CEO’s update: payment gateways

City’s chief executive Liam Scully has provided an update for supporters regarding a merchant bank issue the club is experiencing.

He said: “Very recently, we received some unsatisfactory news from our merchant providers Elavon, who unilaterally informed us that they will no longer be working with Lincoln City moving forward ‘due to the risks involved’.

“This is disappointing news on a number of levels that includes the amount of notice we’ve been provided with and also how this will fundamentally impact the football club, along with our loyal and dedicated supporters.

“From the 7 April, Elavon will no longer be our merchant partner to take ticketing and gold membership payments in person via debit or credit card. Due to the limited notice we have been provided, there is a risk that we may have a period where we can not facilitate in-person debit or credit card payment facilities.

“We are a well-run football club, consistently meeting our obligations with no history of bad debt. The industry we operate in requires owner funding to remain competitive, and while we have seen a handful of issues elsewhere, it appears this model is no longer palatable for Elavon, despite being provided with full and detailed forecasts and explanations of how we met our obligations when we both signed up to the partnership.  

The club will provide supporters with a further update on this in due course.