Lincoln City earn historic Championship promotion after decade-long rise
Lincoln City have secured promotion to the Championship for the first time since 1961 following a remarkable decade-long ascent from non-league football.
The Imps dropped out of the Football League in 2011 and were languishing in the National League just ten years ago.
Supporters are now dreaming of facing top-tier opposition, with chants of away days at Tottenham Hotspur echoing around the LNER Stadium.
A decade of unprecedented success
Only Wrexham have climbed the English football pyramid quicker than the Lincolnshire outfit in recent times.
The newly-promoted side achieved their success without celebrity owners or lucrative international sponsorships.
Their extraordinary journey has also included an unprecedented run to the FA Cup quarter-finals and an EFL Trophy victory at Wembley.
Building a sustainable future
Chief executive Liam Scully attributes their steady climb to a sensible financial structure and careful long-term planning.
It takes a village and arguably, boringly consistent behaviour over a length of time.
Liam Scully, Lincoln City Chief Executive
We’ve been this broad version of us since 2019 and have rarely deviated from our plan.
The foundations were laid by the Cowley brothers during the late 2010s before the club solidified its League One status.
Tactical evolution under Skubala
Despite operating with only the 18th-largest budget in their division, the team consistently outperformed financial expectations.
Mark Kennedy was dismissed last season as the hierarchy sought a more technically progressive approach to player development.
Current head coach Michael Skubala, a former England futsal tactician, was appointed to successfully guide the club into this new era.
