How Leicester City became the fans’ club

[urban.spaceman]

https://www.planetfootball.com/in-depth/leicester-city-a-club-thats-truly-in-touch-with-its-fanbase/

 

The only team to vote against PPV: How Leicester City became the fans’ club

November 3, 2018, was an incredibly emotional day for Leicester City, as they played their first match since the death of their chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Before kick-off, it wasn’t just the starting XI who stood around the centre circle, they were joined by the club’s entire playing and coaching staff.

The fans, who were occupying one corner of the Cardiff City Stadium, stood in solidarity behind them, wearing shirts and scarves bearing Vichai’s face or messages about the man they had come to love so dearly.

When Demarai Gray scored the game’s only goal he ripped off his shirt to reveal a message that read ‘For Khun Vichai’ before running to the supporters.

After the game, by which time all of the Cardiff fans had left, was when the club’s bond with its supporters became apparent for all to see. The players applauded those in the stands, who sang songs in memory of the man who had bought their club in 2010.

This is not an article about Vichai, but it is impossible to look at the bond Leicester as a club has with their fans without honing in on the man who was so central to establishing the Foxes in their current form.

Leicester and their supporters have had a lot to endure and enjoy in recent years: relegation to the third tier in 2008, going straight back up the season after, Yann Kermorgant’s failed Panenka getting them knocked out of the play-offs in 2010, the madness of Anthony Knockaert and Troy Deeney in 2012, promotion the following year, the great escape, the Premier League’s most incredible title win and the European adventures that followed.

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READ: Where are they now? Leicester’s XI relegated to League One in 2008

• • • •

These on-pitch events make it inevitable that fans will constantly be on tenterhooks, but David Bevan, author of The Unbelievables: The remarkable rise of Leicester City, suggests how important Vichai has been for the feel of the club.

“It was the close bond that he formed with individual fans like myself and the city of Leicester as a whole, not just through his character or the way he treated the football club,” Bevan says.

“A lot of it was the effort he made to donate large amounts of money to the university and the hospital in Leicester.”

There has also been investment in the Foxes Foundation, which was named after Vichai following his death, and club’s community projects reflect a desire to make a real difference to the local area. Vichai, followed by his son Top, have also made smaller gestures that make a big impact.

“On Christmas, they buy every single fan in the ground a mince pie, they get every single fan a pint before the game, they get every single fan a doughnut, they get us a Christmas hat,” says journalist Charlie Carmichael, also a Leicester fan.

“Whatever it was, there are little token gestures that really show you that they genuinely care about the fans and we’re a big part of the club.”

The difference between the Foxes’ attitude and those of other Premier League clubs was there for all to see when Leicester took a solitary stand against the controversial introduction of pay-per-view fixtures this season, which has subsequently been scrapped following an angry backlash. Leicester had been originally outvoted 19-1.

“Things like that show the club’s hierarchy want to do things the right way and they have got the fans in mind as well,” Bevan says. “They’ve got a certain kind of classiness in the way they do things.”

Carmichael also nods to Arsenal making 55 non-playing staff redundant before spending big to bring in Thomas Partey and keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Liverpool were ready to furlough their staff but then paid £41million to sign Diogo Jota from Wolves.

“In those situations, the sentiment kind of loses any sense of feeling and emotion when you see the actions speaking louder than the words,” Bevan says. “Whereas with Leicester you really do feel like when they say something they mean it, and they back that up continually with actions.”

• • • •

READ: A celebration of the five bargain buys that helped win Leicester City the title

• • • •

Signs suggest Top is doing all he can to continue his dad’s legacy, which is further accentuated by the £100million training centre Brendan Rodgers’ side will soon be moving into.

With those behind the scenes playing their part to keep the fans on board, it is important that those on the pitch also do their job; no amount of doughnuts or kind gestures can make up for a team that loses every week.

Despite a loss of form towards the end of last season, the Foxes secured Europa League football and now sit top of the Premier League table during the international break.

To add the cherry on the cake, not only is Leicester’s squad full of high-quality players, plenty are extremely likeable and relatable for supporters.

This often comes easily with academy products, with the likes of Harvey Barnes, Hamza Choudhury and Luke Thomas all thriving, but there are many other popular players, with Jamie Vardy perhaps the best example of them all.

