TRAINING BIBS ÂŁ8 each inc. VAT Can have club logo printed Pay by instalments for larger orders, call Mat for details
Call: 0800 8 20 21 22 Email: mcourt@grassrootmedia.com
Contents 2 Grassroot Teamwear Cheap training bibs 4 MD’s Letter 5 Club Scarves Use clubscarves.com to make your club money by selling your very own personalised club scarves 6-7 Grassroot Teamwear If your cricket club is looking for new playing shirts you probably won’t be able to find them this cheap anywhere else 8 The Mug Shop Make money for your club by selling club mugs to your players, members & fans 9-10 Sports Psychology with David Harrison Get some tips to change the way you think about the game 11Club Photos Some of your photo’s from last month 12 & 14 Cricket Coaching with Andrew Beaven Time to look at your scorebooks from 2013... 13 Drill Board Use technology to make your football training sessions more effective 14 A Coach From Madrid One of the more random features we’ve run!
17 Michael’s Trophies Great offers on trophies from Michael’s 18-19 KB Cricket Check out the Stinger Bowling Machine for under £350! 20-21 Player fitness with Isaiah Barratt This month: individual fitness 22 Mindset Matters with Bernard Baines The most positive man I’ve ever met passes on some of thoughts to you 23-27 ESU Scoreboards What’s on the board, Miss Ford! 28-29 easyfundraising.org Easy & cost-free way to raise club funds 30 Twitter Directory See which clubs are where on Twitter 31-35 Grassroot Media Guide to... Well Colin Smith’s guide to fundraising ideas Colin gives you details on some interesting loopholes/ideas 32-33 Meadons Insurance Cricket club insurance from Meadons Insurance - piece of mind guaranteed 36 Pitchwise Pitch booking service that we think some clubs could benefit from
Grassroot Media Contacts Twitter @grassrootmedia Facebook.com/grassrootmedia LinkedIn search for Matthew Court Office telephone number 0800 8 20 21 22 Mathew Court’s email address mcourt@grassrootmedia.com
3
The MD’s Letter Hello and welcome to September’s magazine. It’s a bit light this month because of the changes I’ve made below and time issues. We’ve had another good month signing up new clubs and getting the grassroot opportunity out to more advertisers, the deal with BT Sport is coming to an end but I think everyone has done well out of it. The research we conducted on how the players have interacted with the posters has come in handy when I’ve been out selling to new advertisers and really does show a level of interaction that is surprisingly high for what is really a traditional media. I’m working on bringing on board a couple of really big council owned football & cricket facilities, one of which is arguably the biggest and most famous in the world, hopefully I’ll be able to announce something on this soon when we’ve signed the contracts. And this will be good news for all of us as the bigger the network is, the more people who see our posters which means we can build a higher level of demand for the poster frames which ultimately means more money per poster for you guys, the clubs. I’m still working on the football sales presentation template but haven’t been able to do too much on it this month as it’s been so busy but I promise I’ll get it out to you all soon. The cricket one has received good feedback so I’m using that as a start point rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m also starting to review some of the offers and articles you see in this magazine – you might see a few have disappeared – if you’ve got any ideas on what should be in here then drop me a line and I’ll see what I can do. If you know any businesses that want to be in here then get them to give me a shout - they don’t have to pay anything, all they have to do is offer our clubs a discount they cannot get elsewhere, it’s very much something to help you guys save money as opposed to making Grassroot Media loads. Lastly I’ve noticed we’re getting a few bounce backs when emailing out so if any of your details have changed (mainly email and postal addresses) then please drop us a line and I’ll get it updated.
