Eleven days ago, Clive Nates celebrated seven years as Chairman of Lincoln City Football Club. Clive, who also supports Premier League side Everton, joined the board in February 2016 and was elected Chairman in June 2018. He is currently the second-largest shareholder in Lincoln City Holdings.
Clive has lived in South Africa all his life. He has been a keen follower of English football since childhood and, in particular, a passionate supporter of Everton since the late 1960s. It was through an alliance between Everton and Lincoln City in 2002 that Clive began following City.
Thank you to Scotimp for the following:
6 June 2018: appointed chairman.
2018-19
Season tickets sell out at 6,300, a modern-day record.
EPC opens.
Club record for Football League games unbeaten (19).
League Two Champions.
Highest average league attendance since 1959-60 (9,500).
The best-supported club in League Two.
2019-20
Club record for season ticket sales (6,500).
Top of League One after three games.
Highest league attendance at Sincil Bank for 37 years (10,264 v Sunderland).
Harry Toffolo sold to Huddersfield for a club record transfer fee (£640,000 in total).
Highest league finish for 36 years (16th in the third tier).
2020-21
Club record for goals scored in cup matches in a season (30).
Club record away win in the League Cup (5-0 v Bradford City, 15/9/2020); it also equals the club record win in the League Cup home or away.
Joint club record for league wins from the start of a season (4).
Joint club record win in the Football League Trophy (4-0 v Accrington Stanley).
Joint club record for away league wins in a season (13)
Club record for away wins in a Football League season (13).
Club record for successive away league wins in one season (6).
Club record for points away from home in a season (45).
Club record for points away from home in a Football League season (45).
Joint club record for fewest away defeats in a Football League season (4).
Highest league finish for 39 years (5th in the third tier).
Best away record in League One (P23 W13 D6 L4 F34 A20 Pts45).
Remained in the top six for the entire season on a bottom ten budget.
First-ever appearance in the play-offs in the third tier.
First-ever appearance in the play-off final in the third tier.
100 goals in a season in all competitions for the 11th time in the club’s history (103).
Club record for away goals in all competitions in a season (52).
Joint club record for the number of games played in a season (61).
2021-22
Season tickets sell out again.
New 3G training/community pitch opens at LNER Stadium.
Club record for successive home league attendances over 7,000 (81, eventually to rise to 129).
Lincoln City appear on a Royal Mail stamp for the first time.
2022-23
Club record for home league draws (14).
Stacey West Redevelopment begins at a cost of £2.6m.
Named the fifth best-run club in England.
2023-24
First League Cup victory over a top flight side since 1981.
The first club in the EFL to appoint a director of innovation.
The third club in England to launch a Golden Share.
Joint club record for home Football League games without conceding a goal (6).
The new Stacey West Community Hub opens.
Second-highest league finish in 41 years.
2024-25
Club record for early bird season ticket sales (just under 5,000).
Club record for unbeaten away games (15) and unbeaten away league games (14).
Club record victory in the EFL Trophy (5-0 v Manchester City U21).
Joint club record run to the fourth round of the FA Trophy.
Third successive top-half finish in L1, the best run of league finishes since 1959-61.
The second highest average home league attendance since 1960-61 (9,003).
The highest attendance at a home league match for 42 years (10,347 v Wrexham).
Plus:
Survival of the club through COVID.
Sourcing substantial and long-standing investment from South Africa, UK and USA.
Equity investment totalling £13,844,000 between 2018 and 2024.
Turnover increased from £5.28m in 2018 to 6.97m in 2024.
Average home league attendance of 8,770 under Clive’s tenure.
Except for Covid restrictions, every home league match under Clive Nates has been watched by at least 6,000 (132 matches, only one of which was not watched by at least 7,000).
Signing of five future full home internationals (Joe Morrell, Brennan Johnson, Morgan Rogers, Regan Poole, and Liam Cullen) and three future England U21 internationals (Carl Rushworth, Josh Griffiths, Brooke Norton-Cuffy).
Innovative fan initiatives including Attendance4Attendance, Imptroduce A Friend, John O’Gaunts Club, Kids For A Quid, and Imps For All.
Gold Status from the EFL Family Excellence Scheme.
Third-best fan engagement in the EFL.
Other than that, he hasn’t really achieved much…
Clanford: “Integrity, openness, a wealth of knowledge in business and finance, and most of all, comes across as a very approachable, humble guy. Clive is such a steady hand at the helm, and we are so fortunate that he agreed to come on board. What has followed is beyond most of our wildest expectations. May the journey continue for many years.”
NewImp5: “A very genuine, honest, humble guy who really loves football and, more importantly, loves our club. We’re very lucky that he chose us, but I’d never tell him that, so shhhhh.
Massive downside is the other club in his life, but we won’t mention them!
*UTI.*“
PerthImp: “One of the main reasons our beloved club was turned around completely from obscurity and possible relegation to the NL(N). Look where we are now as an established L1 club with around 9k average for home games, plus a superb team of people leading the club. The strategic thinking, business approach and quality of people that Clive has injected into the club have really made us proud to be Imps fans. I’ve been an Imps supporter for 55 years and counting, and I’ve never known a period of sustained joy (including the Graham Taylor years and Keith’s PO years) to be an Imps supporter like we are going through. Thank you, Clive, and hopefully the whole ethos that you created will remain at the club even if the present incumbents leave at some point (but not for a few years yet, please.”
Thank you to Chris Vaughan and Lincoln City Football Club for the article photograph!