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League One side Lincoln City are to add an illustrious name to their efforts to gain promotion to the Championship next year.
Former US international Landon Donovan is to join the Imps as a Strategic Advisor as part of a major restructuring involving minority owners of the baseball franchise San Diego Padres.
As a player. Donovan won six MLS Cups, two with San Jose Earthquakes before winning a further four with a Los Angeles Galaxy side that included the likes of David Beckham and Robbie Keane.
He made 157 appearances for his country scoring 57 goals, a record he now shares with Clint Dempsey. The creative midfielder had two brief loan spells with Everton in 2010 and 2012.
“We are not there to Americanise Lincoln City FC”
-Harvey Jabara
Donovan is currently the Vice-President of Soccer Operations/ Manager for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal, a club situated in one of the USA’s most fervent soccer markets yet to have a MLS side.
He moved from LA to front the attempt to bring MLS to San Diego and although that fell through, he liked the city enough to stay and become part of the new USL start up.
Donovan once told Prost Amerika in an interview that his boyhood ambition was not to be a player but an owner.
“I liked being able to impact all the different part of a team, an organisation and a club,” he told Prost Amerika in his San Diego office.”
He has been ‘living that dream’ for a couple of years now in his adopted home city, but that is within a system with minimal opportunities for promotion, as MLS is a closed league that you have to buy your way into, like most US sports.
PROST AMERIKA INTERVIEWS LANDON DONOVAN IN 2017
Lincoln City however are a club on the way up although they narrowly failed to win promotion this year, losing a play-off at Wembley to Blackpool by 2-1.
They finished fifth in the League One table on 77 points and then beat Sunderland in the play off semi final. Despite taking a dream lead within seconds at Wembley through an own goal, they succumbed to a resurgent Blackpool side.
In only their second consecutive year in League One, it was a very promising season nonetheless. They made the semi final of the EFL Trophy and the third round of the FA Cup where they fell to (then) English Champions Liverpool.
They even spent most of the season in the automatic promotion slots and were actually top after 28 games following a 2-1 win at Wigan, only to suffer a poor run of five wins from their last 18 matches.
Hull City and Peterborough were automatically promoted and third place Blackpool eventfully joined them.
Still it was a vast improvement on the Imps’ 16th place in the previous curtailed year, and City will start the 2021/22 season as highly fancied to push for promotion again. This is all the more remarkable given they were a non-league side from 2011-2017 and have won two promotions in recent times.
The move comes as part of a restructuring of the Lincolnshire club that will see a heavy US influence.
“I’ve taken a number of either initiatives or things that Lincoln City do and already started to implement here in San Diego”
– Landon Donovan
Phoenix, Arizona resident Harvey Jabara is the Managing Member of Olive Management LLC, a family office investment firm, and minority member of the consortium which owns the Major League Baseball team San Diego Padres.
He will be joined by his wife Missy and two sons Jaxon and Jensen in HJ-LCFC Holdings LLC.
Harvey explains that one of the reasons why they were putting investment into Lincoln City was that it is a club on the upswing as opposed to a club in distress or one that just goes along with the real estate.
“The very definition of our search parameters.
“We were not in search of a distressed club in need of rescue. We’re not here to Americanise Lincoln City’s way of pursuing business,” said Jabara noting that the search had taken six months and they had wanted an EFL club only.
“There was something unique in Lincoln City’s due diligence materials. We were hoping to find a club that was on the ascent.
“Some people come into these endeavors looking for a distressed club and try and find a turnaround project,” he added.
“We’ve looked at some that had those characteristics, but there is something about a success that was on the uprise that was more intriguing to us. Of course it is a financial investment and when you make a financial investment, you are always going to talk about return on investment.
“For us and our family, as much if not more of our return on investment comes from the thrill of being involved. The goal of moving up the pyramid and into the Championship. That to us is where you get the true return and the true satisfaction of the investment.
“Nobody wants to lose money, but we’re really not thinking of it from a financial return.
“This is all about achieving success on the field and hoping to continue to grow an organisation. So there’s no question that the attraction here was the trajectory and trying to help continue that trajectory.”
During a conference call with local media, he stressed the point several times that they were not looking for a real estate investment with a football club and noted that Landon Donovan and club chairman Clive Nates had the initial contact.
Lincoln fans came to Wembley but saw their team narrowly miss out on promotion
Photo: Steve Clare/Prost International
Donovan was characteristically modest about his involvement:
“They don’t need any help from someone like me. I have fallen in love with the club during this process. I just started following the club and I’ve watched 13 of the last 14 games.
“If they need help with anything I’m happy to try and help. I’m more of a fan and happy I was able to help in a small way get this (deal) over the line.”
It’s a bit of divine intervention when Clive (Nates) and I first spoke, he was waxing about how much he loved Everton and how he has the same love for Lincoln now.
I look forward to get over and meet everyone in person and see more of the city.
“I’m just looking forward to have the opportunity to go and be a fan and sit at the stadium and watch a match and get to know another part of the world and enjoy it,” said Donovan.
“So that is certainly refreshing.”
Lincoln have won promotion in three of the last five years. Donovan did not shirk the thorny question about whether he thought he could bring stories of its highs and lows of promotion and relegation over to a reductant USA.
“I realise all the nuance involved. I’ve always said as a fan, promotion and relegation is incredible and also heartbreaking.
“As people have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the making the sport grow in this country, it’s a bit of a daunting idea. So, I believe we will get there. I don’t know how long it will take, but I think from purely a fan’s perspective, it would make the sport grow pretty rapidly.”
Donovan does not believe his role with Lincoln City will adversely affect his current roles with San Diego Loyal.
“It’s not difficult [to balance]. [The Lincoln City role] is enjoyment for me,” said Donovan.
“I enjoy what I do at San Diego, but it’s a lot of work. I’m just learning a lot. I’ve taken a number of either initiatives or things that Lincoln City do and already started to implement here in San Diego and I’m just trying to use this as a learning experience.
“So, there’s not a lot that I ‘have to’ do and I just really value the opportunity to learn from people who are clearly doing it at a very high level.”
The Jabara family are to join the existing group of shareholders in Lincoln City Holdings which owns 75% of Lincoln City Football Club. Their investment is ‘high six figures’ and will total 9% of the club.
At this current stage, Harvey Jabara will not be joining the board of directors but retains a right to do so at a later date.
Donovan himself will work with the Board, current Chief Executive Liam Scully and Director of Football Jez George to grow the club’s branding and outreach in North America among other things.
Chairman Nates said in a club press release:
“We are delighted to welcome Harvey, Landon and the Jabara family to LincolnCity Football Club. We are continually on the lookout for like-minded people to join our current group of investors to assist with the ongoing development of the Club financially, and also importantly, contribute their knowledge and acumen”
“We have been talking to Harvey and Landon for some time now, but right from the initial meetings, it was clear to see we were aligned in our vision and values for the Club.
“Landon has for some time been assisting his close family friend Harvey on finding the right club to partner. It is great for all that we can also benefit from Landon and his vast experience.
“I am sure all Imps fans will join me in welcoming Harvey, Missy, Jaxon, Jensen, and Landon to Lincoln City Football Club.”
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