16 football fundraising ideas for grassroots teams
by Crowdfunder | May 11, 2025 | Stories
Raising money for your grassroots club shouldn’t be hard. Here are 16 ideas that actually work — from a quick prize draw to a full Crowdfunder campaign.
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Football fundraising ideas for grassroots teams
1. Organise a five-a-side tournament
2. Start a football crowdfunding project
3. Host a football-themed quiz night
4. Hold an online auction
5. Organise a tournament sweepstake
6. Host a club awards night
7. Run a prize draw
8. Organise a match day car wash
9. Organise a match watch party
10. Rent out your club facilities
11. Organise a local fund run
12. Serve match day refreshments
Fundraising for kids’ football teams
13. Penalty shoot out competition
14. Kids vs parents match
15. Keepie-uppie competition
16. Organise an unwanted sports gear sale
1. Organise a five-a-side tournament
Hosting a five-a-side tournament can engage the local community and raise funds through team entry fees and on-site activities. Here’s how you could raise funds for your football club:
1. Find a local park or playing field – Talk with your local council, school or football club to see if you can host your football fundraiser on their premises.
2. Gather friends, family and supporters – arrange volunteers to help organise your event or referee on the day.
3. On the day essentials – Make sure you have first aid kits, refreshments and a way to gather anymore donations on the day e.g. a raffle
4. Set up your fundraising page – Start raising funds ahead of your event, charge teams entry to the tournament and share your page with your networks.
Estimated costs: £50-£100
Success story: Football fundraiser raises over £16k
Two Pints Deep is a UK-based suicide prevention charity with a focus on men’s mental health. To raise funds for the charity, Ed Hunt organised a five-a-side football tournament, successfully raising over £16k.
2. Start a Crowdfunder
Leverage online platforms like Crowdfunder to reach a broader audience. Create a compelling campaign detailing your team’s needs and goals. you could raise between £500–£10,000+, particularly if match funding is available for your project.
Tip: Campaigns with a specific goal (“we need £2,000 for new goalposts”) outperform vague asks.
Check the Crowdfunder funds page to see what funds are available.
3. Host a football-themed quiz night
Engage supporters with a fun quiz night focused on football trivia. Use your Crowdfunder page to charge an entry fee and offer prizes for the winning teams. Talk with your local pub or community hall and see if you can host the quiz there. Quiz nights work brilliantly as a Crowdfunder project because they give supporters something to turn up for and support in person. Plus they receive a fun night in return. Take contactless donations on the night, and keep the momentum going afterwards from people who couldn’t attend.
Resources needed:
- Venue (local pub or community hall)
- Quizmaster and prepared questions
- PA system
- Prizes
Estimated costs: Approximately £50-£150.
Tip: List table bookings as rewards on your project page (e.g. “Book a table of 8” at £40 (if charging £5 per ticket), so people can pay and commit before the night — this also lets you gauge numbers and market the event to your existing network.
4. Hold an online auction
Collect donated items or services from local businesses and run a timed online auction. Signed shirts, match day experiences, restaurant vouchers, and free services from local tradespeople all tend to perform well — the more locally relevant the prize, the better.
Resources needed:
- Donated items or vouchers from local businesses
- An auction platform (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or a free tool like 32auctions)
- Photos of each item
- Someone to manage bids and communicate with winners
Cost of setup: Free to minimal — most platforms take a small commission on sales rather than charging upfront. Budget around £0–£50 for any printing or postage costs.
Could raise: £200–£800, depending on the quality and number of items donated.
Tip: Ask every committee member to approach two local businesses. Ten decent items in an auction can raise more than a full evening event — and it runs itself once it’s live.
Did you know you can run a prize draw on Crowdfunder?
5. Organise a tournament sweepstake
Run a sweepstake around a major tournament — the FA Cup, Euros, World Cup, or even the Champions League. Participants pay a fixed amount to draw a team at random. If their team wins, they take a cut of the pot; the rest goes to your club. It’s low effort, high engagement and easy to run through a WhatsApp group. Some people even run their sweepstake on Crowdfunder.
Resources needed:
- A list of teams in the tournament
- A way to collect entries (cash, bank transfer, or PayPal)
- A group chat or noticeboard to announce draws and results
Cost of setup: Free — no upfront spend needed.
Could raise: £100–£400, depending on entry price and number of participants.
Tip: Price entries at £2–£5 per draw and aim for every team to be claimed. A 32-team World Cup sweepstake at £3 a go raises £96 before you’ve left the changing room.
