a ‘woke’ opinion back in the day.

People playing football is woke.

 

[BevBHA]

Was always slightly overblown as at the time the women's team were in the 2nd tier whilst the men's team were in the what, 7th tier? Wages between the two weren't going to be a million miles apart anyway surely. Less woke, more just paying vaguely appropriate wages for the level they're at

Which would be a great argument if they then generated the same money from gate receipts etc, but they don’t

 

[jcdenton08]

Was always slightly overblown as at the time the women's team were in the 2nd tier whilst the men's team were in the what, 7th tier? Wages between the two weren't going to be a million miles apart anyway surely. Less woke, more just paying vaguely appropriate wages for the level they're at

But people earn more based on the revenue they bring in. Top Camogie players earn a fraction of the salary of top footballers, because nobody watches or gives a shit about camogie.

In Lewes’s case, it isn’t so much the attendances which are fairly equal across both teams, but all the other expenses incurred with running two professional clubs simulataneously when all the other expenses are taken into account.

It was hugely ambitious and well meant, but completely impractical from a business perspective.

 

[cjd]

Season tickets are identically priced.

Thankyou.