4
Mat Court - MD
Flexible payment plans, spread the cost across the season or use your end of season Grassroot Media payments to pay for your kit - email or call Mat Court for details Long and short sleeves available Quotes from our product testers:
...the quality is excellent... ...comfortable, lightweight and look good... NOW IN SHORT SLEEVE TOO!!! Call: 0800 8 20 21 22
Style of print
Heat transferred club crest
Heat transferred crest and sponsor logo
Embroidered club crest, heat Embroidered transferred club crest sponsors logo
Cost per shirt exc. VAT and exc. delivery Cost per shirt inc. VAT exc. Delivery
11.80 14.16 14.16 16.99
13.57 15.93 16.28 19.12
Email: mcourt@grassrootmedia.com
MAKE MONEY FOR YOUR CLUB BY SELLING CLUB MUGS TO PLAYERS, FANS AND MEMBERS Here’s a quick Q&A with Brinley, the owner of The Mug Shop: Q. Can you give us a step by step guide as to how we get our football or cricket club logo & name on to a batch of mugs? A: Firstly compile good quality digital copy/s of the image/s you want to use on your mug design. If you are familiar with Photoshop visit the "Design your own mug" section of the Mug-shop.co.uk website and download the relevant PSD template and create your design. Alternatively, if you need assistance creating your design then email your images to design@mug-shop.co.uk along with a design brief of your requirements and they will create it for you. Once your design has been created you can go online and upload your design when placing your order using the "Design your own mug" section of the website, remembering to enter the 10% discount code GRASS during the checkout process. Q. If we have a sponsor can we add their logo on to our mugs? A: Yes! Designs can incorporate any image combinations so for example you could have your logo on one side and a sponsors on the other. Q. How long does the process take from start to finish? A: If you already have a completed design the turnaround is usually 5 days. Q. How long have you been making mugs? A: Since 2002 Q. How is the best way to get in touch? A: Email is our preferred method of communication using the address: design@mug-shop.co.uk
Sports psychology Control Controllables Football
the in
I want to start this month’s article by saying how much I am enjoying writing this monthly piece. I hope you are taking something from them. The focus of this month’s article continues to build on the previous articles around belief, confidence and awareness and is a term that is essential if you want to improve the mental side of your game. This term is Control the Controlables and I will give an overview of the term and its importance and then using a football example as well as linking it to the previous articles. During a game of football you need to remain focused on Controlling the Conrollables. This means
taking care of business in your respective game. It’s about concentrating on only the simple things that you can control. The focus should be on things you can do that collectively will get the desired result at the end of the 90 minutes of football. You can’t control your opponents or even your team mates so be aware of them or even disregard; they really are not as important so focus on the things you can control. Just go out and just play football, just like you used to do as a child playing in the park. It’s playing without thinking. This is something you can control. You can control your mindset, your belief and your confidence and the other aspects of your performance but you can’t control the result of the game. If you control the controllables then the result should take care of itself. With regard to your mind-set you need to go out and play to win as opposed to playing not to lose.
9
There is a difference. Playing not to lose against teams that are playing just for pride could be a disaster just as much as a disaster if you play with a focus on things you can't control. For example if you concentrate on the other team’s star player you will shift your focus onto something you can’ control which will reduce your chances of winning. Playing to win, on the other hand, will see you concentrating on the things needed to win the game, attacking your opponents and stopping your opponents from playing. So next time you play focus on the controllables, be aware of the things you can only influence and disregard the things in the football environment that you have no control like the weather or the
10
crowd. You can control your mindset and your beliefs so working on these are within your sphere of control and will give you the best chances of a positive result. I am a BASES Accredited Sport Scientist in sport psychology and I am based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and my company is Pinnacle Performance (www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk). I work with a number of different sports and believe self-belief is the most important aspect of the mind and I work extensively on this with my athletes. We will continue our understanding of improving your mental skills next month. If you have any questions then please get in touch.
I miscalculated the number of pages this month so here are some of the great photo’s you guys sent in to help me with the football club sales presentation!
Andrew Beaven In his new regular column Andrew Beaven from The Twenty20 Cricket Company looks at how the scorebook you’re about to pack away for the close season could help you next year...