6. Host a club awards night
Celebrate the season with a proper awards evening — best player, most improved, top scorer, funniest moment. Sell tickets, run a raffle and add a short auction if you have items to offer. It doubles as a retention tool: players who feel valued come back next season.
Resources needed:
- Venue — a function room, clubhouse or local pub
- Awards (trophies, medals, or printed certificates)
- Raffle prizes
- Optional: DJ or background music
Cost of setup: Approximately £150–£400, depending on venue and catering.
Could raise: £300–£1,000, depending on ticket price and raffle income.
Tip: Sell tickets in advance at £15–£25 per head and include a drink on arrival. Sponsoring an individual award (“Best Goalkeeper, sponsored by [local business]”) is an easy ask for local companies and covers your costs.
7. Run a prize draw
A simple prize draw works any time of year and needs almost no setup. Sell numbered tickets, draw a winner publicly, and split the pot — half to the winner, half to your club or donate a prize and keep everything raised.
Resources needed:
- Raffle tickets (printed or digital)
- A desirable prize — or several
- A public draw, ideally at a match or club event
Cost of setup: Approximately £20–£80 for ticket printing and prizes.
Could raise: £150–£600, depending on ticket price and volume sold.
Tip: A cash prize funded by ticket sales removes the need to source a prize at all. Sell 100 tickets at £2, give £50 to the winner, and keep £150. Scale up from there.
Success story: Ipswich Town Foundation raises over £100k with prize draws
8. Match day car wash
Set up a car wash in the car park on home match days. Fans drop off their car before kick-off and collect it cleaned after the final whistle. Minimal cost, captive audience and no need to organise a separate event.
Resources needed:
- Buckets, sponges, car shampoo, and chamois leathers
- Volunteers — ideally four or five per session
- A safe area away from foot traffic
Cost of setup: Under £20 for supplies.
Could raise: £80–£250 per match day.
Tip: Charge £5 for a basic wash, £8–£10 for a full clean. Promote it in the week before via your club WhatsApp and social channels so fans know to bring cash.
Success story: Eccles RFC Rugby For All Crowdfunder
Eccles RFC Rugby ran various fundraising activities during their crowdfunding campaign including a car wash organised by the U14s and U15s players. This all contributed to their total amount raised of £36,003 including £20,000 in match funding from Sport England and Salford City Council.
9. Big match watch party
Host a viewing event for a major fixture — a Champions League final, FA Cup semi, or England game. Charge an entry fee, sell food and drinks and consider a half-time raffle. It creates a social occasion even for fans who wouldn’t normally come to the ground.
Resources needed:
- A venue with a large screen or projector — your clubhouse, a pub or a community hall
- Streaming access to the match
- Refreshments to sell
- Optional: half-time quiz or raffle
Cost of setup: Approximately £50–£150 for venue and refreshment stock.
Could raise: £100–£400, depending on attendance and bar income.
Tip: Partner with a local pub if you don’t have a clubhouse — they get the footfall, you get a share of the bar or a flat venue fee. Easier to organise than a standalone event.
10. Rent out your facilities
If your club has a pitch, clubhouse, or changing rooms, they’re sitting empty most of the week. Renting them out to other teams, community groups or event organisers is passive income with very little effort once the booking system is in place.
Resources needed:
- A booking system — even a shared Google calendar works to start
- Clear pricing and availability
- Basic insurance check to confirm external hire is covered
Cost of setup: Minimal — largely admin time.
Could raise: £50–£200 per booking, depending on facilities and location.
Tip: Approach local Sunday league teams, walking football groups, and school holiday camps first — they’re actively looking for affordable pitches and tend to become regular bookings.
11. Organise a fun run
A themed fun run, in kit colours, with fancy dress encouraged, is a feel-good fundraiser that works well at the start or end of a season. Charge an entry fee and encourage runners to set up individual sponsorship pages linked to your Crowdfunder project.
Resources needed:
- A safe route — a local park loop works well
- Route markers and a start/finish point
- Volunteers at key points along the route
- Optional: medals or certificates for finishers
Cost of setup: Approximately £30–£100 for route marking and materials.
Could raise: £200–£600, particularly if runners collect sponsorship.
Tip: Link individual sponsorship to a central Crowdfunder campaign so all the money pools in one place and you hit your target faster.
