The Leicester City Manifesto 2024: How to create a better future for the club
With the politics of change in the air, what better time to release the Leicester City Manifesto, a framework for a brighter future.
Over the last few weeks we have all been bombarded with manifestos and pledges from the numerous political parties all vying for votes in the upcoming general election.
It’s got me thinking – if only us as fans could vote for who we want as leaders of our football clubs.
Should there be a minimum term for these people? Should they have more accountability for their actions? Should we be seeing them canvas around the streets of Leicester, ducking and diving out of the way of incoming eggs and milkshakes?
Nobody needs reminding how those at the top of our club have been letting us down in recent years. So with all this talk of ‘change’ on the political horizon, I thought I’d have a go at addressing some of the key things that we as Leicester fans should be wanting the club to amend as we move into the new season.
I am no politician, nor am I an experienced football club director. I am just a fan with 30 years of experience of being on the Leicester City rollercoaster. Getting the key things right in the operations of a football club shouldn’t be that hard.
I want to show that it is possible to have a clear, simple, credible plan to turn the club around and to restore it to where it once was – a well-run, respected, ‘knocking on the door of the elite’ Premier League football club. I have designed a Leicester City manifesto, outlining five key areas that I would like to see targeted during a period of change for the club:
1. Restore economic stability
There is one word that can sum up our finances: Shambolic. Our current economic set-up is clearly not fit for purpose so new staff and fresh perspectives are needed.
We need to bring in a new Finance Director to the Senior Management Team. A new economic strategy needs implementing, one which potentially goes back to selling a key asset from the playing staff each summer. The financial picture needs communicating to the manager and his coaching staff on a regular basis so they know what they can do in terms of recruitment.
Whether you agree with the rules around PSR and financial fair play, the rules still need to be adhered to, not just ignored. We need people in that department to have razor sharp focus, accountability and transparency. We also need to look at how to make more money from Seagrave. It’s an excellent facility which I’m sure we could hire out to other groups to increase profit. We do not want this to become a white elephant over the next decade.
2. Appoint a new Director of Football
I actually think Jon Rudkin is a decent guy, he’s done some good things for us over the years. But being Top’s right-hand man and managing his other businesses away from football as well as running Leicester City is clearly not the appropriate way forward.
We need one person in the role, with full focus on the football club, day in and day out. I would love to see a former player come into the role of Director of Football or Sporting Director. Former players who have bright, forward thinking football brains as well as common sense and savvy business acumen are the way forward. Just look at Edu at Arsenal, Dougie Freedman at Crystal Palace or the very highly rated Jason Wilcox who has just gone to Manchester United.
We have many great ex pros who could deliver and get the fanbase behind them – narrowing the gap between those in the stands and those in the posh seats commanding the biggest salaries. People like a Pontus Kåmark or a Bruno Berner spring to mind. I also think Dean Hammond would be excellent – he is very level-headed, has an in-depth knowledge of the game and always talks a lot of sense when it comes to Leicester City.
3. Reform our communication
Our communication on all levels has been truly appalling in recent years. Whether that’s from the board to its coaching staff, or simply from the club to its fans, the whole thing needs a refresh.
Many fans feel alienated, like our voices are not being heard and that the people at the top are quite happy to exploit us, thinking we are just daft football fans who will do as they say (see the recent £25 fiasco as evidence of this). Everything seems to be so terribly misjudged.
It should be possible for the fans and the board to meet up through regular monthly meetings, without those at the top fearing what their ‘customers’ might tell them. We need to feel like we’re one club that’s together on all fronts. Top and his management team need to show some respect to the Blue Army. The occasional free beer or water gimmicks and the words of hope in a programme post aren’t good enough anymore.
The key faces at the club need to be seen and heard. This will show to the fans that there are human beings working hard behind the scenes at our club. We also need a social media team that can read the room. So many posts have no relevance to the current state of play at the club. There seems to be a lack of awareness of the general mood of the fanbase.
They would rather point us to something we can buy – not even products from our own club – than provide relevant updates and information. Let’s have a bit of fun with it. Bring in a team who can do witty posts, who have their finger on the pulse of the overall football world and Leicester’s place in it.
4. Improve the matchday experience
We need to create a stadium experience that we can be proud of. To do this the club needs to unequivocally back Union FS in all that they do. They could help them with funding and by providing locations to design their amazing banners. This group of people should be given whatever they need to continue to build a brilliant atmosphere across the whole of the stadium, not just in the small section they have created.
The whole fan experience inside the stadium isn’t great. The food is poor quality and the refreshments extortionate in price. The queues are far too long and we need to bring in more catering staff on matchdays to make things flow. If the club want to make a good impression with the fans, then prices need to come down and standards need to go up.
I would also suggest a change in the pre-match playlist, to get the King Power rocking before kick-off. I’d also ask Jersey Budd to record a new euphoric version of “When You’re Smiling”, making it slightly quicker and punchier for 30,000 people to sing. Get the lyrics up on the screen over a video of Jersey and the players in key spots around the city.
This is my strangest policy change – but one I think would really get everyone involved in belting out the LCFC anthem even louder…and with far more clarity and passion.
5. Make it easier (and cheaper) to attend games
It has become impossible for some of our fans to attend games. We need to make it easier for fans to get access to tickets, especially the younger generations who will be at the forefront of the future fanbase. Fans who travel to away games should be looked after more, they are unbelievable and the true heartbeat of the club. These followers should be given priority for all tickets.
After that, there needs to be a new way to bring back old supporters who may only have accrued one or two points over the years, and who just want to be able to go to the odd game (without having to sign up for an expensive membership). It is becoming impossible to get the odd matchday ticket unless we’re playing a team from a lower division in a weeknight cup tie.
Bring in new schemes like £10 tickets for under 18’s for certain games. We need to fill the stadium and bring in young passionate supporters by making it financially enticing to go to a match. If the ticket price is reasonable, and the food and refreshments are better, then I really do think we’d make more money from supporters then we currently are. We’d also have more people invested in the club, more people who would then perhaps be keen to purchase a season ticket in future seasons and spend more at the club shop.
In short, I believe that we need a wholesale change in the way we run the club, and how we communicate its messages to the people at the heart of it – the fans.
Over to you Top! And can you get us a decent manager whilst you’re at it.
