Learning the Ropes

As the 2022/23 season nears the halfway point, I wanted to congratulate London Seaward on a terrific start to the campaign and share my thoughts on how I hope to support the club going forward.

I’ve been fairly quiet, in part because I had a couple of courses to create and record for LinkedIn Learning but also because I’m in the process of discovering how football is played at a serious level and how to be a sponsor. For the first bit, I’m happy to say Manager Dan McKimm took some time to explain the basics of LSFC’s offensive and defensive frameworks (which I mustn’t share, sorry) so I can better appreciate the matches. As someone who never advanced past the youth levels of the sport, I appreciate those insights.

How to be a sponsor is even more foreign to me. As a writer and online training course developer, I spend my life behind the scenes and appear as words on a page or a voice in a video, usually accompanied by an author photo. My approach as a writer and online course developer is to provide accurate, usable information that focuses on learners and their needs. In a similar vein, I add value for my publishers by turning in good quality work on time. The analogies to playing successful football are obvious, but there’s another truth sponsors should acknowledge: that our best approach is almost always to provide resources and step back.

Just as learners must apply the lessons I teach in their workplace or school, so must LSFC train for and play the matches. Sponsor funding goes to pitch rental (a significant expense in London), kits, and player expenses so clubs can avoid the pay-to-play model that severely limits who can pursue the game they love. That last point emphasizes the value of individual sponsorships, for which I know the players are grateful and I appreciate because it reinforces the value of the club to the community.

I will support London Seaward going forward by following the club on social media, especially on game days, and visit Waltham Forest when I’m able. Ginny and I hope to attend the November match with Hounslow and the March home games against QPR and Wimbledon. Beyond that, I trust the club to make best use of the resources we sponsors provide and play their best football on the pitch.