Sad to hear of the death of John Elsom, as he left us at the age of 84. He was the former Chairman and Managing Director of Page & Moy Travel Group, became a Vice-President of Leicester City in 1983 and then served as a Director from 1984 until 2002. He was a man of vision and action as so many special and vital moves towards the future was done under his leadership, as we do see him, together with Gary Lineker, on the opening day at Filbert Way, The Walkers Stadium, later renamed King Power Stadium.
Chairman of the Club from 1998 until 2002. He later served Grimsby Town in simliar capacities, being with The Mariners until 2013. Elsom was also on the Board of the Football League and a member of The Football Association Council.
LCSCSB had the pleasure meeting John Elsom on one of our journey travels to Leicester, handing over our player of the year award, this was back in 2002. A very friendly John Elsom came into the training ground just as we were to make the presentation to Frank Sinclair, as the picture tells the story.
LCSCSB was founded in 1994, and we had our contacts within the club at secretary level and John Elsom had no knowledge of Leicester City Supporters Club Scandinavian Branch, but was so enthuastic about this that he offered his services, giving a number of our members a lift in his Jaguar, as he drove them back to the city centre.
John, also invited our travelling group into the launch at Filbert Street, and free tickets for all to a reserve team game, back then getting a good crowd on a Monday night, introducing us as friends and fans from Norway, as he took Dave Bassett over to our table and we got a good laugh and chat with the former Wimbledon man, at the time Director of Football at Leicester. His hospitality was grand and special. He made more out of this spontanious meeting than we would have ever imagined.
John Elsom told us he had spent many hollidays on the western coast of Norway. Told us further, he was a passionate and eager fisherman, as this was his special hobby. He told us, he had family living in Norway, as his son at that time worked and lived in Oslo. His son then came to watch the Supporters Union Cup tournament later that year, making a funny remark about being so happy to see Leicester winning a game, as we defeated Man City, with Peter Barnes and his father Ken, also spectators on the sideline alongside John’s son, not being as happy. Leicester had just been relegated and not catched many wins, so every win in a Leicester shirt looked a bonus.
Strange to see the passing of John Elsom, as history in itself looks repeated, Leicester being relegated and LCSCSB being back in the Supporters Union Cup for the first time, since that happening 21 years ago.
John Elsom later that year stepped down as Chairman, as the club faced heavy difficulties, getting relegated, not able to fix the errors done by Peter Taylor fast enough, making a good and succesful appointment of Dave Bassett and Micky Adams, as the two brought the club straight back to the Premier League.
Let’s hope this season becomes a copy, as we fondly remember John Elsom and his hospitality. Giving us all a grand memory and of course a core reason to keep on supportering the best football team in the World.
RIP, John Elsom.
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