My love and affinity with Leicester City Football Club goes back a long way. My first game was in 1980 at Filbert Street against Swansea in Football League Division Two – the Championship to you young ones. I was six years old and from that day on, Leicester City were etched in my heart forever, my lifetime contract signed and sealed.
Regardless of a change in stadium, ownership, directors, players, managers, kits, sponsors and even the odd change to the badge one thing has always remained consistent: my love of the club. In the good times and the bad I have never, ever considered quitting or turning my attention to another club or sport.
We have tasted some real highs, but also many lows, and that has always been the case throughout our history. Even when in administration, the adversity just made me realise the strength of my connection to the club.
In bad times, it hurts, it impacts your moods, it can make or break weekends and weekdays, such is the influence of a football club on your life. So when things are going badly, while anger and frustration often creep in, there is also a huge sense of protection.
Like many supporters, the last few years have given me cause to reflect on the wider direction of the club, how it is run, the matchday experience, sponsorship and ticketing strategies and how connected supporters feel to it. When you care deeply about something, you naturally want to feel proud of it and feel part of where it’s heading.
This is what led me to become more involved with the Foxes Trust. Before joining I probably shared the same perception many others still do. I was aware of the Trust, but not entirely clear on its role, its influence, or its relevance. What I’ve found since is something far more purposeful and important than I expected.
The Trust has created a structured, credible way for supporter voices to be heard and represented. This platform allows fans to contribute to meaningful dialogue with the club on issues that affect all of us. I want future generations to have a strong, stable Leicester City, a club that they can visit for the first time as a young fan with friends and family and, like me, begin a lifetime affiliation.
I have now joined a working group focused on increasing awareness and membership; I have seen first-hand the progress being made. Membership has grown significantly over the past year, and with that growth has come greater engagement and a stronger, more unified voice.
There’s also a clear recognition that this is just the beginning. If the Trust is to truly fulfil its potential, if it is to add real value and strengthen its influence, then it needs to grow further. It needs more members, more opinions, more ideas and broader representation across the fanbase.
One important thing is that it’s incredibly accessible. Membership costs just £5 per year. Even if membership were to grow to 3,000, that would still represent only around 10% of a typical matchday attendance, before even considering the thousands of supporters who, for one reason or another, no longer attend games but still care deeply about the club.
That highlights the scale of the opportunity. There is a huge, largely untapped supporter base that could help shape the conversation, influence the direction and strengthen the relationship between fans and the club.
Ultimately, scale matters. A larger, more engaged membership gives the Trust greater credibility. It strengthens its ability to ask the right questions, challenge constructively and ensure that supporter perspectives are properly considered in the decisions that shape the club.
Strong clubs are built on openness, accountability and dialogue. They don’t shy away from scrutiny; they embrace it as part of getting better. Any well-run organisation should welcome that challenge.
I see the role of the Trust as independent and objective, which is essential to its credibility. Supporters’ groups only carry weight when they can speak openly, even when that means challenging the club. At the same time, independence can still mean working with the club where possible, while retaining the ability to ask difficult questions and hold decision-makers to account.
There has been a perception in the past that the Trust’s relationship with the club was too close, and that this diluted its ability to challenge effectively. The opportunity now is to get the balance right: co-working where it benefits the club and supporters, and clear independence where scrutiny is required.
Leicester City has enjoyed incredible success under King Power, and that should always be recognised. But support doesn’t mean silence. It’s entirely possible, and necessary, to be both supportive and constructively challenging at the same time. That balance is what drives progress. In the end we all want the club to be stable, secure and successful.
Looking ahead, I see a real opportunity for supporters, whether they attend every week or follow from afar, to get involved and have a voice across all aspects of the club.
This is our chance to build a stronger, more influential supporter base and improve communication and understanding between fans and the club.
None of that happens without people and the Trust will only ever be as strong as the membership behind it. Every additional voice adds weight. Every perspective strengthens the collective.
This is our club. The Foxes Trust provides a way for our voices to be heard. If we get that right, I genuinely believe it can play a meaningful role in helping the club move forward, stronger and more connected than before. Hopefully, we’ll see lots more younger people making their first trip to watch the team play and making that lifetime commitment to support the club, because without supporters football is nothing.
The Fosse Way 