Lincoln City FC's remarkable rise to the Championship marks a significant achievement in English football, as they prepare to compete in the second tier for the first time in 65 years. Despite having one of the league's lowest budgets, the club has secured promotion with five matches remaining, boasting an impressive unbeaten streak of 23 games.
Key Highlights of Lincoln City's Journey:
Lincoln's model prioritises stability, good governance, and a collaborative environment. Their focus on smart decision-making and a strong culture remains crucial as they aim to compete effectively in the Championship.
Landon Donovan encapsulates the spirit of the club, describing Lincoln as a "charming town" and emphasising the club's role in shaping community pride. The journey from non-League football to the Championship serves as a testament to the club's resilience and strategic vision, highlighting that success can be achieved without the glitz and glamour often associated with football today.
The squad's highest-paid player is on £3,500 a week in a division where George says some are on "north of £10,000 per week" and where Lincoln see "the monster clubs" - Wrexham and Birmingham City were both promoted to the Championship following major spending last season - getting further away "in terms of sheer finance".
The gap between Lincoln's highest and lowest paid players is "very small", George says, making for a strong collective. There is no individual star in the team. Despite being League One's top scorers collectively, no Lincoln player is into double figures for league goals this season - "Just a bunch of people who have contributed throughout," Donovan says. "That was the story in the best teams I played in, too."
The wage structure requires discipline. When Lincoln were promoted back to the third tier in 2019, they had players on their books being paid more than their current highest earners. Now, George says, they target a mix of "really good senior players who have the ambition and hunger to have one more success", but also operate a "trading model where the reason for coming to Lincoln isn't to get paid the most money".
Instead, he says, it is "to be in a really good environment where you can develop and know that the club will help you move on".
In the past three years, Lincoln have sold over £3million worth of playing talent, with significant fees coming from Championship teams.
A data-led approach to recruitment - backed up by video analysis and character assessments - has identified calculated risks in the market.
George says Lincoln buy data from analysis company Impect, assessing talent across eight to 10 European leagues, while more often using eyes and ears for the domestic market.
Lincoln spent £10,000 to access data from Insight Sport, a soccer technology business that has since been bought and taken in-house by the Friedkin Group, who own Premier League Everton and Roma of Italy's Serie A top flight. George describes it as an AI-based tool that analyses millions of previously taken set pieces, which helps to devise fresh patterns and identify flaws in their opponents' defensive setups, while goalkeeping coach David Preece also works on routines.
Promotion this time, lifting Lincoln into the Championship, brings fresh challenges. Even as a modestly run club in League One, Lincoln still lost around £3million in the 2023-24 season. Many across their division lost far more. George says: "A CEO at a club I really respect recently said to me, 'When did it change from, 'How do we not lose money?', to, 'How do we find an owner that funds losses?'."
Once again, Lincoln will need to act smarter than their rivals, many of whom operate on far greater revenues, when the new season starts in August. "It's not about going up," Donovan says. "It is about staying up."
"We can't have a personality transplant," George says. "We can't throw away what has served us well so far. The challenge of doing that in the league above is going to be far greater.
"This club has not been promoted to the second tier of football in England since 1952. We've done it against all odds.
"The principles will stay. If the club has got stability, good governance, if we are collaborative in our approach, if we make good decisions at the point of most knowledge, if the recruitment, sports science and medical teams align on our strategy, if we invest in people, if we back people, if we create a good environment and a good culture - we believe we can out-achieve our budget."
"The set pieces also make a massive difference to how teams play against Lincoln. We see a pattern of teams maybe making different selections, changing their shape, changing their personnel, trying to get as big as possible, and they start to play the game on our terms a little bit rather than what they're best at."
Key Highlights of Lincoln City's Journey:
- Successful Promotion: Lincoln City clinched their Championship spot with a 2-1 victory over Reading.
- Financial Resilience: Operating on a budget of approximately £5 million, the club has outperformed financially stronger rivals.
