Football for good:
Xero toolkits for football clubs
How Xero helps grassroots clubs do better
Xero is a valued partner of Lewes FC and a true ally across the world of football. They have helped grow the women’s game and support the development of grassroots projects, so that girls and boys can enjoy the benefits of the Beautiful Game.
Whether you’re building a new grassroots club or want advice on fostering equality in football, Xero’s toolkits are here to help!
Below are some tips and tricks that our staff at Lewes FC use with Xero to make our club even better.
See Xero's football small business guidesGenerating Money
Xero provides accounting software and advice to small businesses, including football clubs seeking to make an impact in the sport.
All clubs need to generate money in order to invest in their squads, their facilities, fan experiences, and impact on the world.
It costs a lot of money to run a football club and remain competitive. Clubs rely on fans buying tickets, merchandise and matchday refreshments to generate income. On top of this, clubs generate funds through sponsorships, grants and benevolent donations.
With Xero a club can see all its money in one place and budget accordingly.
Building Budgets
A football club can’t operate effectively without a budget. It goes way beyond player salaries.
You need to assess everything from stadium and training ground rent, to kit and transport costs, licensing, matchday supplies, and insurance.
Using Xero, it’s possible to build season-to-season budgets that encompass an entire football club – not just the playing staff.
From paying matchday stewards to raising invoices for pie suppliers, you can do it all in one place.
You can also track your budget through the season and ensure you’re on track, spot where you can make savings, and see where you need to invest.
Fan Engagement
Engaging with supporters starts with setting out your purpose. Is your club there to inspire the local community, win football matches, champion diversity, or perhaps all of this?
Here at Lewes FC we take a purpose-first approach. It starts with knowing the community around you, and expands into fan initiatives and improving matchday experiences for everyone.
Xero offers its own guide to fan engagement, which covers everything from figuring out your club purpose to reflecting on your achievements. It all starts with listening to your local community to hear what they are passionate about. Here at Lewes FC, we heard our fans’ desire for greater representation in women’s football and to improve our sustainability at the Dripping Pan.
We’re striving to create better facilities for players, staff, volunteers and supporters, while also working with the local community. Our aim? To ensure we are a club our fans can be proud of.
Matchday Management
It can sometimes take weeks to organise effective matchday initiatives. We do plenty at Lewes FC each year, including charity days, kids days and special events like Veganuary at the Pan!
Xero takes you through the process of creating a killer matchday experience that will help boost fan and community engagement.
On the day of a match, you need to ensure everything is ready. This goes beyond putting the tea and coffee machine on! Changing rooms need to be clear, turnstile card machines working, the bar fully stocked. Bins need to be emptied and toilets sparkling.
Want to know more about matchday preparations? Here’s the checklist we shared with Xero that ensures fans get the best stadium experience.
Operational Tasks
All football clubs need to cover the basics. They boil down to eight operational tasks that ensure your club runs smoothly, staff can work more easily, and fans enjoy the best matchday experience.
These eight operational tasks involve:
• Knowing the latest regulations
• Having a clear communications strategy
• Perfecting payroll
• Coordinating travel logistics
• Budgeting correctly
• Forming beneficial relationships with sponsors
• Managing staff and volunteers
• Prioritising
Read more about these operational tasks required at all football clubs here!
Foster Equality
The first step to fostering equity at a football club is to understand inequality. Examples in football include:
• Players requiring to cover certain parts of their body when playing
• Players being unable to afford kit replacements
• Players who menstruate may appreciate darker coloured shorts
• Not providing proper access to a disabled toilet
Having an equality-first approach to all operations helps football clubs socially and economically.
The first step is to foster equality by tackling unconscious bias and including diverse perspectives into your decision making. You’ll soon begin to see the benefits of an equality-first approach.
From here, you can spread your message to your fans and drive equality across your club.