Football Fundraising Ideas: How to Plan a Season That Pays for Your Kit

Most grassroots clubs don't run out of fundraising ideas. They run out of volunteers.

The same three parents run the raffle, bake for the cake stall and spend a Saturday in a car park with a bucket. By February they're tired, the kit fund is half full and the order deadline for next season is getting closer.

So this isn't another list of 30 football fundraising ideas. It's a plan. We supply custom kit to over 11,000 grassroots clubs across the UK, and the ones that hit their target usually do the same thing. They run a few income streams all season, two bigger events and some small extras, all worked back from the date the kit order goes in.

Key takeaways

• Start with your kit order date and one number, then work backwards.

• Build three layers: steady income all season, two anchor events and small extras.

• Choose ideas by how much effort they take, not by how fun they sound. • Ask businesses to fund something specific, not to "support the club".

Football fundraising ideas at a glance

Short on time? Here's every idea in this guide, sorted by the job it does and the effort it takes. The rest of the article explains how to fit them together.

Why one-off fundraisers fall short

One big event feels like progress. But it puts your whole target on one date, one weather forecast and one group of volunteers. If it rains or clashes with something, the season's budget goes too.

The best fundraising ideas for football clubs spread the load. Spreading income across the season means:

• Smaller asks of each family, more often
• Fewer volunteer hours at any one time
• Money arriving in time for deposits, not after the deadline

Step 1: Work backwards from your kit order date

Before you pick a single idea, answer two questions. It's the quickest answer to "how do we raise money for our football team?"

What are you buying, and what does it cost? Get a real quote, not a guess.

When does the order need to go in? Ask your supplier for the current lead time and count back from your first fixture. If you're with My Club Group, your account manager can confirm it. That date is your real deadline, not the first match.

Then break the number down. Example maths: a £2,400 target across four squads is £600 per squad. With 60 families, that's £40 each over the season, or about £5 a month. That's a much easier ask than £2,400.

Put the number and the date everywhere: WhatsApp groups, the clubhouse noticeboard and the match day PA. People give more when they know exactly what the money buys.

Step 2: Build three layers of income

Here are the money-raising ideas for football clubs that work, sorted by the job they do in your season.

Layer 1: Steady income all season

These earn every week with little extra effort once they're set up. They should cover a big share of your target.

• Match day refreshments. Hot drinks, bacon rolls and squash. Example maths: 40 drinks at £1.50 and 20 rolls at £3 make £120. Take off around £40 for stock and that's £80 a home game, or close to £1,000 over 12 home games. Have a card reader ready, because plenty of people don't carry cash.
• A club shop. Hoodies, training kit, beanies and replica shirts sold online all season, with a share going back to the club. No stock to hold and no stall to staff. Check whether your club qualifies for a free Club Shop.
• Kit sponsorship through Kit Funder. Kit Funder is a not-for-profit platform that matches grassroots clubs with local businesses that want to sponsor kit. It's free for clubs. Register once and let it find sponsors in the background while you get on with the season.
• A monthly club lottery or 100 club. Members pay a fixed amount each month for a numbered entry. Part of the money goes on prizes and the rest goes to the club. Check the [link: Gambling Commission guidance] first, as you may need to register with your local council depending on how tickets are sold.

Layer 2: Two anchor events

Pick two bigger events a season. Not five. Choose two you can run well and repeat next year, so each one gets easier.

• Five-a-side tournament (late spring or summer). Team entry fees, food and a sponsored trophy. It also helps recruit new players and volunteers. Plan six to eight weeks ahead and line up referees, first aid, a fixtures list and medals.
• Quiz night (winter). It's indoors, so the weather can't ruin it, and it brings in parents and grandparents who never come to games. Mix a football round and a club history round with general knowledge so everyone can join in.
• Alternatives: a sponsored 5K or walk in club colours, or a parents vs kids charity match.

Our view: run one outdoor event in summer and one indoor event in winter. That spreads the weather risk, and the long gap between them means families don't feel asked twice in a row.

Layer 3: Small extras

These ride on something you're already doing, so they shouldn't need their own volunteer team.

• A half-time raffle or 50/50 draw at home games
• A "beat the goalie" or crossbar challenge at £1 a go
• A score predictor for big televised matches
• A raffle on quiz night, with prizes donated by local businesses

What to skip

This is our opinion, and some clubs will disagree. But if your volunteers are stretched, these are the first things we'd cut.

• Car washes. They take a lot of effort, depend on the weather and tie up your older players for hours. They're good for team bonding but poor for raising money.
• Standalone bake sales. Great on the refreshments table, but hard work as an event of their own.
• Open-ended crowdfunding pages. Without a specific goal and someone pushing the link, they stall. If you run one, tie it to one item ("new goals for the U9s") and a deadline.
• Too many events. Three asks in six weeks makes families tune out. Space them across the season.

Step 3: Ask businesses for something specific

"Will you sponsor the club?" is easy to turn down. "Will you fund the U12s' new home shirts, with your logo on the front?" is much easier to say yes to.

Do it yourself or use Kit Funder? If someone at the club already knows local business owners, approach them directly using the steps below. If you don't have those contacts, or no one has time to chase them, register on Kit Funder and let it match you with businesses already looking to sponsor. Plenty of clubs do both.

• Know who to ask. Trades, cafés, garages and estate agents want to reach the families your club already reaches.
• Bring numbers. Number of players and families, average home attendance and social media followers.
• Offer tiers so smaller businesses can get involved: a programme ad, a pitchside banner, a training kit sleeve or the main shirt.
• Design for sponsors from the start. When you build your custom football kit in the kit builder, leave clean space on the front, back and sleeves. Then adding a sponsor later won't mean a redesign.
• Look after them. Share photos of players in the kit, tag the business on social media and send a short end-of-season note on what their money paid for.

For pitch templates and pricing tiers, read our guide to grassroots sponsorship.

A sample season plan

Here's how the three layers fit across a typical football season. Starting mid-season? Pick up from the current month and roll anything you miss into next season's target.

Show people where the money went

The easiest way to make next season's fundraising easier is to finish this one properly. Post a photo of the team in the new kit. Name your sponsors. Say what the refreshments stall paid for. Families give again once they've seen the result.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best fundraising idea for a small football club?

A match day refreshments stall. It needs no venue, runs every home game and takes little extra effort once the rota is set. Pair it with Kit Funder for sponsorship and you have two income streams running all season.

How do kids' football teams raise money for kit?

Mix steady income (refreshments and a club shop) with one or two family events and a named kit sponsor. Asking a local business to fund one squad's shirts is often the quickest route to a full kit. These fundraising ideas for kids' football teams work just as well for youth clubs across the UK.

How much can a grassroots football club raise in a season?

It depends on club size and how many volunteers you have, so set your target from your kit quote rather than from another club's total. As a guide, the example refreshments stall above could make close to £1,000 over 12 home games on its own.

Do we need a licence for a raffle or prize draw?

It depends on the type of draw and how tickets are sold. A raffle run during a single event is usually the simplest option. An ongoing lottery may need registering with your local council. Check the Gambling Commission guidancr before you start.

How do we find sponsors for our football club?

Start with local businesses whose customers are your club's families. Approach them with real numbers and a specific thing to fund. If you don't have the contacts, register on Kit Funder to be matched with businesses already looking to sponsor, and read our guide to grassroots sponsorship for more.

Got your target? Build the kit it's paying for

Set your number, choose your two anchor events and get your steady income running. Then design the kit everyone's working towards.

Design your kit in the kit builder 

Not ready to design yet? Get a quote or find a kit sponsor on Kit Funder.