Another season under the belt, and once again, I’m left incredibly grateful for the support you’ve shown across everything we do here on the Stacey West – whether it’s reading the site, tuning into the podcast, or getting lost in one of our YouTube rabbit holes.
We’ve covered a lot of ground this year and it simply wouldn’t be possible without the brilliant bunch of people involved behind the scenes and the incredible readers who keep coming back.
There are far too many names to list, and I’ll inevitably miss someone, which always makes me feel a bit rubbish. But here’s a quick roll of honour – a huge thank you to Malcolm, Chris, Charlie, Ben, Stu, Emily, Bubs, Kyle, Tom and Darragh, who’ve all chipped in across the various content platforms. Thanks to everyone who’s submitted a guest article or joined in the conversations online. You’re the heartbeat of this community.
And to our amazing Patreons – those of you who’ve popped a couple of quid in the pot each month – your support genuinely keeps the wheels turning. Later this season (25/26) I shall celebrate ten years of the Stacey West, a massive achievement, and one only possible because of all of you.
That brings me onto something I’ve not shouted about for a while…
So… What Is Patreon?
In short, it’s a way for you to support the site financially if you like what we do. We’re not talking big bucks – just a few quid a month to help cover the growing list of expenses that come with running a modern fan site. In return, you get access to our Patreon-only Discord, where we chat during matches, throw ideas around, and I occasionally drop some exclusive bits from Wyscout.
This season, I started dropping Patreon-only videos, which have gone down well, and we did our first Patreon-only event in April, with another planned over the summer. That’s not all – from today, there will be some articles that will be Patreon only. Don’t worry, the stuff regular readers have come to appreciate will still be free, but I’ve got a few different bits planned for the Patreons.
Why Now?
Costs, once again. That’s the short version.
The longer version? Every month we shell out for services like Wyscout, Kickly, Streamyard, British Newspaper Archive, Descript, Jetpack, hosting fees, imagery and a bunch of backend tech just to keep the site running. Then there’s the annual stuff – domain renewals, Stats FC for the player rater – the list goes on. Last year, we were looking at close to £190 a month before I’d even packed a microphone or scribbled a match report. That’s without the £600 (plus VAT) per year Wyscount costs.
How You Can Help
If you enjoy what we do – be it the stats, the opinion pieces, the history features or the sheer chaos of our podcasts – we’re asking if you’d consider chipping in. Just a couple of quid a month makes a real difference, and it’ll help us keep producing the kind of content you hopefully enjoy.
You can sign up here. It takes two minutes, costs less than a pint, and means we can continue into our tenth season covering the Imps without having to choose which bits of the site we can afford to keep running.
Thanks for everything you’ve done so far – whether you’re a reader, a listener, or one of the many people contributing behind the scenes. We’ve got big plans, and with your help, we’ll keep pushing forward.
Up the Imps!
Got feedback or ideas? Drop me a line at gary@staceywest.net – or if it’s podcast-specific, ping us on podcast@staceywest.net.