There to lend a hand if needed, while also keen to learn about how the Club operates, the 41-year-old may only be involved from afar, but his influence is not to be sniffed at.

“The term ‘advisor’ can sometimes be misconstrued,” he says. “I’m very conscious that I don’t have the luxury of being inside the Club every day, and football in the UK is so unique, so for the first year or so I was very quiet and just observed what was going on to take it all in.

“On the flip side, I see things from afar that people maybe don’t see every day because they’re in it. Sometimes, when you’re so engrossed in something, you can’t see the wood for the trees, so if I see something clear and obvious, I’ll say it. Otherwise, I try to get more context, ask the right questions and just understand the process.

“I wanted to support in a meaningful way to the Club, but also invest money and be a part of it. So, I help where I can, I speak to Harvey a lot and help him understand the footballing world, because that’s something he doesn’t have a lot of experience in, in the UK.

“And the relationship works both ways, because Clive and Liam can be advisors for me over here – I trust them a lot. It’s been a really good relationship so far and I’m really excited to see it grow.”

It’s hard not to be impressed by Donovan, who speaks of Lincoln City and English football generally with knowledge, passion and respect, and it’s clear that both his and Jabara’s involvement in the League One outfit is a long-term commitment.

“I’ve really grown to love it,” he admits. “I’m a fan, there’s no question. My kids have Lincoln jerseys, I’m up at 7:00am every Saturday morning watching them on iFollow and sometimes it’s painful to watch, but that’s part of being a football fan!

“I love the people, they’re really special and when you see how far the Club has come in recent years, it really is remarkable. Almost 9,000 fans watching them at home every week, you can sense the pride the fans have for their Football Club and how important it is to them.

“Football is a way of life in the UK, that’s how I describe it to people over here in the US. People save up money all week to be able to go to the match at the weekend and that’s their way of life. It’s hard for Americans to relate directly to that.

“Yes, we have die-hard sports fans here, but it’s sometimes an entertainment option. In the UK, this is literally a part of their life and for some fans, it’s the most important part of their life. That’s why it’s such a joy to be a part of it, especially at Lincoln. I always say, ‘success is not an accident’ and what Lincoln has is really special. Everyone does a phenomenal job.”

December 2022 saw the Imps join forces with San Diego Loyal SC after the Jabara family increased their stake in Lincoln. With the intention of growing the international fanbase in the USA, the partnership has seen the two Clubs collaborate on community initiatives, merchandise and even online content.

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“The relationship helps all parties,” Donovan explains. “We want to build the Club globally, of course. Nobody could argue that being relevant in the United States is great for Clubs and I think there’s a lot of value in being globally known, but we know how great Lincoln City is, we know how great the city is and the most important thing is to be sustainable.

“Lincoln were out here last summer and spent a week in San Diego to see what our training environment was like, what our matchdays are like here and to see if there were any takeaways to take back to the LNER Stadium. It doesn’t mean that if you see something happen at our stadium in San Diego, you’re suddenly going to see it happen at Lincoln City, but I think we can all learn from each other.

“For example, Harvey is unique in that he has a lot of experience in baseball. And I’m sure people in the UK might say, ‘what does baseball have to do with English football?’ But there are best practices we can all learn, just by understanding how things are run as a business. There are lots of ways to be successful and if we can all help each other, that can only be beneficial.”

As a Club, Lincoln has been on an upward trajectory since its promotion from the National League in 2017. An EFL Trophy victory at Wembley in their first season back in the EFL in 2018 was followed by the League Two title in 2019 and since then, the Club has established itself in League One, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship in 2021 after a Play-Off Final loss to Blackpool.

So, what next for the Imps?

“A question I ask a lot is, ‘can we think past this weekend and can we think past the next transfer window and think more bigger picture’?” Donovan concludes.

“Understandably, you do sometimes have to take one step at a time, but the goal in my opinion should be to continue to build the squad and the Club in a way that gives the Club continuity from season to season, and that includes manager, staff and players.

“With that, I think you’ll slowly build, slowly get better and achieve success. Here in San Diego, we’ve got eight or nine people who have been at the Club since day one and that level of continuity really, really helps. Of course, there will always be turnover, I know that, but continuity gives you the opportunity to become better.

“I’ve learned a lot from English football, people work so hard to stay in their respective division or to win promotion and that’s where we want to be, but we’ve got to build something that gives us a real opportunity to be sustainable with it.”

This feature originally appeared in the summer 2023 edition of the EFL Magazine.


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