The scorebook never lies... As the season comes to a close, most clubs will want to publish their individual averages. Everyone wants to see the numbers, either to see how well they have performed in the chase for end of season awards, or to bemoan their poor form/bad luck/run-ins with umpires. But the scorebook can tell you a lot more about the season than just who scored most runs on a Sunday, and whose bowling average topped 50. You can use the stats to start to get ahead for next season, if you know where to look. Consider this (hypothetical) example - on the Club's home ground last season, 4 league games (out of 16 completed matches, 1st and 2nd XIs combined) were won by the team batting first, 8 by the team batting
12
second, one tie and three draws. The average winning score, batting first, was 210. When games were won by the team batting second, the average first innings' score was 230. Run aggregates were 10-15% higher in games won by the team batting second. So - on a low-scoring day, perhaps you really should consider batting first. Check back over the last few seasons, if you can. It could be that conditions last year were unusual...or you might see the same trends, year after year. Now, it is quite possible that everyone at the Club already
"knows" when to bat first -"if there was rain on Friday night, bat first, because the pitch will only get worse after tea"...but do we always believe Club "folk lore"? You can use the stats to formalise local knowledge (or to disprove it). For those captains who would rather follow a hunch, hard numbers might just point the way towards a more rational strategy...even if it does confirm Cub folk lore! Of course, there might not be an obvious pattern in your match results and scores, and your interpretation of the stats might point you to a very different conclusion. And, as they say in all of the adverts for financial services, past performance is no guarantee of future results. But why not take a look back at the scorebooks, to see what you can find. And more important than the numbers themselves is the time your Club captains and Cricket Committee take to talk through the season, and to use the winter to prepare for next year. Andrew Beaven is Area Co-ordinator for The Twenty20 Cricket Company, you find more information on how Andrew and the other coaches can help your club at their website: www.twenty20cricketcompany.com
14
A coach from Madrid By Matthew Court
Last month I quite randomly got chatting to a football coach from Madrid, Josean Gómez, and I liked his views on football and his drive and desire to come over to the UK to further his football career and learnings. He’s had some pretty good experience in Italy and Spain, including Atletico Madrid and in AC Milan’s academy and he also has quite a bit of experience on the analyst side of the game. I said I’d try to help him out in any way that I could – I’d like to think I’m a good judge of character and he really came across well when I was chatting with him, so I said I would pop his CV in the next issue of the magazine. So, please take a second to have a look at his CV which is on the next couple of pages and if you, your club or anyone else you know could be interested in him and what he does, please drop him a line.
Football Trophies from £2.60 each
Cricket Trophies from £2.87 each
Trophy Cups from £4.04 each
Glass Awards from £3.19 each
Crystal Awards from £6.74 each
Medals from £0.71 each
7.5% DISCOUNT, FREE ENGRAVING ON CENTRE PLATES AND FREE CENTRE DISKS FOR ALL GRASSROOT MEDIA CLUBS To make a purchase with the discount please call Andreas on 07852 895114 for priority service
Web: www.michaelstrophies.co.uk Telephone: 020 7735 2386 Michael’s Trophies & Engraving - a family run business since 1962
A BOWLING MACHINE FOR ONLY £340? At KB Cricket we have developed The Stinger5000. We think it is a great alternative to other bigger brand machines costing over five times as much Safer for Juniors/Adults to face and operate 12-volt power supply, softer balls, Simple to adjust line and length and the height of the machine, fully adjustable speed control 0 to 70mph
Greater Mobility Easy to assemble and disassemble, light weight and fits into any goodsized kit bag, perfect for transporting to schools, leisure centres and Cricket Clubs
SPECIAL OFFER FOR GRASSROOT MEDIA CLUBS: Buy A Stinger5000 and receive
“The Stinger5000 fires deliveries that will test the most experienced batman as well as having the means to build confidence and practice and learn new batting techniques for the younger or less experienced batmen.”
