Being financially secure at a grassroots level is extremely important for the future of your local football club.
With costs rising across the board since the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable action may need to be made for local clubs to survive.
Here is a list of suggestions that your club can follow to improve the financial security of your operations moving forward.
- Apply for all funding grants that are available for your club
It is paramount to ensure your club applies for all available funding opportunities through governing bodies or councils, as it can provide necessary financial support for infrastructure projects, the operations of the club and the implementation of sports development programs.
Whilst the application process may be extensive and take considerable time for results to occur, applying for these grants can also build relationships with the groups who are providing the funding and also increase your reputation in the local community.
- Utilise volunteers effectively
Managing volunteers who are involved with the club is another way to help the financial situation at your club. Volunteers are the heartbeat of any grassroots club and many clubs utilise a large amount of them to run their operations.
It is important to keep volunteers motivated and committed to their task – which in turn will reduce costs associated with hiring paid staff.
It may also be wise to introduce a volunteer coordinator who looks after the recruitment and retention of volunteers on a regular basis.
The money saved on this can be invested back into the club, in other areas that will be much more appreciated.
- Attract local sponsors and advertisers/conduct fundraisers or clinics
Attracting sponsors and advertisers is a crucial income stream for your local club.
Approaching local businesses in your club’s area is a strategic way to find sponsors, as both parties would find mutual benefits from the association.
Alongside this, encouraging club members to partake in fundraisers or running clinics are other excellent ways to help boost the coffers of your local club.
Clinics, for example, can be run in the school holiday period for children in the local area and could lead to further sign-ups and revenue for your club down the track.
Fundraisers can also be a great excuse to get the local community and members of the football club get together to support a greater cause.
- Determine and plan the areas in which you will utilise funding
Organising when and what you will spend money on in your club is vital to ensure resources are allocated correctly.
Planning to spend funding on areas such as football equipment or for maintenance on clubrooms, for example, can save money in the future by preventing costly repairs down the line.
Considerable spending on areas such as player development can also improve the overall club performance and may expose your club to further commercial opportunities in the future.
- Establish a plan for facility sustainability
Facilities are an essential part of the fabric of a local football club.
The costs of either renting or maintaining certain parts of a club’s facilities – such as pitches, changing rooms and clubrooms, can end up being a significant expense.
Effective management of these facilities can help reduce costs – whether through methods such as stronger negotiation tactics on rental agreements or reducing light/energy usage at your club’s ground.
Introducing a wide array of food and beverage options in your club’s canteen, for instance, can lead to further revenue that can be reinvested into the clubrooms, where your canteen is located.
- Manage assets effectively
Clubs may own or lease equipment including balls, nets, goalposts, training gear and so forth – so it is important that effective maintenance and replacement schedules are implemented.
This helps cut down on costs of equipment failure or on the need to always purchase new equipment when not necessary.
It is important to establish a proactive framework to avoid any surprises when costs are incurred or to hopefully avoid them all together.
In conclusion, these are just a number of ways to have some sort of control over the long-term financial sustainability of your local football club.
For further tips and tricks – feel free to get in touch and sign your local football club up to the Football Pro Directory business platform here.