“Vardy is the embodiment of a fan on the pitch when he goes on,” Bevan says. “He plays with a certain amount more quality, but the same kind of enthusiasm that you would want to put in if you suddenly got the chance to run out there yourself.”

James Maddison is another who has earned a place in the hearts of supporters and has shown plenty of affection in return.

Given the way of the world in 2020, it would be easy for fans to feel completely disconnected to their club, especially for those who are regular match-goers.

That feeling is inevitable as packed out stadiums are replaced by a television screen in the living room with relatives, housemates, your partner or even on your own.

“The owners have done what they can,” Carmichael says. “They’ve obviously put on games where possible, they’ve still encouraged fans to get behind the team through their email marketing and stuff like that, to watch and to be very active on social media.

“As much as you can really be involved in the current climate they’ve tried to encourage that.”

While the bond between club and fans is clearly secure, there is always something that can be improved. Yet the fact both Carmichael and Bevan both need a long think before they are able to come up with any answer at all about what should be done next is a sign that the owners, staff and players are on the right track.

Finally, Carmichael suggests improvements which come as a continuation of what is already being done: potentially offering deals on shirts around Christmas and eventually building on the consultancy that is already done to reach the point where supporters can have an active say in measures taken.

Bevan sums up the feeling pretty well: “The connection between the owners and the fans is on the whole really good, we’re playing well, we’ve recruited well recently.

“I don’t think you’d find many Leicester fans who would be asking for huge amounts more from the owners. We’re pretty happy with our lot and grateful.”

As football fans in 2020 go, that’s a good place to be.

By Danny Lewis

 

[CosbehFox]

Aye no mention of that £70 what looks a ****ing waste of money. 
 

We are better than most - but tad sour given the summer profiteering. 

[AKCJ]

The club doesn't get 100% of it's decisions right but I do think a lot of Leicester fans don't appreciate how good we have it.

[Nalis]

Yeah we do most things right but do still get wrong in occasion such as the OTT mourning of the previous Thai king or the £70 for season ticket holders as mentioned already

 

The PPV vote was great but its hardly like we're the second coming of St Pauli or something.

[urban.spaceman]

5 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Aye no mention of that £70 what looks a ****ing waste of money. 
 

We are better than most - but tad sour given the summer profiteering. 

 |

\/

5 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

The club doesn't get 100% of it's decisions right but I do think a lot of Leicester fans don't appreciate how good we have it.

Abso-bloody-exactly. The club has made many mistakes over the years, from Dan relations to transfer disasters. But they always - always - learn from their mistakes. 

[davieG]

I guess the point is good or bad we're still envied by plenty of fans of many other clubs.

[bmt]

50 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Aye no mention of that £70 what looks a ****ing waste of money. 
 

We are better than most - but tad sour given the summer profiteering. 

I don't disagree but it's easy to say in hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. If the current COVID situation had changed it may have looked like a decent option, whether you agreed with it or not (I didn't for example so didn't pay the £70).

[Stadt]

Personally, I think Top is warm character and gives a shit about fans but a lot of the other higher ups are quite corporate and typical of modern football club decision makers. We've got a weird track record with our anti-establishment behaviour, obviously we won the league, voted against PPV but voted in favour of the top 6 gaining a higher share of foreign TV rights revenue but we've had the £70 debacle and regular total misunderstanding of fans at FCC meetings. We're one of the best in English football but it says a lot more about the other clubs.

[TRAD-DAD]

The benchmark is easy. look at where we were before the present owners took over and people still moan about £70. 

[Voll Blau]

39 minutes ago, TRAD-DAD said:

The benchmark is easy. look at where we were before the present owners took over and people still moan about £70. 

Ugh. Why should I have to accept LCFC (note I'm not saying "the owners") attempting to rob me of what at the time was going to be a non-refundable £70 fee just because we're not playing fvcking Hartlepool or Southend in the league anymore? The two things are completely incomparable.

[The whole world smiles]

I thought this 70 quid comes of next years season ticket? Or of any games we go to if fans are allowed back at some point? 