M Jarrod, Level 3 Coach ‘I am pleased to say that I have bought the Stinger 5000 that I consider to be the most valuable coaching tool I have ever used. It is fun for the children and is useful for all facets of cricket. A great tool
£30 WORTH OF BALLS Sidmar ,Western Australia More reviews available online ABSOLUTELY FREE www.kbcricket.co.uk kevin@kbcricket @kbcricket Tel. 07500 186767
Q&A with the Inventor of the Stinger5000, Kevin Bandy Q. Is the Stinger suitable for adult batting practice? A. Yes it is,; as a keen cricketer myself I know there is nothing like the feel of leather on willow but the stingers accuracy, pace & bounce is a great work out for the most experienced club cricketer Q. What balls will the Stinger5000 fire? A. The recommended balls are the GM-FB ball (more suited for the junior batsman) and a basic tennis ball (improved pace & bounce) and other balls include the Slaz Ball, swing king ball, diegest balls, DF junior ball, Incrediballs and all similar balls –no leather balls Q. What piece of mind will I receive after purchasing the stinger? A. The Stinger range of bowling machine is manufactured by an established UK company and comes with 18 months warranty as well as a full back up service. Q. How reliable is the Stinger? A. The machine comes with a manual and if the few basic instructions are followed you will have many years of maintenance free use Q. Why can’t it deliver at speeds 90mph+? A. Very few if any club bowlers bowl at 90mph+ and the stingers top speed will test the most experienced club batsman Q. How do I power the Stinger5000? A. A 12-volt power supply is required, any 12-volt battery or a mains transformer will do, and both are available from the KB Cricket Website Q. How safe is the Stinger5000? A. It is perfectly safe. To ensure the well being of the machine and its users it comes with a manual, safety instructions and a completed risk assessment
Stingers In Action
Bowling Machine Accessories Auto feeders starting at Balls starting at Spring back stumps Sealed 12 volt Battery Mains Power Supply Plastic Stumps Stinger Bag
£79 £1 £35 £42 £60 £12 £26
Scan the QR code below or search for STINGER VIDEO CRICKET to see the Stinger in action
SCAN ME! www.kbcricket.co.uk kevin@kbcricket @kbcricket Tel. 07500 186767
Player Fitness Isaiah Barratt In his player fitness column this month, Isaiah Barratt looks at individual fitness that should benefit each of your players.
This month I will be talking about individual fitness for players and how you can improve your endurance, speed and agility levels and also how to burn some fat. Individual fitness is so important due to the current society where sedentary lifestyle is at all time high, once you stop exercising you start to lose 10% strength and fitness every week. Regular exercise will help maintain the performance of your lungs and heart and promote and keep your weight under control. Exercise will help improve your strength and endurance levels but remember that your body is designed to adapt quickly, so it is always good to change up your routine whether it is on a training field, at home or in the gym. Try new ways in which to push your body to the limit. Individual training can be hard at times you may feel unmotivated and feel you are getting no where in terms of progress with your fitness, the best way to help motivate you and to make sure you start seeing results is to be consistent with your training, take it
20
slow progress week by week towards your goals and make sure that your preparation is spot on e.g. warm up and pre-stretching. Think about setting a long term goal, once you have that. Set your weekly goals that will help progress you to your 8-12 week goal For example, lose half a stone, increase muscle mass by 4kg or run a half marathon. A great way to improve ones own fitness would be interval training, as this is great way to improve your VO2max and lactic threshold levels. Which in basic term means that you will be able to train at high intensity levels for longer And, with footballers they need that speed to able to stop and suddenly move again to generate that speed and power to keep up with defender, midfielders and strikers. Interval work at ratios Example, Run:Walk 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1 So what ever time or distance you choose to use as your ‘EFFORT’ then make sure your recovery time is as mentioned with the ratios above, and at a reduced speed to drop your heart rate down into the fat burning zone
45%-65%MHR TABATA is a type of interval method you can try when exercising and lasts for four minutes with eight intervals in total lasting 20secs going flat out followed by a 10sec recovery period. This training can be done using weights but make sure it is not too heavy and you can actually complete the circuits. You can use this for any type of exercise Running/jogging, swimming, biking and skipping etc. Here is a good little routine for you to try and believe me I have done this and it is not easy but remember pushing your body is what makes you improve as a athlete.
