Use accounting software to ensure that you can enter all of the receipt and payments that your club makes as efficiently as possible. Recognising that this work is usually undertaken by committed volunteers we want to make the process as quick and painless as possible. England Football have partnered with Xero to offer Accredited Clubs a free six month subscription with more information available here and a short YouTube video here.

There was once a time where finance would fall on one person at the club to manage. Whilst this means that there was responsibility for finance related matters in a modern and progressive football club this workload should be shared. This means making as many senior officers as possible aware of financial matters in order to help them make an informed decision based on the current position of the club.

Have you ever heard a coach say how much they enjoyed chasing around for subs at the start of a session?

Assuming the answer is no, we can look at better ways to ensure the club doesn’t lose out on membership payments. There are some quick and easy ways we can do this such as ensure standing orders or direct debits are set up or having a portable card machine at the clubhouse to allow quick payments rather than searching around for cash. It might even be worth looking at integrated membership packages which will help ensure payments and memberships are done with the minimum of fuss.

The dreaded finance reports may not be understood by everyone. With some translating from finance jargon into football language along with some context of commentary provided by your treasurer this can really help bring the numbers to life. Accounts and bookkeeping are a history book based on things that have already happened, but it can give vital information on where we need to concentrate efforts (such as looking for sponsors or cutting back on certain expenses) or at the very least provide a good basis of what future months or seasons can offer. It might give an indication of which part of the clubs are losing money and which parts are supporting the rest of the club.

Often, we continue on our merry way ordering from the same supplier because hassle free,  easy and prices have only gone up a little bit here and there. It could be worth spending a small amount of time to check items you order regularly against other suppliers as it may be that their prices are better value than your existing suppliers. It is worth doing this every year to ensure you aren’t overspending when good quality items are available at better price points.

The traditional sponsorship model is probably feeling a bit strained as local businesses also feel the pinch coming to terms with the increased cost of living, increased labour costs and overheads. However, most people still want to support community-based organisations such as your club where possible - but you may need to think a bit differently about how you approach that. This could include things like festivals, putting on volunteer workshops, ground improvement days. Remember if a volunteer can give time and help for jobs that would otherwise cost to do, that still has a positive impact on the finances.

Clubs often have a brilliant vision of where we want to be in two, three, five or even ten years’ time. It might be that this has to be reviewed due to financial pressures or other external factors. Each season it is worth reflecting on this vision and identifying the steps needed to move one step closer to achieving it. These might be straight forward things but keep you on a positive path all whilst dealing with the day-to-day challenges