Reflections on the Exeter City season with the Club President

Aaaand breathe…the final whistle has blown and we’ve secured our place in League One for the fourth consecutive season. Finishing 16th, with 56 points is an incredible achievement in a league which just gets more and more competitive.

The league big hitters of Birmingham City and Wrexham now head up to the Championship, to be replaced by Luton, Cardiff, and Argyle – so the Devon Derby’s back on the cards!

We don’t have the huge budgets of other clubs, so our progress is always small steps and incremental improvements. But if you rate performance against playing budget – ours was the second lowest in the league - then we are continuing to knock it out of the park.

Gary, the playing staff and the team have done an amazing job…but one thing’s for sure, it isn’t going to get any easier!

Another team which has done incredibly well are the Exeter City Women, who ended on a high! Their final game of the season was at SJP, which drew a record crowd of 3,128, who enjoyed a really entertaining match and set a new club attendance record.

It marked an amazing end to an incredible first season in tier three, achieving a fourth-place finish – so well done to Abbie and her team.

Last week, we celebrated the achievements of both the men’s and women’s teams at the end of season awards dinner, which this year was held in a huge marquee on the hallowed turf of SJP this Sunday.

And no sooner was the marquee dismantled, then Chaz and his team were out on pitch, tearing it up, preparing for next season. In fact, it’s after the final whistle has blown that the work really starts at SJP, with plans for improvements across the stadium, all designed to enhance the supporter experience.

There was a well-deserved award this season for one for One of our Own - Academy player Jake Richards, who was named LFE League One Apprentice of the Year at the recent EFL Awards.

Jake made his full City EFL debut as a 16-year-old on a scorching day at SJP against Leyton Orient and has made 19 first team appearances so far this season - 11 in EFL Sky Bet League One.

He’s played 633 league minutes and hit the milestone of scoring his first League goal in City’s 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers on Boxing Day. The boy’s going to go far!

Talking of boys who are going to go far…this summer sees the celebrations begin which mark the testimonial year for Pierce Sweeney. 2026 will mark his 10 years with the club and his testimonial match takes place at SJP on July 26 – so get the date in your diaries.

This weekend saw the Exeter Live Better Marathon and Community Five Mile event take place along the River Exe.

Organised by our partner charity, Exeter City Community Trust, their running events continue to go from strength to strength, often selling out with hundreds of people running competitively, for fun and to raise funds for charity. It’s a brilliant running community they are putting together.

At Exeter City we’re lucky to have a dedicated team of staff who work so hard week in, week out to put on a football match at St James Park, so huge thanks to them for everything they’ve done this season.

We’re also grateful to have an army of volunteers who give their time so willingly. From the litter pickers who stay behind after a match, the museum staff and the matchday ambassadors, to the hospitality hosts and the Junior Grecians team, and many, many more, thank you to you all for everything you do.

And, most importantly, thank you to our supporters. We’re going to need you even more next season as it hots up in League One. Fixtures release day is June 26 – so mark the date in your diary and see you at SJP.

Up the City!