Lincoln City has secured direct promotion to the Championship, and it’s a big deal—for several reasons. The first is straightforward: the club hadn’t reached the second tier of English football in 65 years, since the 1960/61 season. The second reason is that one of the key figures behind this success is a global football icon, one of the most important and beloved American players of all time: Landon Donovan. Donovan has been working with Lincoln City as a strategic advisor since 2021, but he is also one of the investors who believed in the project from the start.
Let’s start with the on-field achievements. A 23-game unbeaten streak, including 18 wins, allowed Lincoln City to pull ahead of all rivals. The team currently sits on 90 points—12 more than second-placed Cardiff City and 19 ahead of third-placed Bradford City—securing automatic promotion with five games still to play in the regular season. It’s a remarkable feat, especially considering the club’s budget is far from extravagant: according to The Athletic, it’s actually the seventh-lowest in the entire League One.
So how did this happen? How did Lincoln City manage such dominance? Enter Donovan, effectively the “man on the ground” for a consortium led by Ron Fowler (former co-owner of the San Diego Padres) and including Jack Harvey (former IndyCar driver) and Clive Nates (South African hedge fund manager). Donovan visits Lincoln only a few times a year, but works closely with sporting director Jez George. He has a clear vision for the club, seeing it as an extension of its local community in both identity and values:
“Lincoln is a charming university town full of young people. We work so that this community can shape the team, and the team can shape the community. The way it has happened is truly remarkable.”
On a practical level, Lincoln City’s model relies on advanced data in the transfer market, video analysis, and scouting international players. The squad currently includes 12 non-English players, including Ukrainians and Swedes. The manager, Michael Skubala, also has an unconventional résumé: this is his first senior managerial role, but he’s previously worked as a UEFA strategic consultant, served in the England national team setup, and even led the national futsal team. Donovan describes the approach in ambitious terms:
“Successful clubs today operate this way: they build systems and infrastructure so that even if a player or manager leaves, success can continue. When I think about Manchester United still feeling the impact of Ferguson’s departure in 2013, while Brentford keeps thriving, it’s clear which example I want to follow.”
Next season in the Championship, Lincoln City will face clubs like Birmingham City, Stoke City, and Watford, as well as relegated Premier League sides. It’s hard to imagine a club this small truly competing, but Lincoln has a history of defying expectations. Ten years ago, the Imps—the club’s historic nickname—became the first non-league team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. The money earned from that run was reinvested in a state-of-the-art training facility costing over €1.5 million, followed by two promotions and a Football League Trophy win. And then came Landon Donovan.
After retiring as a player, Donovan tried coaching—but with mixed results. Now, as an investor and executive, he’s clearly found his winning formula.
