Exclusive Q&A With Lincoln City Vice-Chairman Roger Bates


Thank you to Lincoln City Vice-Chairman Roger Bates for answering questions from some of the members of Vital Lincoln City.

Roger Bates, who was appointed Vice-Chairman at the same time as Clive Nates was appointed Chairman, said the following for the article that was published on the Official Site when both appointments were announced:

“Having contributed to the running of the club in a number of ways over the past seven years, I feel honoured to have been chosen as Vice Chairman by the Board of Directors.

“The club has been on an exciting journey over the past couple of seasons and, working with Clive, the Executive Committee and the Board, the aim is to sustain our momentum and build upon that success by developing the club on and off the pitch.”

And now the for Q&A, which is on two pages! You can get to page two by clicking “Click here for the next page”, which can be found at the bottom of the article!

Given that any new stadium is likely to be some years away at the very least and that capacity will certainly be an issue if we are fortunate enough to be promoted this season. When are the club looking to make any decisions on the feasibility of the expansion of Sincil Bank be it temporary or permanent?

We are currently talking to consultants, and other experts in ground improvements, to identify possible options for increasing the capacity of Sincil Bank. We anticipate being able to decide whether to undertake any projects ahead of the 2019/20 season in the early part of next year.

Is it worth putting outstanding youth players on a full-time pro contract so the club can get a transfer fee rather than the paltry amounts on offer if one of the top clubs comes in and steals them from the youth set-up for peanuts in compensation?

If an Academy player is considered to have strong potential to become a first team player then we would discuss with the pro department management team whether to offer them a professional contract (as we did with Ellis Chapman).

Is the Deranged Ferret your finest literacy moment?

Almost certainly!

Following the change of Chairman, and also new people joining the Board, what is the current policy of LCFC regarding a Ground move to Beevor Street as opposed to the redevelopment of Sincil Bank. The previous Chairman seemed to be in favour of the Beevor Street option, is this still the case?

We are actively assessing two options: remaining at Sincil Bank or moving to the Western Growth Corridor. Until we understand all the facts and costs we are not in a position to decide on a preferred option. What we have said is that we have no plans to relocate outside the city boundary, are not actively seeking other options and will not do anything that leaves the club with unsustainable debt on its balance sheet or without having control of the stadium.

In the event of promotion what contingencies are being planned regarding investment into the squad?

We are consistently assessing and planning for the future based on a number of scenarios. We have recently welcomed several new investors to the football club and continue to explore opportunities for further investment, either from within the existing group of directors and investors or from new sources.

How many people are watching the Imps on iFollow overseas and here?

We have around 800 active users for games, either as international subscribers or UK-based audio-only services. In addition, for the games which have been streamed in the UK, we have had between 200-500 subscribers on a match-only pass.

How did the design for the home shirt come about? How much input did the club have and was this input done by committee? If so, was a bit of everyone’s suggestion catered for, hence the end product of how it looks now.

The shirt was designed working with the design team from Errea and informed by sample survey’s taken in the club shop. Fashion and shirt design is, of course, subjective, however, we do evaluate all major and minor decisions and of course, have taken on board the learning from this process.

Do we own our training ground? Or is it a long-term lease? if so for how long is the lease?

The Elite Performance Centre is on a long-term lease. Perhaps unsurprisingly, landowners with the quality of land we required to produce great playing surfaces are rarely keen to sell or would look for an unaffordable premium in their asking price. For this reason, and the significant benefits the Scampton site offered us, we decided that leasing was the preferred way forward for the club.

Can we expect an improvement in communication with Shareholders under the new set-up? We used to get a shareholder report and accounts available 5 months after the year end- in recent years it has been 9. This also compares unfavourably to the much-maligned Grimsby town FC who have theirs ready in 6 months after year-end. They also have more detailed reporting, as did we several years ago.

