Community, club advantage helping Wycombe Wanderers defy the odds | OneFootball

How the Wycombe Wanderers supporter's trust and foundation has empowered the local community.

Wycombe Wanderers are just one of just five clubs in the EFL that are fan-owned, to an extent at least as the supporter's trust currently holds a 10% stake in the club. Thanks to this, the Buckinghamshire side has empowered the community around the market town and is continuing to build connections with the local community, which has helped it defy the odds in recent years.

There's an exciting new chapter in Wycombe's history right around the corner, thanks to the takeover by Georgian billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze. Despite this, the Chairboys have stuck true to their roots with the involvement of the local community.

Crucially, the retention of a 10% stake by the supporter's trust means that the fans will always have a say in important dealings and keep the stadium fully under their control. Since the trust acquired the club from Steve Hayes in 2012, former chairman, Trevor Stroud, and his board members have kept the Blues afloat financially. Even when the odds were stacked against them, the Chairboys survived the difficult times and are now reaping the rewards of the trust's hard work.

The trust made Wycombe fan voices heard

Building long-lasting relationships with local businesses

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

Times weren't always easy for Wycombe, as their future was under serious threat as little as ten years ago. Many were under the impression heading into the do-or-die match at Torquay on the final day of the 2013/14 season that if relegation to the National League were to happen, it could be the end of the road for the Chairboys. Fortunately, that didn't happen and a dramatic upturn in fortunes has left the ever-present Football League members in better stead than ever.

Financial sustainability wasn't always guaranteed before a majority stake was sold to Rob Couhig in 2019, which meant the club had to be run in the most cost-efficient way possible. Thanks to the local community, the Wanderers were able to utilise businesses in the surrounding area to mutually benefit each other.

Beechdean Ice Cream, a local company, brought funding to the club as the main sponsor for many years. Many other businesses based around the High Wycombe area have also been involved in sponsorship deals recently, with Dreams, Whites Beaconsfield, and current shirt sponsor, Origin Doors and Windows. This is all thanks to the hard work of the trust, who built up good relationships with the Buckinghamshire-based businesses over their tenure in charge.

Everyone knows the story of Gareth Ainsworth's revolution on the pitch, which would've never been possible without smart management from the board of directors. Budgeting for the playing squad had to be water-tight, ensuring they never overspent and put the club's future into jeopardy. The model that the legendary manager followed was the right players for the right price.

The Buckinghamshire side is now reaping the rewards of the community partnerships they've built, as many of these are still heavily involved with the club. From catering to sponsors, a lot of the branding you'll see around Adams Park will be that of a local business.

Focusing on the present under the new ownership regime, the supporter's trust still conducts monthly meetings to address all matters in and around the club. Any registered trust members are welcome to attend these meetings, which gives the fans a way to raise issues or offer feedback to the higher-ups.

The former chairman, Stroud, is currently the trust's elected member of the board. With plenty of experience of running a football club, his wisdom offers a great bridge between the supporters and the board of directors. Whilst there have been examples of clubs being used as playthings for the wealthy until they get bored and stop investing, the role of the trust prevents this from happening to Wycombe. The future of the club and stadium will always be protected.

Foundation and community projects will help Wycombe grow even further

It's no secret that Lomtadze and his fellow board members have lofty ambitions for the League One outfit, setting their sights on a first endeavour into the Premier League as an achievable target in the next ten years. Whilst this might seem far-fetched for fans at this current stage, a lot could change in that length of time.

However, the next and arguably most important step will be sustaining the Blues as a Championship level outfit. Whilst the new ownership certainly has the money available to invest in a squad capable of securing promotion, it isn't exactly that simple. EFL regulations state that League One and Two clubs can only spend a fixed percentage of their revenue on player wages, which can also be added to or impacted by equity injections or net transfer spending. In short, this means Wycombe can only spend a percentage of the money they bring in.

Last season, the Blues averaged their lowest average attendance since 2017/18 with 4,980. Adams Park has a capacity of 9,448, so the stadium was just over 50% full on average. Priority number one to achieve the long-term objective set by the owners will be to fill as many of those seats with locals as possible. This is where Wanderers can utilise the local community, in particular, the foundation, to find potential new fans.

The Wycombe Wanderers Foundation has been operating since 2006, playing a vital role in connecting the wider community with the football club. It aims to help people of all different ages with programmes that focus on health, education, sports participation, and employability.

The foundation has seen over 7,000 participants engaged in 27 different programmes, offering great opportunities in all different walks of life. Not only does the charity benefit its clients, but it also provides job opportunities for people within the football club, with 28 staff members.

It also plays a key part in the running of Wycombe Wanderers Women (W3), who are also on an ambitious path up the football pyramid.

Another benefit of having the charity working with the local community is that it will likely attract new fans to the club. Whilst this isn't the foundation's main objective, the club can certainly benefit from this, as even a small influx of new fans could go a long way to helping Wycombe achieve their goal of Championship sustainability. If even 5% of those 7,000 participants decided to attend a Wanderers match after working with the foundation, it would have a sizable impact on attendance figures, subsequently bringing in more revenue.

With Adams Park isolated away from High Wycombe town centre, some residents would be forgiven for not even being aware of the club's existence. With a stadium move highly unlikely, using initiatives such as the foundation in the town will help attract more people to the football club, whilst helping the local people in return.

The work of Wycombe's Foundation and Trust hasn't gone unnoticed

Football League World spoke to people who have been involved or seen the development of the club, to discover how the connection between the club and the community has helped reach a wider demographic in the local area. This is what they said:

As Wycombe continues to grow as a club, with new ownership and an exciting vision for the future, the work of both the Supporter's Trust and the Foundation can't be ignored. Both have played a huge part in providing an incredible platform for the new ownership to build on and will continue to have a huge impact on the club and local community.