[jeffschlupp]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

but voted in favour of the top 6 gaining a higher share of foreign TV rights revenue

As the club said in last year's financial accounts, as long as we finish in the top half it benefits us too. I know that's in raw financial figures and it may actually widen the real gap to the top six but it made sense for them to back that.

[Voll Blau]

5 minutes ago, The whole world smiles said:

I thought this 70 quid comes of next years season ticket? Or of any games we go to if fans are allowed back at some point? 

Yes, but they only amended that after fans pressured them into change. Initially it was going to be non-refundable if we couldn't attend any this season.

[Houdini Logic]

2 hours ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Aye no mention of that £70 what looks a ****ing waste of money. 
 

We are better than most - but tad sour given the summer profiteering. 

Even stil,l this was a lot better and far more practical than some other clubs...

 

West Ham you had to pay for your season ticket in full or your seat would go into a ballot

[Fox92]

1 hour ago, TRAD-DAD said:

The benchmark is easy. look at where we were before the present owners took over and people still moan about £70. 

Between the first and second divisions.

 

People talk as if we were a fourth tier club before the owners come in.

 

Also, having an owner backing doesn't guarantee success. Ask clubs in the football league. Best thing the owners did was get Pearson back. He, his staff and the players got us up/in this position.

 

Also if people didn't moan then we wouldn't get anywhere. The £70 wasn't refundable, people moaned, now it is refundable. PPV has been scrapped because enough people boycotted it. People actually doing things does work. However, if you're perfectly happy paying over the odds then do carry on.

Edited 17 November 2020 by Fox92

[squarez]

6 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Between the first and second divisions.

 

People talk as if we were a fourth tier club before the owners come in.

 

Also if people didn't moan then we wouldn't get anywhere. The £70 wasn't refundable, people moaned, now it is refundable. PPV has been scrapped because enough people boycotted it. People actually doing things does work. However, if you're perfectly happy paying over the odds then do carry on.

There's no such thing as the first-and-a-half division.

 

We were in the Championship and just because we were promotion contenders when they took over does not mean our success was already guaranteed. Forest and Derby have been Championship promotion contenders themselves for well over a decade now.

 

As has been mentioned, the bar for football ownership is pathetically low and so we do have it a lot better than almost everyone outside of Germany in that regard. You are absolutely right that we shouldn't let them rest on their laurels so long as we all maintain a bit of perspective.

[Fox92]

3 minutes ago, squarez said:

There's no such thing as the first-and-a-half division.

 

We were in the Championship and just because we were promotion contenders when they took over does not mean our success was already guaranteed. Forest and Derby have been Championship promotion contenders themselves for well over a decade now.

 

As has been mentioned, the bar for football ownership is pathetically low and so we do have it a lot better than almost everyone outside of Germany in that regard. You are absolutely right that we shouldn't let them rest on their laurels so long as we all maintain a bit of perspective.

I know, I have edited before you quoted. Money doesn't guarantee success, completely right. That's why they threw money at Sousa and Sven and it didn't work. With money you still need the right manager and that's what Pearson was. Without him we wouldn't be in the position we are now and even Kasper came out and said this when he was on the Peter Crouch podcast.

[CosbehFox]

2 hours ago, Houdini Logic said:

Even stil,l this was a lot better and far more practical than some other clubs...

 

West Ham you had to pay for your season ticket in full or your seat would go into a ballot

Yes and there are examples of clubs who did at no expense, Manchester City and Burnley 

 

My point is that Leicester City is not a 'fans club'. The hierarchy at the club treat fans to a number of gifts. They made a good ethical decision on the PPV. They have continued to donate great sums of money to the city and charities. 

 

But to be a 'fans club', I'd expect that fans would have the opportunity or be represented at board level. Of course I wouldn't expect them to make football decisions but consultation when it comes to new shirts, campaign ideas, ticket prices. 

 

The line in the article suggests it here:- 

 

Finally, Carmichael suggests improvements which come as a continuation of what is already being done: potentially offering deals on shirts around Christmas and eventually building on the consultancy that is already done to reach the point where supporters can have an active say in measures taken.

 

Do we have good owners? Yes, brilliant (particularly their civic support which is absolutely bonkers really)

Are we a fans club? No. 

