As part of the Fans For Diversity campaign the Football Supporters Association is developing a series of features talking to football fans from different backgrounds about their experiences. 

In this one our very own Lincoln City supporter Delores, speaks to Maria about her experiences and we also hear from Samsun who took part in the Bangla Bantams fan exchange with Lady Imps. 

You can read more by following the link here 

And the previous article in the same series here

Click on the logo to take you to the competition details

Gary Hutchinson from the Stacey West Blog and podcast has lent his support to encourage young Imps to get writing about their club while at home. Gary will be helping to judge the entries and will also publish some entries before the finals! He's very excited to see what you are going to come up with and to help you on your way, here he outlines some handy tips to help you prepare ….            

• Have a clear idea what you’d like to write about before you start. You might not need to plan it out, but it can help if you do. Your story should take a reader on a journey and how can you go on a journey if you don’t know the route you’re taking?
• Try to tell the reader something they don’t know. Yes, Lincoln won the title in 2019, but how can you make that story personal to you? How did it affect you, which players were your favourite and why. Make sure your piece has something unique in it to make it different from everyone else?
• Don’t repeat words too often. For instance, a sentence that reads ‘Lincoln City beat Burnley 1-0 in the FA Cup, which meant Lincoln City went to the FA Cup Quarter Finals’, is clumsy to read. You can always swap ‘Lincoln City’ for ‘The Imps’ or ‘the visitors’ or something like that.
• When talking about a player, use their full name the first time you mention them. After that, they’ve been introduced to the reader so you can just use first, or second. Again, no need to repeat. So, for Tyler Walker, you could use ‘the Nottingham Forest loanee’, ‘the former Mansfield striker’, ‘The 22-year-old’ instead of his name to make it easier to read.
• Make sure any facts you have are checked afterwards. Don’t write about a game and get the score wrong.
• Think creative when describing things. Instead of saying you were ‘really happy’, think about saying you were ecstatic, delighted or overjoyed.
• Double check your work after finishing. Don’t just rely on a spell checker, have a read through and get someone else to read it as well. There’s no shame in doing a second edit.
• HAVE FUN – this is the most important thing of all. Writing is fun, you’re creating something for others to enjoy and if you enjoy creating it, others will enjoy reading it.

By Maria Ryder

Supporters of Lincoln City FC hold many former players dear to their hearts, but especially Richard Butcher. Richard joined the club for the first of his three spells as an Imp in 2002 when another Lincoln hero, manager Keith Alexander signed him from Kettering. It was to be a partnership which is forged in Lincoln City history and recalled with deep affection. As a midfielder Richard was a key part of the Imps ‘oh so close’ promotion pushing side in the early 2000’s. He later returned on loan for a short time in 2005, before coming back again in 2009/10. He left for the last time to join Keith Alexander who was then managing Macclesfield Town.

Just over a month later Richard was the last person at the club to speak to Keith who died suddenly in March 2010. Keith was already cemented in the love of Imps, so although he was managing another side his death shook the Lincoln City FC family. When Richard, who was just 29 passed away suddenly ten months later in January 2011, cruel fate seemed unbearable. Acknowledging the distressing tragedy for both families first and foremost, for Imps fans these untimely and unexpected events has underlined a period of the clubs history and ensured these two men are treasured in our memories.

It’s one thing to remember with fondness the gift a player or manager has given a club, especially after they’ve died but what about the families left behind? We as fans know football can be all consuming, and for parents seeing a child through to achieving their dream means everyone is immersed in football - you give your time, energy and soul to the game. For Gail and Butch, Richard’s parents, the memories of Richard are of course meshed in the game and with the length of time Richard spent with the Imps, Lincoln is a special place. They visit the city and the club regularly and some L.I.S.A members were privileged to spend some time with them recently. Gail spoke to Maria Ryder about a young Richard Butcher. Part 1 below...​

So what about the move to Lincoln and Keith Alexander. Part 2 below ....​

Gail also spoke about losing Richard and bereavement.. Part 3 below.... ​

By L.I.S.A Committee

We are delighted to announce that on Friday 20th September, L.I.S.A was declared winner of the inaugural FSA Fans for Diversity award for League 2 (2018-2019 season). The award was presented at the Fans for Diversity awards ceremony held at the HQ of Amnesty International in London. Having won the award, L.I.S.A is now entered for the third successive year into the annual FSA Awards back in London in December. We are incredibly proud to be flying the flag for the Imps as we continue to promote and encourage a whole range of supporter diversity to our fan base and in helping with community and club ties.

The L.I.S.A loco continues at speed with over 140 paid members, women and men. We are now also active in promoting the women’s game, supporting the great people at Lincoln City Women FC, raising funds and hosting the first LCWFC fan engagement event. We look forwards to an exciting future, hoping to create new and fresh projects, working with a range of groups using the power of football to make a positive difference to club and community. Thank you for your continued support