Hill Sprints 1.Find yourself a steep hill preferably the steepest hill in your area/town. 2.Place your water bottle at the starting position at the bottom of the hill. 3.Set your self a marker that you think you can achieve by sprinting up the hill quite comfortably. 4.Run up the hill ‘flat out’ knees high, driving with your arms. 5.Walk back down the hill, deep breaths to drop that heart rate down. 6.Once at the bottom, repeat step 4 but this time set your self a marker further than the last one, run it! 7.Step 2 is set in place, so that you have to walk back down the hill to have a drink of water. Then your back at the starting position. 8.Keep repeating by setting a new marker beyond the last one then sprint further each time till tired or you reach the top. Try this routine and see how fast your fitness improves, if you need anymore advice or just want general information about fitness then get in touch through my email address Isaiahbarratt@gmail.com Thank you for reading, Isaiah Barratt, Personal trainer at Train4health
21
Mindset Matters with Bernard Baines Bernard Baines looks at what can put and keep you in the right mindset to be more effective in whatever you’re doing, whether it be at work, in the clubhouse or on the pitch. Mindset Matters...
The two wolves inside... Do you sometimes think positively and sometimes negatively? Join the gang - it seems to be part of the human condition. But, in day to day life, can you choose which one dominates? Here’s a story that has been attributed to the Native American Cherokee Indians. The story is about a young boy who tells his grandfather that he is feeling very angry and upset. The grandfather explains to the boy that he too sometimes feels very angry but also that he sometimes feels very happy.
The grandfather says it is as if there are two wolves battling inside him. One is very angry, aggressive and acts out of fear. The other wolf is happy, playful, and only wants to cooperate and live in peace. But the two wolves are constantly battling inside. The boy asks, “Which wolf wins?” And the grandfather replies, “The one I feed.” ©Bernard Baines 2013
As a trainer and life coach Bernard Baines helps individuals and teams achieve what they want to achieve by developing a positive mindset. bernard@mindsetmatters.co.uk www.mindsetmatters.co.uk
22
What’s on the board... This month ESU talk about their custom scoreboards – everyone can get involved now!
Custom Scoreboards Here at ESU we specialise in custom scoreboards - whether it be a new build, conversion, or refurbishment and whatever the shape or size!
Conversion Horspath CC had a scoreboard fitted with telegraph numbers and wanted to convert to an electronic system. The scorebox fascia was basically sound so all that needed to be done was to glaze the existing apertures with anti-glare polycarbonate and some wooden beading. The LED digits were then fitted and a coat of paint and new signboards completed the transformation. Some clubs have enough space to add extra categories , for instance Wakefield Thornes CC decided that they also wanted to include Batsman’s numbers, so as well as glazing the existing apertures new ones were added.
North Crawley above, Stafford below
Pre-glazed frame Where existing apertures are difficult to glaze we can make and supply preglazed frames to simplify the process. They also have the necessary mountings to fit the digits to.
23
Horspath CC before & after Refurbishment Where conversion isn’t an option, but a scorebox with a sound structure already exists, it can normally be simply fitted with a new fascia. Our carpenters can build and install this, but we find that most clubs have members with the skills to do it which will please the treasurer as it will save the club money! As you can see, Fives and Heronians CC scorebox was in need of some TLC - we gave them detailed drawings and instructions for the construction and kept in touch to ensure that everything went according to plan. We recommend that 15/18 mm good quality exterior WBP ply is used and that it is painted with Sadolin or Bedec’s excellent product called barn paint.
Fives & Heronians CC before & after
Beaded, glazed aperture... And in section
Apertures are cut out for the digits and a softwood frame fitted on the inside (the digits will be fixed to this). A bead of silicone sealant is run round the frame and the polycarbonate is embedded in this before fixing all round on the outside with quadrant or glazing bead. More silicone sealant is used to ensure the apertures are watertight before fixing the beading. Once this has been done, we come along and fit the digits and electronics.
New Builds Clubs should speak to us and to the local planning department before embarking on a new build project. We recommend that construction is undertaken by a local contractor, albeit in conjunction with our own carpenters. South Wilts CC were redeveloping the facilities at their Lower Bemerton Ground and thanks to a grant from the Southern Electric Premier League Development Trust Fund were able to include a new scorebox. We worked with them to come up with a suitable design and provided drawings for them to submit for planning permission and for their builders to work from. Once planning permission was received and the weather allowed, building work began. You can see from these pictures how this progressed. The construction was completed quickly and we were able to fit the scoreboard kit and signs and everything was up and running in under five weeks! The club celebrated the official opening of the box with a convincing 194 run win over their Premier Division rivals Lymington.