Edited 17 November 2020 by Cardiff_Fox

[Corky]

4 hours ago, Stadt said:

Personally, I think Top is warm character and gives a shit about fans but a lot of the other higher ups are quite corporate and typical of modern football club decision makers. We've got a weird track record with our anti-establishment behaviour, obviously we won the league, voted against PPV but voted in favour of the top 6 gaining a higher share of foreign TV rights revenue but we've had the £70 debacle and regular total misunderstanding of fans at FCC meetings. We're one of the best in English football but it says a lot more about the other clubs.

Pretty much this. I think the club generally, on the football side, is run really well- the managers are backed, they are given a fair chance (Shakespeare shouldn't have been appointed permanently though), Top isn't in the press every week like Mandaric was and he has actual progress and success to back up his words. Susan Whelan seems a very competent and strong operator too. They tend to let the results do the talking either way.

 

Off the pitch some things are good, some aren't. I would like more fan involvement and fans to be allowed ideas for stuff around the ground, our view on ticket prices etc. I do think the free gifts, albeit welcome, have glossed over other issues that are more important like the £70 non-refundable episode.

 

I don't think there will ever be, or has ever been, a perfect relationship between fan and club anywhere, we're certainly in the more positive bracket but we aren't faultless.

[coolhandfox]

Every business and people in general makes mistakes.

 

For me it not the mistakes you make but how you go about learning from them and fixing them. 

 

Are we a fans club, what does that even means and who defines it.

 

 

 

 

[cruzFOX]

16 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Yes and there are examples of clubs who did at no expense, Manchester City and Burnley 

 

My point is that Leicester City is not a 'fans club'. The hierarchy at the club treat fans to a number of gifts. They made a good ethical decision on the PPV. They have continued to donate great sums of money to the city and charities. 

 

But to be a 'fans club', I'd expect that fans would have the opportunity or be represented at board level. Of course I wouldn't expect them to make football decisions but consultation when it comes to new shirts, campaign ideas, ticket prices. 

 

The line in the article suggests it here:- 

 

Finally, Carmichael suggests improvements which come as a continuation of what is already being done: potentially offering deals on shirts around Christmas and eventually building on the consultancy that is already done to reach the point where supporters can have an active say in measures taken.

 

Do we have good owners? Yes, brilliant (particularly their civic support which is absolutely bonkers really)

Are we a fans club? No. 

All in good time mate! If it's going to happen its more likely to be us than any other club so long as we continue to be successful. While I don't see LCFC becoming a Barca in that respect allowing fans a small owners share in the club could be healthy thing for owners and fans. For now let us enjoy this ride to the top we are on. 

[Kevin Russell]

Our owners need to be business savvy and look after the financial interests of the club. They would win no admirers by making profligate decisions and being wasteful of resources. We have to compete with a number of clubs with greater revenue generating capabilities than us. We manage to do this and the owners have also been on the fans’ side in the recent PPV and ‘Big Picture’ debates. We are incredibly lucky to have them and I hope they continue to run the club commercially and ethically. Asking for fan involvement is a recipe for big gestures that have grave financial consequences. If we want to continue punching above our weight we need to continue as we are. 
 

The club has a fantastic connection to the fan base and you feel it in every pre-match pub and at every game. From the players, to the staff, to the fans to the owners there is a real commonality of direction. Is it perfect? No - perfection doesn’t exist, but far the past few years we’ve been right up there with the best clubs about.

 

[AKCJ]

3 hours ago, Voll Blau said:

Ugh. Why should I have to accept LCFC (note I'm not saying "the owners") attempting to rob me of what at the time was going to be a non-refundable £70 fee just because we're not playing fvcking Hartlepool or Southend in the league anymore? The two things are completely incomparable.

It comes off of next season's ticket and guarantees you keep your seat.

 

Hardly being "robbed".

[AKCJ]

2 hours ago, Voll Blau said:

Yes, but they only amended that after fans pressured them into change. Initially it was going to be non-refundable if we couldn't attend any this season.

So what's the problem?

[Fox92]

9 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

It comes off of next season's ticket and guarantees you keep your seat.

 

Hardly being "robbed".

Tbf man he did say "at the time" which is right because before people complained the terms did clearly state "non-refundable" which was a joke.

 

However they did (correctly) change this so fair play.