Club management · Play-Cricket syncGuide · Club money
Cricket club fundraising ideas that actually raise money.
Subs and match fees rarely cover everything. The roller breaks, the covers rip, the nets need replacing. Here are the ideas that reliably raise money for village and recreational clubs, ranked by effort and return, plus the raffle rules that catch clubs out.
Start with a target
“Raise some money” never works. “Raise £3,000 for new covers by April” does. Put a number and a date on it, tell members what it’s for, and show progress. People give to a project, not a bank balance.
And before fundraising for running costs, check the basics are priced right. If subs and match fees don’t cover the season, that’s a pricing problem, not a fundraising one: how to cost your subs and match fees.
Ideas ranked by effort and return
| Idea | Effort | Return | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor a player or the scoreboard | Low | Steady | Local businesses, families of players |
| Boundary boards and kit sponsorship | Medium | High | Needs a sponsor pack and a renewal date |
| 100 club (monthly draw) | Medium | Steady, all year | Register with your council first (see below) |
| Awards night with a raffle | Medium | Medium | Raffle drawn on the night is the simplest kind |
| Quiz night | Low | Medium | Cheap to run, fills the bar in winter |
| Six-a-side or T20 festival | High | High | Teams pay to enter, the bar does the rest |
| Family fun day or junior festival | High | Medium | Brings in parents who might join |
| Hire the clubhouse out | Low | Steady | Parties, meetings, wakes; the ground earns while empty |
| Online shopping cashback schemes | Very low | Low | Small, but free money once set up |
| Grants | High | High, one-off | For projects: covers, nets, equipment, facilities |
| Sponsored challenge | Medium | Medium | A sponsored net session or walk between away grounds |
| Legends or past players match | Medium | Medium | Brings old members back to the bar |
| Bar and teas | Ongoing | Often the biggest | Price them properly; for many clubs it’s the main earner |
The big three
1. Sponsorship
The best-value fundraising for most clubs, because one conversation can bring in a season’s worth. Make a one-page sponsor pack with a price for each thing: boundary boards, shirts, the scoreboard, the teas, a player. Local trades (builders, garages, estate agents, pubs) are the usual sponsors, and many are already connected to the club through a player or a parent. Agree a renewal date, send a thank-you and a photo, and ask again next year.
2. Events
A quiz night, a festival or the awards dinner does two jobs: it raises money and it brings members, families and old players back to the club. Charge for tickets in advance so you know numbers, and let the bar do the heavy lifting on the night. Planning the awards night.
3. A 100 club
The steadiest income on this list. Members pay a fixed monthly amount for a number, a monthly draw pays out part of the pot, and the rest goes to the club, all year round. It’s also a lottery in law, so read the next section first.
Raffles and 100 clubs: the rules
This is where clubs most often go wrong, usually without knowing. In Great Britain, a sports club counts as a non-commercial society under the Gambling Act 2005, and what you need depends on the kind of draw:
- A raffle at an event, with tickets sold and drawn on the day (the awards night raffle), is an incidental lottery. It doesn’t need a licence, as long as the event isn’t held mainly for the raffle and the money goes to the club, not private gain.
- A raffle with tickets sold in advance, or a 100 club, is normally a small society lottery. You must register it with your local council’s licensing team before you start.
For a small society lottery, the Gambling Commission’s guidance sets these rules:
- No more than £20,000 in ticket sales for a single lottery, and £250,000 across a calendar year.
- At least 20% of the proceeds must go to the club.
- Every ticket costs the same, and must be paid for before it’s entered.
- Tickets can only be sold to people aged 16 and over.
- Send a return to the council within three months of each draw.
Read the Gambling Commission’s guide to small society lotteries and its page on lotteries you can run without a licence, and ask your council’s licensing team if you’re unsure. Rules differ in Northern Ireland.
Grants
Grants are best for projects rather than running costs: new covers, a bowling machine, a non-turf pitch, changing-room upgrades, kit for a new women’s or junior section. Start with your county cricket board, which will know the current schemes and often helps with applications. Most funders want to see a clear project, a quote, how many people benefit, and whether the club has put in money of its own.
Gift Aid
If your club is a Community Amateur Sports Club, it can claim Gift Aid on genuine donations from UK taxpayers. It can’t claim on subs, match fees, raffle tickets or event tickets, because the payer gets something back. See HMRC’s CASC guidance.
Taking the money
Every fundraising idea has the same weak spot: collecting the money. Ticket money in envelopes, sponsors who need an invoice, a 100 club tracked in a notebook. Put it on the same system as subs and match fees, so the treasurer sees everything in one place.
In MVP Cricket, paid events go on the club’s social calendar: members say they’re going and pay by Apple Pay, Google Pay or card, and the organiser sees the numbers. One-off charges, such as a levy or a 100 club subscription, can be raised against the members you choose, each with its own pay link. The money goes into the club’s own Stripe account, with no percentage taken. Both are on the Club plan. The treasurer’s guide covers keeping it all on one ledger.
Questions treasurers ask
Does a cricket club need a licence to run a raffle?
A raffle where tickets are sold and drawn at the same event, such as an awards night, usually doesn’t need a licence or registration. A raffle with tickets sold in advance, or a 100 club, is normally a small society lottery and must be registered with your local council’s licensing team. Check the Gambling Commission’s guidance and your council before you start.
What is a 100 club?
Members pay a fixed amount each month for a number, and a monthly draw pays out prizes from part of the pot, with the rest going to the club. It’s a lottery in law, so register it with your council and keep to the limits: at least 20% of proceeds to the club, and tickets sold only to people aged 16 and over.
Can a CASC claim Gift Aid on fundraising?
On genuine donations, yes, if the donor is a UK taxpayer and gets nothing in return. Not on subs, match fees, raffle tickets or event tickets, because the payer receives something for their money.
How do you get local businesses to sponsor a cricket club?
Offer something specific with a price: a boundary board, the shirt, the scoreboard, a player. Show what the business gets (visibility to members, families and visiting teams), make it easy to say yes, and thank them publicly every season.
Sources
Paid events and one-off charges on the same ledger as your match fees. Start free, add payments on Club.