Treasurers Update: September 24
September saw Nuneaton Town scheduled to play seven games – five away and two only at home, and therefore we expected to incur a loss during the month. However, the level of loss was less than expected. My prediction in the last monthly update was for expenditure to exceed revenue to the tune of £5,000 to £7,000. The good news is that, due to some strong sponsorship income and donations from supporters and other organisations, the loss came in at just over £3,000. The “Year to Date” profit fell to £42,435, down from £45,454, which is still a very healthy position to be in.
In non-league football, single monthly loss is not poor financial performance – a club plans its finances across the entire season and how that plays out within the season on a month-by-month basis depends on factors beyond a club’s control. The biggest of these is where the fixtures fall. Ideally, home games would be equally spread out across the months of the season, but that isn’t always the case. As mentioned before, the key for clubs in managing this situation, particularly those run on a semi-professional basis, is to build up working capital through season ticket sales and sponsorship before the season starts, as well as not over-committing on costs.
During September, we had 561 supporters come through the turnstiles over the two home games, and average of 280 per game. Both games were evening kick offs, and one was impacted by weather and a clash with an England game. It’s important to note that these were the last of the scheduled evening home games of the season, and we expect Saturday attendances to continue at least the level seen in August. The last game of the month saw our furthest away trip, to AFC Bridgnorth, and the club laid on two coaches. The intention behind this was to encourage as many fans as possible to attend the game and therefore ticket costs were kept low. However, as all tickets were sold, we were able to contribute £175 to the Back to Nuneaton fund.
As mentioned earlier, along with sponsorship, the club is also continuing to receive donations from various sources. Alongside the continued support of the Nuneaton Town Supporters Co-operative through the 200 club, we also received donations from the From Town to Town organisation, who have been auctioning surplus memorabilia with proceeds going to the club. This has raised over £500 to date, and our thanks go to those assisting in this, notably Kevin Brown and John Hobson.
In terms of expenditure, we incurred £10,038 in direct costs during August, which covered:
FIVE playing weeks players and coaches remuneration.
Matchday ground hire
Training facility hire
Physio fees and equipment costs
Playing and Training Kit additions and replacements
Matchday security and safety costs
Matchday volunteer Equipment costs
Matchday Officials fees and expenses
Post-match catering costs (required to be provided be the league)
Merchandise cost of sales
Programme printing and matchday fundraising ticket costs.
Coach hire costs
The two postponed games (Bilston and Gornal) had minimal impact on playing costs, as we had other games in each of the game weeks.
We also incurred administrative expenses of £444, which include items such as:
Website hosting costs
The subscription to the club’s finance system (Xero)
Payroll processing costs
Printing and stationary costs
Transaction fees charged by payment platforms (Sum-up & Stripe)
It should be noted that many admin expenses are covered by donations from supporters and volunteers, these donations are included in the overall turnover section. The admin expenses that aren’t covered by supporter and volunteer donations are met from the proceeds of the 200 club, and any surplus from this goes towards meeting the ancillary costs of playing football – safety equipment, volunteer expenses and other “off the field” costs. This is why 200 Club is so vital, as it frees up funds for the business of playing football and, of course, building up the “Back to Nuneaton” fund.
What to expect in October
October has three home games and three away games, across 4 game weeks, and therefore we expect to either break even or make a modest profit in the month. One of these matches is a Birmingham County FA Floodlit Cup at home against Coventry Copsewood, and as this game wasn’t included in our original budget and the game (under competition rules) is “all pay”, we will take the opportunity to commit all net proceeds (after match expenses) from the game to the “Back to Nuneaton” fund. This makes it an excellent opportunity for supporters to swell the coffers!
Back to Nuneaton Update
How can I help?
There are several ways that fans and local businesses can help support the club:
Support the club by attending games and encouraging others to do so.
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.
