To support a funding gap in the region of £50,000, the Youth Department is launching a Future Imps Fund initiative...
Relegation from the Football League has meant the Club's Youth Department only receives 50% of the central funding it previously enjoyed: a loss of around £100,000 per year.
Relegation also meant the Club’s main board had to stop funding the Youth Department to ensure the financial future of the Club.
By adopting a self-funding model, creating savings and reorganising the structure of the Youth Department, together with the vital support of sponsors, the Club has managed to cope with this significant reduction in income. At the same time Grant Brown and his staff have continued to work hard to maintain and in many areas improve the standards of the Department’s work.
Unfortunately, a third season outside of the Football League means there will no longer be any entitlement to central funding next year. However this in no way means Lincoln City Football Club’s Youth Academy will close.
Over the years the Youth Department has regularly produced a large number of players for the Club; some of whom have gone on to play at a higher level. It also has a successful track record of selling young players to bigger clubs – including Liverpool, Aston Villa, Birmingham and Norwich City in recent years.
The Youth Department does not intend to let these achievements go to waste and the message from Head of Youth Grant Brown and his staff is clear - we are determined to continue to operate a Youth Academy at Lincoln City Football Club.
The Youth Department intends to make further changes to reduce running costs and to put in place a variety of ways of closing the remaining funding gap which is in the region of £50,000.
To support this the Department is launching the Future Imps Fund initiative. The FIF offers a number of different investment opportunities which will hopefully encourage fans and businesses to invest in the Youth Academy. Further details will be published over the next few weeks.
For more information email futureimpsfund@redimps.com
