Treasurers Update: July 24
July was a momentous month for Nuneaton Town Football Club as we achieved one of our initial aims - to play football! Those of you who followed the club throughout preseason will know that it was hugely successful on the pitch. However, the fact that all the games were played away brought us a financial challenge. Home preseason fixtures are an important source of income for football clubs as all gate receipts and other income from the games are incurred with very little cost, as non-league clubs do not pay players during this. A second financial challenge that happened during July was that our crowd funder fell £1,500 short of its £6,000 target. With hindsight we should have perhaps launched this back in April, as it was difficult to communicate its purpose across to the fans, having set out to cover the cost of setting up the club in lieu of any share capital.
On the positive side we had several things going in our favour. As part of the crowd funder, we had several offline donations that took the total above the online total of £2,020. We have also received donations outside of the crowd funder from variety of individuals some of which have no connection to the club or even the local area. We would like to thank these individuals, along with all who contributed.
We also ran two successful market days during the month, where fans could purchase season tickets, merchandise, sign up for the 200 club and have a general chat about the newly reformed club. This also gave us a great visual presence in town and enabled us to reach people who were unaware of what we were doing or even that the club had reformed at all. We also had a superb launch party at the Attleborough Sport Club, which sold out. The tickets and the raffle at the party raised more than £3000 for the club.
July was also an important month for season tickets, and I'm pleased to say we exceeded our target of 100 season ticket holders. This has given us a solid financial base for the season. Thank you to all who have committed to the club by purchasing season tickets this season, especially as many would not have got the full benefit of their season ticket for the last season under Nuneaton Borough and shows enormous trust in what we are doing.
In terms of costs, alongside the preseason matches, players have been taken part in preseason training. With limited access to the Oval during pre-season, we had to procure training facilities appropriate for the needs of the squad. As The Oval as a 3G surface, it was important that the players had training time on a similar pitch, and we've spent around £300 in providing access to such a facility. We've also paid our league competition fees and affiliation fees for the forthcoming season Including the £300 bond.
Overall, we head into the new season exactly where we had planned to be financially and I would like to thank everyone who's contributed to this.
What to expect in August
August is where it gets real, as the club takes part in its first ever competitive matches. Anyone who has seen the fixture list will note that the league is heavily front loaded in August and September, with 16 games overall and nine of those in August alone. This includes 4 home games, one of which being the historic first competitive game between Nuneaton Town and Nuneaton Griff. The biggest financial unknown during this month will be the amount of support we have at these home games. The club's first home game against Paget Rangers will be key to gauging where we are in terms and those reading this will already know the answer.
We will also be paying our playing squad for the first time. It's worth reiterating that our playing budget is based upon an average home support from 200 fans per game across the season. As we have now over 100 season ticket holders, this means we need less than 100 supporters per game paying on the gate to maintain our budget. It's also worth reiterating that any further support above 200 fans will not be used to increase the playing budget. As previously announced the funds generated from this additional level of support will be ringfenced for our “Back to Nuneaton” campaign. This is hugely important commitment and gives fans the confidence that their attendance money is being put towards a worthwhile cause – one that I am sure is front and centre in everyone’s thoughts. Your support is now crucial, for example, if we were to average 500 fans per game this season, we will be able to contribute around £40,000 into the “Back to Nuneaton” pot. I would therefore encourage as many fans as possible to attend games as this will help achieve our most important goal as well as making a great atmosphere!
Back to Nuneaton Update
We’ve currently ringfenced £1383 into the pot, coming from the contribution from season ticket sales and fan donations made specifically for this purpose. As mentioned above, match entry fees above 200 attendance averaged across the season, plus £1 from every turnstile entry will also be added to the fund.
Next month, I’ll explain some more about why our initial target is £25,000, what comes next after we reach £25,000 (yes, more money will be needed!) and how our club structure is important to achieving our goal.
How can I help?
There are several ways that fans and local businesses can help support the club:
· Support the club by attending games.
· Join the NBSC 200 club. This is a great way of supporting the club financially, whilst give you the chance to win monthly cash prizes.
· Join the Nuneaton Borough Supporters Co-operative. Not only will you be helping the Co-op fulfil its duty as part owner of the club, you will be able to hold the Co-op board members and club officials appointed by the Co-op to account (including me). Look out for further information about the new season membership drive and further information on how you can get involved in both the Co-op and the club.
· If you are a local business and would like to become a sponsor, reach out to commercial@nuneatontownfc.co.uk to discuss taking one of our great packages.
