LCFC Statement: Players Committed To Future Vision

Talks led by Chief Executive Susan Whelan, together with Manager Brendan Rodgers, Director of Football Jon Rudkin and members of the First Team leadership group, were held to discuss the long-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic on the Club’s future vision, and the continued role of our most high-profile personnel in its continued pursuit. Discussions remain ongoing as part of an open dialogue that will help shape the Club’s continued response to this evolving situation.

The first result was a united commitment from all parties to a comprehensive series of short and long-term measures that will offer security to our people during the immediate fightback against COVID-19 and an opportunity to emerge from the fight closer, stronger and more unified in our vision than ever before.

Central to that vision will be our communities, support for whom forms a key part of the Club’s response to this crisis. A Club-wide charities framework has been put in place, incorporating the First Team players, management and staff from the stadium and training ground, and with the commitment of our players on several levels.

We are a unified Club and among the key objectives of the initiative is to pool the resources of our staff at the stadium and training ground, and to immediately make appropriate support available to University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust in their outstanding work responding to the pandemic. The Club is also in contact with Age UK Leicestershire & Rutland about a charity partnership to offer Club-wide support to the wellbeing of older people in our communities.

This follows the recent announcement made by Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, confirming the launch of the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation’s 2020 Gift of a Wish programme – making funds available to causes in Leicestershire to apply for grants to support further valuable work in the community. 

The Club intends to retain all permanent staff and does not intend to utilise the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. All casual matchday and non-matchday staff will be paid to the end of the 2019/20 season, as the games were previously scheduled.

Chief Executive Susan Whelan said: “We are a club that prioritises an open and consistent dialogue with our players and with our staff and this, I believe, has built strong relationships between us, which are based on trust – a strong footing on which to undertake such important discussions for the future of the Club.

“The current issues are not just about money. How we move forward during this crisis, leading our people and supporting our communities, will be a defining moment in Leicester City’s history and the weight of responsibility is not lost on any of us. Our collective experiences in recent years, those of tragedy and, at other times, of great celebration, have welded us together as a group. Our legacy will  also be defined by how we prepare the Club to navigate this situation and how, together, we lead our people out of it and into a brighter future.”

Leicester City Manager Brendan Rodgers said: "The culture that exists here pre-dates my time with the Club, it was one of the things that drew me here and it’s been a privilege to come into it. It meant my role in the current discussions was very straightforward because the players and the Club, clear on their responsibilities, instinctively knew what needed to be done for the Club, for the city and for our fans.

“This is a Club with a strong set of values that behaves like a family. In times of crisis, your first instinct is to protect your family and that’s the response I’ve seen. I am proud to lead this group of players as we define and fulfil our roles for the future.”

Leicester City Captain Wes Morgan said: “The spirit and depth of feeling that exists here makes this Club different. We’ve all come from different places, from different backgrounds over the years and yet we’ve all shared these experiences that have brought us together at this Club, in this city. Even people that are new to the place can feel it, because it’s become our culture.

“As a group of players, we felt well placed to work with our Club on this because, together with all the staff, that’s a culture we’ve built. As soon as conversations started, it was clear we all wanted the same thing – to make sure all the staff at the Club were looked after, to do our bit for the people of the city and to make sure the Club’s in the best position possible when football is ready to return.”

Leicester City Vice Captain Kasper Schmeichel said: “The experience of being part of this Club has given so much to all of us – players and staff – and this is our opportunity to give something back.

“We’ve been through so much together and come through every challenge stronger as a group. This will be no different. We’re here to support each other through the immediacy of this and, when the dust settles and the world is ready for football to return, we’ll be there, picking up where we left off, driving the Club forward.

“This is a difficult time for a huge number of people in our communities and around the world. We have a responsibility to make sure our actions now as a Club are something our people can be proud of in the future.”