We are certainly keen to develop our communication strategies with all supporter groups, including shareholders. The annual financial statements will be made available after we have completed any business in the January transfer window, which will be around 7 months after year-end and approximately 2 weeks ahead of the AGM.

Who sets prices in the stadium catering? Can water & soft drinks be made much cheaper (£1 or less)? It would benefit families and likely boost sales & revenues.

The prices are set by the catering partners. We have taken on board your feedback and will review with our catering partners.

Do you expect the CEO to make sure the Club breaks even this year?

Ensuring a break-even situation for the current financial year is not one of our objectives. The board believes the club has a unique opportunity under Danny and Nicky to progress and has thus approved a growth strategy that looks at utilising surplus funds generated in the prior year as well additional funds contributed by new and existing investors. This strategy of investing in assets, systems and people will have a negative effect on the income statement in the immediate future. The only way the club would generate a profit in the current season would be through another lucrative FA Cup run.

Allocated or unallocated seating at away games?

We believe that unallocated seating at away games is easier for our supporters and we work with the host club to reach the best outcome for both parties. However, we respect the fact that the host club has the right to take the final decision.

One other thing to note is that if the host club takes an open unallocated seating policy, then the capacity has to be reduced by 10% from within the unallocated areas.

Could the Club please announce earlier when Away games will be pay on the day? I.e. is when it is patently obvious they will not sell out e.g. Cheltenham, Tranmere, Port Vale, Yeovil etc, etc.

This decision is set by the host club and we are simply the messenger. We do encourage the host club to provide as much information as possible, as early as possible. However, I understand that with our regular number of travelling fans, away clubs are reluctant to make this call too early as it could have a significant impact of their matchday hosting costs (i.e. policing charges).

Is it correct that you can no longer guarantee to keep the same season ticket seat next season by subscribing within the required purchase time? If so what was the thinking behind this?

No, this is incorrect.

Remember all those people who paid up good money to have names put on seats to help save our club. Some are still on seats. If details are still held how about getting these names back on? Some were put on in memory of supporters no longer with us.

I do remember this: the response at a time of real challenge for the club was fantastic. Unfortunately, we cannot find any record that was made at the time of what names went on which seats.

Is the club going to sort out the issues for visiting disabled supporters? Nothing seems to have changed since the Chesterfield game.

Whilst a number of factors have meant work has not yet been completed to the shelter for visiting disabled supporters, we are comfortable with the provisions and pre-game arrangements that have been put in place. Please be assured much has changed since the Chesterfield game, however not all of it is visible. We do regularly receive communication from disabled away fans praising what we are doing. However, we hope the shelter will be in place in the coming weeks/month.

Do you think it is right that the club charges full price for restricted view seats in the Selenity Stand?

All those who are in season ticket restricted view seats have been offered to move match by match. The restricted view seats are the last to be released, and whilst they do have varying levels of ‘restrictions’ we never knowingly sell a restricted view seat without making the person buying aware this is the case.

In the last year or so there seems to have been a lot of effort gone into the off-field activities and infrastructure, how much and what are the things still on the list to do?

Our years in the National League, when money was extremely tight, meant that the club’s infrastructure had to be kept to an affordable minimum and investment in the stadium was made only when absolutely necessary. Since returning to the EFL our aim has been to match on-field developments with infrastructure and off-field improvements. The Elite Performance Centre is the most visible of these but we have invested in the stadium and in building an off-field team that can manage the club professionally, provide good customer service and fan experience, and generate further income for the club.

Are you able to quantify how solvent the club is? In percentage terms what is the increase in player wages compared to a couple of seasons ago, our promotion-winning season?

The club still has positive cash balances and the only debt on the balance sheet is bonds issued to our fans. As a board, we believe all information about player wages must remain confidential.

On a personal note, what is your favourite book that you have read and why?