Success story: grassroots football club raises over £15,000 with the help of 15 fundraisers
Nunnery Wood Colts, a grassroots football club in Worcester with 30+ teams and 350+ players, crowdfunded after losing their home ground and facing steep pandemic costs. Youth players ran cake sales, quiz nights, sponsored walks, and litter picks to help reach their target, raising £15,367 from 281 supporters — boosted by £3,600 in match funding from Sport England to renovate their new facility.
12. Serve match day refreshments
A tea urn, a tray of flapjacks, and a volunteer behind a table. It’s not glamorous but it works — and it adds something to the match day experience that keeps people hanging around after the final whistle.
Resources needed:
- A stall or table at the ground
- Hot drinks equipment, food and snacks to sell
- A float for change
- One or two volunteers per match
Cost of setup: £30–£80 for initial stock — recoverable from first sales.
Could raise: £30–£150 per match day, which compounds quickly across a full season.
Tip: Pre-baked goods donated by parents and supporters cost you nothing and often outsell bought-in products. A homemade cake on the table beats a supermarket brownie every time.
Fundraising ideas for kids’ football teams:
13. Penalty Shootout Competition
Charge participants to take penalties against a volunteer goalkeeper. Add a prize for the most goals scored and run it as a competition with multiple rounds. Works brilliantly at family days and end-of-season events.
Resources needed:
- Goalposts and footballs
- Volunteer goalkeepers
- Prizes for winners
Cost of setup: Approximately £30–£100.
Could raise: £50–£200, depending on participation and entry fee.
Tip: Charge £1–£2 per go and offer a small prize for the highest score. Run it in heats with a final to build excitement and keep people engaged longer.
Oldbury Colts under 9s team organised a penalty shoot out, successful raising over £500 for new equipment for their football club.
14. Kids vs. parents match
Arrange a friendly match between the youth team and their parents. It’s one of the most reliably popular events a junior club can run — competitive enough to be entertaining, low-stakes enough for everyone to join in.
Resources needed:
- A playing field
- A referee — a senior club member works fine
- First aid kit
- Refreshments to sell on the day
Cost of setup: Minimal — approximately £20–£50.
Could raise: £100–£350, particularly if you add a half-time raffle or refreshment stand.
Tip: Charge £3–£5 entry per spectator and sell refreshments on the sideline. The parents playing will rope in their own networks to watch — your audience is bigger than you think.
15. Keepie-uppie competition
Challenge participants to the most keepie-uppies in a row. Simple to set up, instantly competitive, and works for all ages. Charge an entry fee or run it on a sponsored basis where participants collect pledges per keepie-uppie.
Resources needed:
- Footballs
- A counter or judge per participant
- Prizes for the winner
Cost of setup: Free — you already have the balls.
Could raise: £50–£180, more if participants collect sponsorship.
Tip: The sponsored version consistently outperforms the entry fee version. Even ten kids each collecting £10–£20 in sponsorship gets you to £100–£200 with almost no upfront cost.
Cleeve Colts Wanderers “Keepie Up Challenge” BCFC raised over £100 for the Bishop’s Cleeve Community Sports Hub adding to it’s total of £23,162 raised.
16. Unwanted sports gear sale
Collect old kits, boots, shin pads and other equipment from club members and sell them at a pop-up stall on match day or via a local Facebook group. It promotes kit recycling and raises funds with zero upfront cost.
Resources needed:
- Donated items from club members and families
- A stall or table, or a Facebook Marketplace / local WhatsApp listing
- Volunteers to manage sales
Cost of setup: Free.
Could raise: £50–£200, depending on volume and quality of donations.
Tip: Run a kit collection drive two weeks before the sale so you have enough stock. Parents clearing out last season’s outgrown boots are usually happy to donate rather than bin them.
Top tips to boost your football club fundraising
- Engage with local businesses: Seek sponsorships or donations from local companies. They may offer financial support or donate items for auctions and raffles.
- Think about who you know: Leverage connections within your community. Parents and supporters may have skills or resources that can aid your fundraising efforts.
- Make the most of match days: Utilise home games as opportunities to fundraise through activities like raffles, merchandise sales, or refreshment stands.
- Use social media: Promote your fundraising events and campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to reach a broader audience.
Start fundraising for your football team today
Your club’s next chapter starts with a single campaign. Thousands of grassroots teams have already used Crowdfunder to raise the money they need — for new kit, better facilities, and coaches who can stay. It’s free to start, and match funding could double what you raise from your crowd.