On September 8, 2024 (CEST), Leicester City Supporters' Trust published an open letter on social media expressing concerns, dissatisfaction, and disappointment with the club's current state. The letter calls for the club to make substantial operational improvements and complete a sale as soon as possible to end the uncertainty.

Below is the full text of the open letter:

To Leicester City Football Club:

We are Foxes Trust. We are writing openly and transparently to express serious concerns about the club's current operations and the uncertainty surrounding the club's sale.

One of our stated objectives is "...to hold Leicester City Football Club and its owners to the highest standards of commercial management, operations and business decision-making." While we want to remain positive and supportive of the club, we currently find it difficult to identify grounds for such support.

Following the club's operations over the past few months, the Trust board feels deeply concerned and dissatisfied with what we are witnessing.

Fan Survey Calls for Action

In May this year, we published a fan survey of 4,413 supporters and put forward five requests that we believed would demonstrate the club's willingness to change its current situation and repair the fractured relationship between us:

We requested consistent benefits for annual season ticket holders, given that despite the club's relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, season ticket prices remained at Premier League levels with nothing offered in return.

We proposed holding a fan forum to help the club explain its strategy for improving the current situation and demonstrate its willingness to work with us to advance this. You rejected this proposal, and the only communication that occurred was a meeting between members of the club's selected Fan Advisory Board and head coach Russell Martin, accessible only through the club's app.

We requested that the season's first "Your 90 Minutes" meeting be held online so all fan groups could participate. Initially, you scheduled it at the same time as a friendly match; it was then rescheduled with minimal notice, resulting in only 10 attendees. We requested the meeting be rescheduled again.

We published a comprehensive assessment report of the fan engagement framework and offered recommendations for improvement, expressing our willingness to work with the club. We have received no response since.

Ticketing Issues

This summer saw numerous poor ticketing management incidents.

We have repeatedly proposed reforms to the priority points system for away fixtures and provided practical examples from other clubs, but the system remains unchanged.

Trust regularly receives complaints from dissatisfied fans, including some with young children unable to purchase away tickets.

We also proposed limiting date ranges for away ticket sales this season, as reduced away allocations create increased competition among supporters.

This led directly to chaos in ticket sales for the Stockport County away fixture: the first batch sold out quickly, and the second batch did the same.

Communication regarding away ticket sales standards has been poor, with similar issues affecting season ticket cards and the digital ticketing system.

At the Burton Albion match, hundreds of fans remained locked out of the stadium after kickoff. Some even had to purchase new tickets to enter.

This season, season tickets went on general sale for the first time in years. After selling out, the club released over 400 additional tickets weeks later without explanation, citing "administrative error."

Communication with Supporters

We face severe communication deficiencies that make it difficult for the Trust to work effectively with the club.

Our emails frequently go unanswered, requiring repeated follow-ups.

Despite meeting with the new board in April with hopes of establishing a fresh relationship, current collaboration remains one-directional.

Key Issues Remain Consistently Unanswered

Below are key issues we have raised that remain unanswered:

At Bradford City Supporters' Trust's request, we asked the club to implement equal away ticket pricing for both sets of supporters during away fixtures. We raised this issue and followed up twice but received no consistent response, meaning both sets of supporters must pay higher prices than they would when hosting each other.

We inquired about plans for Leicester City Women, including fan coach arrangements for away matches. While the fan coach issue was eventually resolved, other matters remain unaddressed.

We were not informed in advance of the departure of the head of fan engagement. We learned of her departure only days beforehand after making inquiries, having heard through unofficial channels, making it clear the club had no intention of informing us in advance.

We inquired about plans for a fan zone and requested space for Trust activities during matchdays. We received no response, so during the Burton Albion match, the Trust had to organize activities outside the stadium.

We raised concerns about the club lacking a memorial garden, hoping to provide a place to remember deceased supporters and their loved ones. This also went unanswered.

These issues directly impact Leicester City supporters, and the Trust has repeatedly attempted to represent fan interests, only to be met with a "brick wall" time and again.

Club Sale Update

Trust welcomes news that the club sale is progressing.

Our survey shows that 75% of supporters back a change of ownership; however, we are deeply concerned that no significant improvements have been made to the club throughout the summer.

Poor communication persists, the fan engagement mechanisms remain flawed, and the club's daily operations fall short of expected standards.

We call on the club to:

Confirm that funds from recent and future player sales will be reinvested in the club and will not be retained as part of any potential sale agreement.

Assure supporters of the club's current financial health and stable ongoing operations before any club sale is finalized.

Honor the promise of a "new era of communication" made during the recent management transition, allowing club executives, including Kevin Davies and Jon Rudkin, to communicate directly with supporters.

Acknowledge that King Power Stadium has been registered as an "Asset of Community Value" and confirm that the new owner will follow the required moratorium process once a sale agreement for the club is reached.

Meet with the Trust within the next two weeks to discuss the issues raised in this open letter.

As the club enters the sale process, it should strengthen, not weaken, its engagement with supporters.

Supporters who feel excluded and unheard are less attractive to potential buyers than an actively engaged and closely connected fan base.

We also believe that the new owner's first priority should be restoring unity, pride, and hope among supporters.

And all of this can only be achieved through genuine fan engagement.

We welcome all serious potential buyers to contact the Trust to discuss how to achieve these goals.

In the meantime, we hope our football club will begin treating supporters and Foxes Trust with the respect we deserve.

Foxes Trust

Foxes Trust

(End of full text)

Leicester City was relegated to the Championship this season. However, this club, which miraculously won the Premier League title, has not found success in the Championship. With 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses in 5 matches, the club currently sits 17th in the division. Head coach Russell Martin's situation is equally dire; over the past weekend, Leicester suffered a 0-4 home defeat to Oxford United.

แปลโดย AI

เว็บไซต์ AF เปิดตัวแล้ว! ดูข่าว ความคิดเห็น รายละเอียดแมตช์ และสถิติครบถ้วนบนคอมพิวเตอร์ของคุณ เยี่ยมชม: www.allfootballapp.com