The official opening of South Wilts CC scorebox
25
Birkby Rose Hill CC wanted to build a new scorebox and had seen a picture of the Henley CC scorebox on the ESU website which was just what they were looking for. We provided them with drawings so that they were able to get planning permission and following discussions and site meetings the final design and layout was agreed. The scorebox was quite shallow, with the rear wall being built from brick, which meant that the fascia needed to accessible from the front of the box to allow the electronic kit to be installed. ESU came up with a design for the fascia which divided it into three hinged panels to accommodate both the desired scoreboard layout and allow the digits to be fitted. The new scorebox was completed in mid-April in plenty of time for the club’s first match of the season. To have a look at some of our other scoreboards or find one near you go to our website: www.electronicscoreboardunits.com and click on the link to the map of locations. From now until the end of December we will be happy to make a no obligation site visit and provide Grassroot Media clubs with a quotation valid into 2014. Additionally for clubs who place an order before the end of the year we will be offering incentives such as half price signage and discounted TCS facilities kits.
www.electronicscoreboardunits.com
Twitter Directory Birmingham County FA: @birminghamfa Bosham FC: @boshamfc Bronze CC: @bronzeCC Clifton CC: @cliftoncricket Clifton CC ground: @cliftonccdevt Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club: @OfficialCDGFC Epping CC: @EppingCC Gateshead Fell CC: @gatesheadfellcc Hailsham Cricket Club: @hailshamcc1871 Marsden CC: @cuckooscricket Old Parkonians Association: @oldparks Old Parkonians FC: @oldparksfc Parkfield Amateur AFC: @parkfieldafc South Loughton CC: @southloughtoncc Southgate Compton CC: @sccricketclub Stapleton CC: @stapletoncc Steeple Langford CC: @steeplelangford Sussex County FA: @sussexcountyfa Tynedale CC:@tynedalecc Westinghouse CC: @westinghousecc Whickham CC: @whickhamcc Winterbourne CC: @winterbournecc Worlington CC: @worlingtoncc Worthing FC @official_w_f_c
30
List your club’s Twitter account in here so everyone else can get following you. Only those clubs that are members of the network like yours are allowed on this list. To get listed just drop Mat a note at mcourt@grassrootmedia .com or on Twitter @grassrootmedia Grassroot Media recommends: @birminghamfa @fvhtweets @michaelsengrave @sussexcountyfa @meadonscricket @4grants @chance2shine
Guide to... Some fundraising ideas from Colin Smith at Elvington & Tilmanstone CWCC Colin Smith got in touch with some ideas on how he has got more money coming in to Elvington & Tilmanstone. They won’t be for every club’s situation, but have a read & see if they work for you. Please don’t take this is as legal advice or anything, it’s just one club explaining how they do it.
Develop A Return Income For Your Club In these tough financial times that we are experiencing it can be difficult to sustain amateur sports clubs within the community. Finance is a standard agenda item at every committee meeting commonly known as the treasurer’s report, and at my club’s meetings, closely followed by fundraising. These are always vital items in maintaining and more importantly progression and improvement of the club in general. Obviously improvements can range from paying for coaching fees, course fees, buying a piece of equipment, honours board etc. but they all need finance. We all want to progress our clubs and I’m sure you’ve all come across committee members who have negative attitudes. The best way to deal with these people is to try and convert them into a positive way of thinking. A ‘can do’ approach will at least mean you might go down
swinging instead of taking the easy option of ‘we can’t do that’. Not easy but trying to progress is the key. Also try to get over the fact that what you are trying to achieve is to enjoy what you are doing. How do you do this? I will now tell you about some of the lessons I have learned. By the way all of my experiences have been educational and invaluable for future reference. A return income for your club is vital providing a sense of security and well being. When I joined my local cricket club committee as the fundraiser three seasons ago they had £48 in their account, very few assets, bills to pay and had been nearly bankrupt twice by former members running off with the subs. It wasn’t good but what I recognized within my club was something you can probably all relate to. The people of the committee were good people who wanted the best for not only their club but the local community. I liked this and became very good friends instantly with four of the then six committee members.
