Olympian Chris Boardman becomes latest Lewes FC owner after Dripping Pan vegetable garden tour
1992 gold medalist Boardman revealed on Radio 4 that he'd bought a share in Lewes FC after touring the Pan during 4-1 win over MK Dons
Former Olympic goal medalist and Sport England chief Chris Boardman has become the latest owner in community-owned football club Lewes FC.
Boardman and co. swept through the Dripping Pan ahead of Lewes Women's friendly with MK Dons on Sunday, en route to Paris.
The cyclist – who won Men's individual pursuit gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and three Tour de France stages – stopped by with Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, Olympic rowing legend Dame Katherine Grainger, and ex-Lewes player David Wheeler, along with plenty of other riders.
They finished their eight-day ride from Manchester to Paris a day later, fuelled by a stop over at the Pan.
Pedal for Paris was Boardman's and Sport England's attempt to highlight green initiatives in sport that are helping to fuel sustainable practices for the future.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Boardman said: "The point of this journey wasn't just to raise awareness of climate change and its impact on sport. It was actually to stop off at places that are doing something about it.
"Lewes Football Club was the last one we stopped at and was serving vegan food to the fans.
"I was so impressed with them I actually bought a share in the club! I am now the owner of one share in Lewes Football Club."
Presenter Nick Robinson responded: "Yes, the famous Dripping Pan in Lewes! I know it well."
Buying an ownership cost Boardman just £50 and gives him equal voting rights alongside Lewes' other 2,500+ owners.
Tour of the vegetable garden
He spent time talking through Lewes' green initiatives with Michael Kennard (pictured), who alongside former-Lewes midfielder Bradley Pritchard set up the club's vegetable garden in 2021.
"Having Chris and the cyclists down was great! I didn't need much of an excuse to chat about soil, what we're growing, and the biodiversity of this football club," said Michael, who met Chris and co. along with his son Cosmo (pictured).
"It's amazing having so many volunteers work on our food garden. More and more people in the community have tapped into what we're doing.
"We wanted to take people from a football context who might not necessary get their hands into the soil, and connect them with gardeners who hadn't thought about getting involved in football!
"The garden and our regular Grow, Cook, Eat and Compost groups is about social diversity and bringing all that together in one space – the football club is the perfect place for that."
Pre-season hype at Lewes FC
Fan-owned club Lewes FC became the first in football to fully champion equality when launching its Equality FC stance in 2017, which equally splits resources and playing time between its men's and women's teams.
This month it signed Sport England's Going for Green pledge.
Boardman's arrival coincided with Lewes Women's first pre-season friendly of the summer. They beat MK Dons 4-1 in front of more than 300 supporters, with the Men's first team having attracted 613 fans for their clash with Worthing the day before.
Attendances for pre-season games can vary but interest in the club remains strong despite the women's team's relegation from the Women's Championship last season, while Lewes' new-look men's side is now in the hands of exciting young manager Craig Nelson.
The Dripping Pan, meanwhile, was on full show for Boardman and co. as they also received a tour of the flower garden planted alongside the main grandstand that houses solar panels on the roof.
Lewes are also operating the successful reusable cup scheme in partnership with Lewes Town Council and Green United. The scheme prevents hundreds of pounds worth of single-use plastic cups being sent to Newhaven incinerator every year.
The Rooks are back in action at the Dripping Pan on the weekend of 3 and 4 August.
Lewes FC Men host Eastbourne Borough at 3pm on Saturday 3 August, with tickets starting from just £6.
A day later and the Lewes FC Women take on Worthing at 2pm.
To learn more about Lewes FC's community garden project, follow them on Instagram here.
The interest form for those who would like to get involved in the community garden can be found here.