- Strategic American Investment: With significant investments from American stakeholders, including Landon Donovan, the club has embraced a data-driven approach to recruitment.
- Team Cohesion: The wage structure promotes equality among players, fostering a strong collective spirit without relying on individual star power.
- Innovative Tactics: Under manager Michael Skubala, Lincoln employs a methodical approach to set-pieces, contributing significantly to their scoring success.
- Future Challenges: As they transition to the Championship, Lincoln faces the challenge of maintaining their identity while adapting to a higher level of competition.
Lincoln's model prioritises stability, good governance, and a collaborative environment. Their focus on smart decision-making and a strong culture remains crucial as they aim to compete effectively in the Championship.
Landon Donovan encapsulates the spirit of the club, describing Lincoln as a "charming town" and emphasising the club's role in shaping community pride. The journey from non-League football to the Championship serves as a testament to the club's resilience and strategic vision, highlighting that success can be achieved without the glitz and glamour often associated with football today.
The squad's highest-paid player is on £3,500 a week in a division where George says some are on "north of £10,000 per week" and where Lincoln see "the monster clubs" - Wrexham and Birmingham City were both promoted to the Championship following major spending last season - getting further away "in terms of sheer finance".
The gap between Lincoln's highest and lowest paid players is "very small", George says, making for a strong collective. There is no individual star in the team. Despite being League One's top scorers collectively, no Lincoln player is into double figures for league goals this season - "Just a bunch of people who have contributed throughout," Donovan says. "That was the story in the best teams I played in, too."
The wage structure requires discipline. When Lincoln were promoted back to the third tier in 2019, they had players on their books being paid more than their current highest earners. Now, George says, they target a mix of "really good senior players who have the ambition and hunger to have one more success", but also operate a "trading model where the reason for coming to Lincoln isn't to get paid the most money".
Instead, he says, it is "to be in a really good environment where you can develop and know that the club will help you move on".
In the past three years, Lincoln have sold over £3million worth of playing talent, with significant fees coming from Championship teams.
A data-led approach to recruitment - backed up by video analysis and character assessments - has identified calculated risks in the market.
George says Lincoln buy data from analysis company Impect, assessing talent across eight to 10 European leagues, while more often using eyes and ears for the domestic market.
Lincoln spent £10,000 to access data from Insight Sport, a soccer technology business that has since been bought and taken in-house by the Friedkin Group, who own Premier League Everton and Roma of Italy's Serie A top flight. George describes it as an AI-based tool that analyses millions of previously taken set pieces, which helps to devise fresh patterns and identify flaws in their opponents' defensive setups, while goalkeeping coach David Preece also works on routines.
Promotion this time, lifting Lincoln into the Championship, brings fresh challenges. Even as a modestly run club in League One, Lincoln still lost around £3million in the 2023-24 season. Many across their division lost far more. George says: "A CEO at a club I really respect recently said to me, 'When did it change from, 'How do we not lose money?', to, 'How do we find an owner that funds losses?'."
Once again, Lincoln will need to act smarter than their rivals, many of whom operate on far greater revenues, when the new season starts in August. "It's not about going up," Donovan says. "It is about staying up."
"We can't have a personality transplant," George says. "We can't throw away what has served us well so far. The challenge of doing that in the league above is going to be far greater.
"This club has not been promoted to the second tier of football in England since 1952. We've done it against all odds.
"The principles will stay. If the club has got stability, good governance, if we are collaborative in our approach, if we make good decisions at the point of most knowledge, if the recruitment, sports science and medical teams align on our strategy, if we invest in people, if we back people, if we create a good environment and a good culture - we believe we can out-achieve our budget."
"The set pieces also make a massive difference to how teams play against Lincoln. We see a pattern of teams maybe making different selections, changing their shape, changing their personnel, trying to get as big as possible, and they start to play the game on our terms a little bit rather than what they're best at."