31
These included a Policeman, a builder, a school site manager and a ground working manager. It personally helped me that I liked these people. It made me want to help them with my knowledge of fundraising, which at the time was limited. However I soon learned of funding opportunities by researching opportunities.
all these miles together and then multiplied by 60p per mile per car. This figure worked out at:
One of these is applying to become a community amateur sports club ( CASC). This is a government registered scheme administered by H.M.Revenue and Customs.
4. You can pay your groundsman and get him to donate it back to the club. For example if you pay him £1,000 for the season and he donates it back you can claim £250 in gift aid from HMRC. Obviously your groundsman has to realise that is the arrangement or we’ll all be bankrupt but this is on the ECB website as a top tip for claiming gift aid. So don’t be scared do it – I did and it got paid by HMRC.
What are the main benefits of this scheme for your club? 1. For cricket clubs and lots of other sports clubs the main benefits are you can claim gift aid on all donations made to your club. 2. Your club will also be eligible for a 80% reduction in rates. 3.You can claim gift aid on reasonable travelling expenses to away games for your team members and club officials. For example my club had ten away games last season taking four cars to each game. These were players and a couple of club officials. Each car therefore had four people in them. This means you can claim 60p per mile travelled per car. At the end of the season we worked out the overall mileage using Google Maps ( just key in start postcode of your club and the destination of each away fixture and it tells you the mileage). We then added
34
402 miles travelled x 60 p = £241.20 multiplied by 4 cars = £964.80 Gift aid claimed@25% = £241.20
These four main benefits alone will provide any registered club with a regular return income. The registration of your club can be completed on line, full details on the HMRC website, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/casc/casc_g uidance.htm, and you will need to make sure your Club Constitution fits the criteria before you send it off. Do not send it if it doesn’t. If your Constitution needs amending arrange for a Special General Meeting and change it – then send it off with the new amendment.
Once you are registered you will have a designated person usually the Treasurer or fundraiser who will be responsible for making an annual claim for rate relief or gift aid. This year HMRC made claiming gift aid simpler by proving a gift aid schedule on line accessed from their website. I used the schedule this year and claimed £307 of eligible gift aid, taking me five minutes to complete. Two weeks later the money was paid directly into our account by HMRC. Everyone can spare five minutes can’t they.
Now you might be thinking £307 doesn’t seem a lot but we have one team at our club and as I said earlier I am learning as I go – as you will. Next year I expect our gift aid claim to be over £600 as I am getting better at claiming and can recognise more eligible funds. As I say we are a small club but £600 is worth having. We don’t pay rates the £600 is purely claimed from eligible expenses and sponsorship donations. If you follow these simple guidelines you will soon develop a regular return income for your club and their other sources of funding within the gift aid scheme that your club might qualify for. The key word in all of this to remember is DONATION. You must clearly show this in your audited accounts and even ask your auditor to flag eligible donations for
gift aid. This is in case of a HMRC audit of accounts, which is rare. You also have to have a signed gift aid certificate for donations above £20. The gift aid form is on the HMRC website. It’s easy to do and claiming once registered is simple. Some things in life are worth more than money but when you can help your local sports club like this it’s a great feeling. My main role at my club is fundraiser and their is no better feeling than putting a huge smile on the committee members faces when you deliver your committee agenda item if you have something positive to contribute, like a donation that is eligible for gift aid or a new grant awarded to your club. The reason I joined my club was because I recognised that the committee were good people who perhaps lacked a little no how. I have learned to overcome ‘no’ and find out ‘ how’ and we are now in a strong financial position with over £1,600 balance at year end, with no outstanding bills in the space of three seasons. This is not all down to gift aid but it has helped and it is return income.
The club also has many assets mainly obtained from grants. This is my real passion in life and something I can tell you about another time. Colin Smith Fundraiser Elvington & Tilmanstone CWCC
35