Fan engagement plan 26/27
City have launched their 2026/27 Fan Engagement Plan ahead of the club’s first Sky Bet Championship season in more than six decades.
The connection between a football club and its supporters is about far more than what happens on the pitch.
That commitment has once again been recognised externally, with City finishing second in the 2026 Fan Engagement Index and retaining Gold status. The Index, produced annually by Think Fan Engagement, assesses clubs across English men’s football on the quality of their dialogue with supporters, governance and transparency, with a maximum score of 240 available. City recorded 225 points, scoring the maximum 80 points for both dialogue and transparency, and were the only club alongside Exeter City to achieve Gold status.
The result continues a remarkable run for the Imps, who finished joint second in the previous edition of the Index and have now been ranked in the top two for fan engagement for two consecutive years. It provides further recognition of the work taking place across the Club to ensure supporters are listened to, involved in decision-making and kept informed about the issues that matter to them.
At City, we believe that connection is the foundation of our success.
As we prepare for our first Sky Bet Championship season in 65 years, that connection will be more important than ever.
Our 2026/27 Fan Engagement Plan sets out our commitment to strengthening it, giving supporters a genuine voice and continuing to improve the experience of following the Imps.
Now in its third year, the plan has been co-created with our fan stakeholder groups, approved by the Club Board and submitted to the EFL. It builds on the progress made during an historic 2025/26 campaign, while setting out how we will continue to develop our approach in the season ahead.
Your voice. Our future
Our Fan Engagement Plan is built around three key principles:
Making memories through great experiences
From matchdays and events to the wider supporter journey, we want every interaction with City to be something our supporters can be proud of and remember.
Transparency through open communication
We want to be open about the decisions we make, the challenges we face and the direction in which the Club is heading.
Creating opportunities for genuine two-way dialogue with our supporters.
Living our values through meaningful actions
Our values should be visible in what we do, not simply words on a page.
Our plan ensures our actions reflect the Club we want to be and the community we represent.
It is about influence
We want supporters to have genuine opportunities to contribute to discussions and help shape decisions before they are made whether that is around strategy, stadium development, ticketing, heritage, the matchday experience or other issues that matter to our fanbase.
That approach is rooted in the principles of the Fan Led Review, but our ambition goes beyond simply meeting the requirements expected of football clubs.
It is about creating a Club where supporters feel heard, valued and able to play their part in shaping what comes next because as we step into a new and more demanding chapter in the Championship, the unity between the Club and its supporters will be more important than ever.
Building on an historic season
The 2025/26 season provided some unforgettable examples of what can happen when the Club and its supporters move together.
From more than 35,000 supporters lining the streets of Lincolnshire for the League One title-winning bus parade, to the launch of the 1884 Collective, the opening of the Clubhouse and the continued development of initiatives such as Imps4All, there were countless opportunities for supporters to be part of the Club's story.
Supporter feedback also helped shape improvements to ticketing and membership processes, while Fan Forums, Q&A events, surveys and engagement with supporter groups continued to provide important opportunities for dialogue.
The Club was also awarded Gold in the Think Fan Engagement Index, finishing second across the EFL, while retaining EFL Family Excellence Gold.
The 2026/27 plan builds on that work.
What does this mean for supporters?
Throughout the season, there will be a range of opportunities for supporters to engage with the Club and help shape its future.
These include:
- At least two Fans Forums with Directors and senior football and business staff.
- Q&A sessions with Club executives across different formats and platforms.
- Publication of a wide range of meeting minutes.
- An annual supporter survey feeding into our You Said, We Did programme.
- A new stakeholder group to strengthen representation and collaboration.
- New features on the Imps+ app.
- An open training session and meet-the-players event.
- New community events using the Club's developing event facilities.
- A first-year programme of history and heritage activity through the 1884 Collective.
- A Junior Imps takeover day offering young supporters unique behind-the-scenes experiences.
- Continued development of the Imps4All ticket scheme.
- Supporter campaigns and workshops promoting diversity and inclusion.
Alongside these initiatives, established channels will remain central to how we engage with supporters.
An elected Fan Director provides a direct supporter voice at Board level, while the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) continues to be consulted on key operational matters and long-term strategic plans.
The Club will also continue its regular engagement with supporter organisations including the Red Imps Community Trust, Lincoln City Foundation, 617 Squadron, the Disabled Supporters Association and other official supporters' clubs.
Protecting what makes City special
As the Club grows, so too does the importance of protecting what makes Lincoln City special, which includes, our heritage, our identity, our community roots, our traditions and the sense of belonging built by generations of supporters.
The 1884 Collective, launched during the 2025/26 campaign, will play an important role in that work, bringing together the Club, Lincoln City Foundation, Former Players' Association, The Stacey West, the Fan Advisory Board and the Red Imps Community Trust to protect, preserve and promote the Club's history.
The Fans' Share also provides supporters with important protections around the Club's identity and heritage, including rights relating to the Club crest, home shirt colours, team name, the Stacey West Stand and the location and ownership of the stadium.
Growth should never come at the expense of those things. Instead, we want to build a future that protects what makes us special while giving the Club and its supporters the opportunity to move forward together.
This is your Club
Our Fan Engagement Plan is built around a simple belief: our supporters matter.
We value the passion, knowledge and perspective that exists across our fanbase, and we want to create more opportunities for supporters to share it, challenge us, influence decisions and help shape the future of the Club.
Fan engagement is not a single event or a conversation that happens once a season. It is an ongoing commitment and a fundamental part of how Lincoln City operates because when the Club and its supporters move in the same direction, we are stronger together.
This is your Club. Your voice matters and together, we can shape what comes next.