Fundraising Ideas for Sports Clubs

Fundraising Ideas for Sports Clubs

Your life can revolve around sports clubs during the season. Saturdays become the endless juggle of soccer, football, gymnastics and rowing. Let’s not mention the early mornings. And then you get asked to….. Fundraise for your Sports Club! Parents & children are usually already enthusiastic and energetic people and want to get involved, so here are a few ideas to consider depending on what your club is all about:

  • Car washes

Depending on the age bracket of your sports clubs, everyone can get involved. But consider the timing, no one is going to volunteer to car wash during a freezing cold winter beside the football field. You can even organise a pre-season car wash – when maybe the family has less commitments over the weekend. This is also a great activity for the children to do the car washing so the parents can sit and watch the fun from a dry spectator spot!

  •  A Mothers High Tea

A well-received and well-deserved fundraiser as the term “soccer mum” connotes that it can sometimes be the mums doing all those early morning drop offs and pick-ups. Keep it simple with self-catering and offer it as an opportunity for mums to relax and enjoy a much-needed cup of tea. Maybe the children can get involved and serve the high tea – this can make it a more memorable day.

  •  Bake sales

Easy to set up and a hit on match days, especially when parents often have other hungry siblings to keep happy. All it takes is a few homemade cakes and a trestle table and people will flock to you. Consider doing it every match day and organise a roster to share the workload. Checking how many home games you have on that day is always handy – some days will be bigger than others. Dress rehearsal days & photo days for ballet troups are always popular days for a big bake off too.

  •  Raffles

Ask families to donate prizes to a raffle and sell tickets throughout the season. Hype it up and draw the raffle at the breakup meet of the sports club. Also, mini raffles of meat trays on training nights are very popular. Kids can get involved in selling the tickets at club training nights.

  • BBQs

BBQs at your local club on training nights are a great idea. When the thought of dinner at 9pm is simply too hard to comprehend parents will appreciate being able to rely on a regular BBQ . Try and get the food donated by your local fruit & veg shop & meat from the butcher. If they won’t donate the full amount, maybe they will discount it for you. If you’re going to sell alcohol on a regular basis you’ll need to have a license (this will vary from state to state). These are easy to obtain from various online providers and can prove profitable.

  • Auctions & Casino & Poker

If you can find some sports memorabilia to auction off these are always popular. Talk to all your members, you never know who might know someone willing to donate. Poker and casino themed nights are always a popular option to consider depending on the type of sports club, however, remember that you can’t legally gamble with real money. Instead, organise it as a night out and charge entry at the door.


Originally published 30 June, 2014

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