Lewes FC calls for help to face £120,000 financial challenges of off-season
Lewes FC is calling on its owners, supporters and volunteers for help facing its upcoming financial challenges.
The community-owned club said on its website that it costs about £120,000 to keep the club running through its off-season.
This money goes towards the upkeep of the Dripping Pan football stadium, the payment of utility bills, the maintenance of the pitch and the development of the club’s hospitality.
Lewes FC said people can help by buying a season ticket, sponsoring teams, donating or becoming an owner.
In an online message the club said: “This is the moment we humbly need your financial help to propel the club forward on and off the pitch. What we do together in the next few weeks will shape the future of Lewes FC for next season and beyond. As a small, community-owned club, we have to be honest about the challenges we face – especially during the summer off-season, when there are no matchdays to generate income but plenty of work to be done.”
The Rooks said the club faced financial challenges at the start of last season after they were relegated from the Women's Championship.
The club said: “Cash was tight and we had new teams to build. Since then, we’ve managed to transform our operating budget and our entire management processes to deliver a better-than-break-even season, even generating a small cash surplus. We’re incredibly proud of this work and it sets us up brilliantly for the 2025/26 season. We got to the end of this season – just – and we even won a trophy. But now we need your financial help so we, as a community, can move forward and keep evolving for the better.”
The club said it has no income between now and the start of the 2025/26 season, adding that summer is the time for developing players, building squads and getting ready for a new campaign.
The Rooks said: “If we can confidently get through the summer, then we can operate to a break-even budget (as we did in 2024/25) and have our new governance proposals in place for owners to vote on.”
They added: “We hope that this will be the last time we will need to ask for donations like this — not because we won’t need support in future, but because we’re committed to building more sustainable income streams from across our community.”
The club has listed the ways people can support them at lewesfc.com. These include letting current owners, who are paying an annual subscription, to become lifetime owners at a discounted rate for a limited time. Incentives include beanies, shirts and discounted and free match tickets for selected games.
The club said it has more than 2,500 owners with around 600 living locally, adding that if everyone donated £50 to £250 it would be enough to prepare the Pan for next season and secure the hard work and achievements of staff, fans and directors this year.
People can donate at www.tickettailor.com/events/lewesfootballclub2/1703710. Companies that want to become a sponsors or partners can [email protected] to find out about sponsorship packages.