Foxes Trust: Frustrated with club situation, Leicester should improve operations and sell

On September 8 Beijing time, the Leicester City supporters' trust released an open letter on social media, saying it was concerned, frustrated and disappointed with the club's current situation. It said the club should actively improve operations and sell shares as soon as possible to end the turmoil.

The full open letter is as follows:

Dear Leicester City Football Club:

We are Foxes Trust. We are writing openly and transparently to express our significant concerns about the club's current operation methods and the uncertainty surrounding the club sale.

One of our stated aims is to require Leicester City Football Club and its owners to follow the highest standards in commercial management, operations and business decisions. Although we hoped to remain positive and praise the club, we have found it increasingly difficult to do so.

After witnessing how the club has operated over recent months, the trust board is extremely concerned and frustrated by what we have seen.

Fan survey calls for action

In May this year, we published the results of a survey involving 4,413 supporters and put forward five actions that we believe would show the club's willingness to change the situation and repair the damaged relationship.

We requested appropriate benefits for season-ticket holders because although the club was relegated from the Premier League to League One, season-ticket prices remained at Premier League levels; ultimately, nothing was provided.

We suggested holding a fan Q&A forum to help the club explain its strategy for improving the situation and said we were willing to work with the club. You rejected this proposal, and the only communication was a meeting between selected fan advisory board members and head coach Russell Martin, available only through the club app.

We requested that the first “Your 90 Minutes” meeting of the season be held online so all fan groups could participate. You initially scheduled it at the same time as a friendly match; it was later rearranged at short notice, but only 10 people attended. We have requested that the event be reorganised.

We published a comprehensive assessment report on the fan engagement framework, made improvement suggestions and expressed willingness to work with the club. Since then, we have received no response.

Ticketing issues

There were many poor ticketing cases this summer.

We have repeatedly suggested reforming the priority points system for away tickets and provided examples of practices used by other clubs, but the system remains unchanged.

The trust frequently receives complaints from frustrated supporters, including some with young children who are unable to buy away tickets.

We also suggested reducing the date grouping range for away ticket sales this season because reduced away allocations have increased competition among supporters.

This directly caused chaos in ticket sales for the Stockport County away match: the first batch sold out quickly, and the second batch was also snapped up soon afterwards.

Communication regarding away ticket sales standards was also very poor, with similar issues involving season-ticket cards and digital ticketing.

During the match against Burton, hundreds of supporters were still stuck outside the stadium after kick-off, with some even having to buy a new ticket to enter.

This season was also the first time in years that season tickets entered general sale. After tickets sold out, the club released more than 400 tickets weeks later, citing an administrative error.

Fan communication

We have experienced a serious lack of communication, making it difficult for the trust to effectively work with the club.

Our emails often receive no response and require repeated follow-ups.

Although we met the new board in April hoping to rebuild the relationship, the cooperation remains one-sided.

Several important issues have remained unanswered

The following are some important issues we raised that have still received no response:

Bradford City Supporters Trust asked us to raise with the club that both sets of supporters should have consistent away ticket pricing when visiting each other's grounds. We raised this issue and followed up twice, but received no response. This means both groups of fans will pay more than they otherwise could when visiting the other club's stadium.

We asked about plans for Leicester City's women's team, including arrangements for supporter coaches to away matches. The supporter bus issue was eventually resolved, but other matters remain unaddressed.

We were not informed in advance that the head of the fan engagement department was about to leave. We only learned after hearing informal reports and asking directly that she had just a few days left in the role, and the club apparently had no intention of proactively informing us.

We asked about plans for the fan zone and requested an event space for the trust when it operates. We received no response, so on the matchday against Burton Albion, the trust had to hold an event outside the stadium itself.

We complained about the club's lack of memorial garden space, hoping to provide a place of remembrance for deceased supporters and their families, but again received no reply.

These issues directly affect Leicester City supporters, and the trust has repeatedly tried to represent fans' interests but has repeatedly hit a “brick wall.”

Reports regarding the club sale

The trust welcomes reports that the club is set to be sold.

Our survey showed that 75% of supporters support a change of ownership. At the same time, we are seriously concerned that there has been no obvious improvement at the club throughout the summer.

The communication vacuum continues, fan engagement mechanisms remain flawed, and the club's daily operations have not reached the required standard.

We call on the club to:

Confirm that funds from recent and future player sales will be reinvested into the club rather than retained as part of a potential sale transaction.

Before the sale is completed, convince supporters that the club's current financial situation and ability to continue operating are healthy and viable.

Deliver the “new era of communication” promised during the management transition, allowing club executives including Kevin Davis and Jon Rudkin to communicate directly with supporters.

Acknowledge that King Power Stadium has been registered as an “Asset of Community Value” and confirm that once a sale agreement is reached, owners will follow the relevant moratorium procedures.

Arrange a meeting with the trust within the next two weeks to discuss the issues raised in this open letter.

As the club enters the sale process, it should strengthen rather than weaken its engagement with supporters.

Supporters who feel excluded and without a voice are far less attractive to potential buyers than fans who are actively involved and closely connected with the club.

We also believe the first step for any new ownership should be restoring unity, pride and hope among supporters.

All of this can only be achieved through genuine and meaningful fan engagement.

We welcome any genuinely serious potential buyer to contact the trust and discuss how this goal can be achieved.

Meanwhile, we hope our own football club can begin treating supporters and Foxes Trust with the respect we deserve.

Foxes Trust

Foxes Trust

Leicester City have dropped into League One this season, but the club that once achieved a Premier League title miracle has not found things easy there. After five matches, they have recorded one win, two draws and two defeats, ranking 17th in League One. Manager Russell Martin is also under pressure, and Leicester City lost 0-4 at home to Oxford United last weekend.