An open letter from Clive Nates, who will become co-vice chairman of Lincoln City Football Club on Wednesday 4 February following further investment from Ron Fowler’s Liquid Investments, which will see Ron take over as chair.
I am delighted to hand over the chairmanship of this special club to Ron, who has a proven track record of business acumen and delivering sporting success, which he will now bring to bear for the Imps. This change helps secure the long-term future of the club for many years to come.
It has been an honour to serve as chairman, and I will remain involved as co-vice chairman alongside Jay Wright. I look forward to working with Ron and the rest of the board as we enter an exciting new period on and off the pitch. In Ron, we have someone who truly knows what we are all about. Since joining the investment group in April 2024, Ron has played his part in driving us forward and, like many of us before him, has fallen in love with the club, its fans and what we stand for.
It is close to 10 years since I first joined as a director, and I reflect with real pride on what we’ve achieved together over the past decade. At that point, I’m sure a return to the EFL felt a million miles away to most fans. Yet here we are now, with the club in the upper reaches of the League One table and everyone working hard to make sure we convert that into a strong finish to the season.
Add to that the incredible FA Cup run, playing at Wembley for the first time as we won the EFL Trophy, claiming the League Two title, and establishing ourselves as a progressive and ambitious League One club with a strong track record in developing talent.
And that’s just on the pitch. We are now well established at the Gen2 Energy Elite Performance Centre, we have the magnificent Co-op Community Hub, and the LNER Stadium has been revitalised in many areas, with the pitch now looking like a carpet and the Fan Village established as a cornerstone of the matchday experience. On a similar note, I am also very proud of our reputation as a leading club for fan engagement, family excellence, transparency and governance, areas which I know Ron is equally passionate about, not just from his words but from his impressive background in sports and business.
It has been quite a decade for all of us, and we are hopeful there is more excitement to come as we look ahead with real anticipation to the remaining games this season. Whilst I will very much remain part of the club as co-vice chairman, supporting Ron in delivering his vision for Lincoln City, it feels remiss of me not to take this opportunity to thank a few people to whom I am incredibly grateful.
Firstly, Bob Dorrian, for letting me be part of this amazing club in the first place. Also, Sean Melnick and Ashley Mendelowitz for coming on board at the beginning, without whom there wouldn’t have been sufficient finance to kick-start the turnaround. Danny and Nicky Cowley, for three years of amazing success on the field and, maybe even more importantly, for their determination to establish the Elite Performance Centre. Jay Wright, David Lowes and Roger Bates, for their selfless contribution to our Executive Committee and their support and advice, especially in more difficult times. Harvey Jabara, as our current largest shareholder, for his substantial contribution to enabling us to stay competitive in an increasingly challenging division and, of course, for introducing us to Ron. Liam Scully, Jez George, and so many others within the executive team, for their dedication, loyalty and stability they have provided in a transient industry.
Final thanks must go to our fans for their incredible support. Let’s see what we can achieve together in the years ahead.
Up the Imps
Clive