Imps chairman Clive Nates has penned an open letter to supporters, which dropped on the official club website at 5 pm.
Unlike some clubs, who throw ‘club statements’ about like free candy, Clive knows the time to address fans, and the time to remain in the shadows. With the effects of Covid still being felt, but the club moving forward on the pitch, he has once again put pen to paper, finger to keyboard. and spoken directly to supporters.
What I like about Clive’s communications is that they never pull any punches. He always highlights the positives but has no concern addressing the negatives too. Here we are, in with a genuine promotion chance, challenging at the top of the third tier for the first time since 82/83, and he has no fear about touching upon some of the elements of the season that have caused consternation – fans not being in the stadium being one. He also addresses the fact the Premier League bailout was 40% lower than clubs expected, and that the board have still managed to back Michael going forward. It is easy to applaud the positives, to backslap and self-congratulate, but to reflect on negatives in a manner fans relate too is not all that easy.
I see a lot of comparison between this season and 1982/83. Back then we were a great side, playing decent football and boasting some players with big futures. We set the pace back then, fought bravely and got to Christmas in pole position. Colin Murphy wanted backing financially, he wasn’t and the next 40 odd years of history were immediately determined. This season almost everything is the same, except the board have backed the manager, not only in the players who have come in, but in offer Jorge Grant and extended contract. Quite rightly, Clive touches on this.
You may recall I did a SWOT analysis a while ago, looking at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Well, here’s a big threat that you may not have considered – the credit option on the season tickets. Those of us fortunate enough not to have had to take our money out of the club have been told we can use the credit to get a discount next season, but that is just knocking a big deficit further down the line. In his letter, Clive hints at this and seems to suggest that there might be options for the supporters who can afford to not take that discount next season.
“Behind the scenes, our ticket office team are in the process of uploading season ticket credit to your Ticketmaster accounts, and we aim to have this completed within a week. You will then have a number of options to choose from to redeem against your remaining season ticket balance.”
So far, it is as we knew. Those who chose not to take their money back, those lucky enough to not feel they had to, were told money could be carried over to next season. However, that means revenue that the club may have got from full ST sales will be reduced, right? Maybe, but it seems the club have come up with a way to reduce the threat.
“There will be exclusive access to a list of events and merchandise, the opportunity for you to convert to shares once again, as well as spending some outstanding credit on future season ticket purchases. As always, however, I would ask that supporters consider their personal circumstances first.”
Now, for a geek like me, words like ‘merchandise’ and ‘events’ are exciting. Whatever the club do have planned, it does seem as though they will be offering us something that might just keep a bit of money in the club, but as always, Clive urges you to make choices based on your circumstances. Do you know why he does that? Because he is a decent human being. He might be embarrassed that I’m about to say this, but the letter isn’t the only communication he has entered into today. Earlier, when I mentioned my Mum has Covid on Twitter, he took the time to personally message me to wish her all the best. Top guy. Clive does actually care, and he would not want fans putting themselves in peril for the club.
Of course, the letter ends with a thank you for sticking by the club, through iFollow and generally.
As I have always said, a football club is only as strong as its fans – if anything they (we) are all it is. Players, kits, divisions, chairman, grounds and finances all change, but we don’t. We are the club, but Clive and the board are the current custodians, the people entrusted to take our club forward. Personally, I have to hold the current board up as perhaps the best we have ever had. They have seized the opportunity of the FA Cup run, National League promotion, Wembley, League Two promotion and that of a manager hunt, They have staved off threats of Covid, losing a manager and a loack of financial clarity the last eight months or so. As a consequence, we are in the best shape that we have been in ever since I first stepped foot in the ground. Clive and the board do all of that whilst remaining approachable, personable and human. We have had some good chairs in the past, we’ve had boards I respect and who history shine favourably on, but I’m not sure we have ever had a collection of people like we have now.
That leadership and clarity starts at the top and is typified by letters like Clive has penned today. So, whilst Clive has thanked us for our support, I’d like to thank him and the board for theirs. If you want a reflection of what life could be like, go check out Swindon fans relationship with Lee Power, or Grimsby’s with Jon Fenty. Both clubs are similar sizes to us and experienced promotions as we did (one before, one after) and yet both are in disarray.
For order, leadership and foresight, thank you Clive and the board.