Editorial, Meetings

Result of the vote on the sale of Lewes FC Women

Posted by Barry Collins on

Earlier this week we asked Supporters Club members to fill out a short survey on the potential sale of Lewes FC Women proposed by the board. Thank you to everyone who voted. We received 129 valid responses, which is a very healthy sample of the Supporters Club membership, and here are the results:

Are you in favour of the club selling a majority stake in Lewes FC Women?

Yes – 14.7%

Unsure – 41.1%

No – 44.2%

(For reference, when we polled Supporters Club members on whether they supported selling a majority stake in Lewes FC Women to Mercury 13 in 2023, 53% were in favour.)

Do you think the club should reveal the identity of the buyer before asking owners to approve a deal? 

Yes – 93.8%

No – 6.2%

Do you think the owners vote should be binding, not advisory?

Yes – 80.6%

No – 19.4%

Whilst we don’t have any firm proof of this, it’s our strong belief that the Supporters Club membership is far more representative of the committed supporters that turn up at The Dripping Pan every week than the club’s ownership. We’ve recruited many of our members at games, and even a quick glance down our membership list reveals many familiar names to regulars at The Pan. 

We hope, therefore, that the board recognise the strength of feeling amongst core supporters on this issue, the clear indication that three times as many supporters are against selling the women’s team as are for it, albeit with a large proportion of undecideds.

Upcoming meetings

Tonight (July 16th), the club is holding its only in-person consultation on the sale of the women’s team at the Rook Inn at 7:30pm. We urge as many Supporters Club members as possible to attend and make their feelings known to the board.

Then, on Monday 21st July, the Supporters Club will be holding a meeting at The Elephant & Castle from 7:30pm, which will be an opportunity for members to discuss this issue, and lots more ahead of the new season. We hope to have board members in attendance to answer supporters’ questions too. Everyone is welcome. We’ll send out a video link to all Supporters Club members on Monday for those who can’t attend in person.