I read a range of books, both fiction and non-fiction, including a number on football. A friend bought me a copy of ‘The Miracle of Castel di Sangro’ by Joe McGinniss as a birthday present some years ago, but it is one of the football books I have enjoyed most. The author is an American political journalist who becomes obsessed with ‘soccer’ and decides to live in Italy and follow a club from a small village that had climbed to Serie B. It’s one of the best books for using sport to tell a wider human story.

Not a question, but well done for your work with the Academy fundraising in the NL years.

Thank you. A lot of people contributed to the fundraising effort: parents of players in the Academy, Damian Froggatt and his Academy staff, supporters, sponsors and donors. Without them, the Academy would have almost certainly have closed. I believed it was important to ensure that whenever we returned to the EFL we still had an Academy in place which could be scaled up quickly. It has been rewarding to see this happening under Damian and his staff over the past 18 months. Future plans for the Academy are really exciting and I look forward to seeing more players like Ellis Chapman coming through the ranks in the years ahead.

Can you clarify what the current situation is with the “Council” covenant regarding future development on SB? What bearing has this on whether we should relocate?

Currently, we are reviewing the redevelopment of Sincil Bank or a move to the Western Growth Corridor. Should a move to the WGC be the preferred option then further conversations would need to take place with regards to the covenant. That said, should we be looking to move to the site identified by the Council then this would be based on all parties being in favour of the move. We, therefore, don’t anticipate the covenant being a hurdle that couldn’t be overcome.

Has thought been given to and are the consultants who are looking at ground options either at or away from Sincil Bank given thought to the idea of turning the pitch around so behind the goal would be the Selenity and Co-Op. Clearly, further major development would need to be undertaken and perhaps a season playing away from Sincil Bank for a season.

This is not an option that we are pursuing as the additional costs are likely to be prohibitive.

Is being on the board of LCFC how you imagined it might be?

It is hard to know until you join the board of a football club just what it will be like. I recall saying when I joined the board that it was an honour, privilege and responsibility and I still feel that way. My years on the board have seen some challenging times and also some of what has to be among the very best years in the club’s history. I have enjoyed it all and look forward to the next challenge of seeing how we can develop our club still further, on and off the pitch.

Not that I’m vain or anything, but can you describe just how great Lincoln City F.C. fans are?

I have always believed we had a great group of supporters but what has taken place in the past couple of years is beyond anyone’s expectation: the best attendances in League 2, over 6,000 season ticket holders and the 17th best-supported club away from home in the EFL last season. And the atmosphere both home and away is unreal: something that is regularly remarked on by our players and the management and by the players, managers and supporters of opposition clubs. As a board, our challenge is to grow our supporter base still further over the coming months and years.

I could fully understand Danny’s frustration and comments following the Carlisle game re. the watering of the pitch problem. What are your thoughts?

I understood it too. It was a genuine mistake made by an outside contractor and these things do occasionally happen. The important thing is that we now have processes in place to ensure there is no repetition.

Bob Dorian had by far the largest number of Lincoln City shares. What is now the current split of his and others within the Holding Company? Has the recent investment for instance further diluted the percentage held by the Red Imps Community Trust?

Bob Dorrian owns 12.5% of Lincoln City Holdings Ltd (‘Holdings’). Sportvest Capital LLP owns 45.8% of Holdings. Lincoln City Supporters’ Society Ltd (‘RICT’) owns 11.0% of Holdings. No other shareholder owns more than 5% of Holdings. The recent investments have diluted the percentage held by the Trust as it does for all other shareholders each time new investment is made.

There was debate/consultation when the club decided to support the issue of ‘safe standing’. How was it decided the club would support ‘the drinking of alcohol within sight of the pitch’?

We don’t universally support safe standing or the relaxing of the laws to allow in-stadia drinking of alcohol in sight of the pitch. We do however support a review of current practice, based on the development of technology and policing/stewarding strategies since these laws were put in place. In addition, the behaviours and attitudes of football fans have changed significantly since the late 1980s. We would simply like to see a full and objective review to ensure stadiums are being managed based on providing for the fans of today, not for the fans of eras gone by.

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