Liam Scully has stated that Lincoln City want to be an established Championship side in an interview with Mark Chapman, Nedum Onouha and Gabby Yorath.
The Sports Agents podcast featured our CEO, who was talking up the Imps and our philosophy. It’s a great listen, well worth your time, but my interest was piqued when talking about the current club aims.
Ten years ago we were starting life in the National League hoping, maybe, that one day we’d be a Championship side. Nine years ago, Liam joined the club, and his experience has been a clear Lincoln City desire to reach a certain level.
“Really clearly, we want to be an established, innovative and well-respected Championship football club,” he said.
“Now, we understand that you can’t take that as one step forward, and that mission has been the same mission since the days that we entered the EFL in League Two. That’s not changed. We’ve constantly remained on that course.”
The song sung by supporters had the line ‘seven years in League One’ as though it were a millstone, when seven years in League One was aspirational a decade ago. At times, the club were accused of not showing progression, something Liam is happy to address.
“We spent seven years in League One and at times we were being challenged by the fans and other stakeholders saying, “You tell us you want to be a Championship football club, but it’s seven years that you’ve been in League One. How are you progressing?”
“We just knew that we constantly had to have the building blocks in place in order to do that. Examples in the past of when we’ve sold players, or managers and staff have left us for positive levels of compensation, we take the approach that we build something.
“It never goes into the playing budget to just go and invest in the next cycle. It’s always been: how do we invest in the infrastructure?”
Infrastructure is certainly improving. Imps Territory has developed the ground, and there are plans for the EPC to be expanded as well, creating a more modern, innovative and attractive Lincoln City for players and staff. Build it, and they will come, and doubtless our facilities have been a key driver in getting players like Andrei Coubis to the club.
I’m even told that when the club presents to a loan player, someone staying for a year, they show the wider plans, extending well beyond their stay, to underline and highlight us as a club on the move.
All that remains now is the challenge of continuing to build that on the field, as well as off it, starting tomorrow at the Riverside.
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