Your youth soccer club might find itself in this all-too-familiar position – you need to increase your budget to be competitive, but you don’t want to raise player fees.
U.S. families spend an average of $100 to $499 per child each month on youth sports, according to TD Ameritrade, so dipping into parents’ pockets to pay for additional needs for the team isn’t always an option.
Instead, it’s time to get creative and take a closer look at where your soccer organization can trim its budget and determine what expenditures are really necessary. Use these eight tips to help your soccer club save money.
Cut Overhead Costs
#1 Reduce Payroll by Hiring More Volunteers
Payroll can be one of a soccer organization’s largest fixed costs, according to SportManagementHub.com. One way to trim this expenditure is to reduce the amount of paid employees and use more volunteers. Asking parents to chip in – especially if it can help reduce their player fees – can be a good option. Older soccer players and others in the community may also be interested in volunteering.
Read our blog post, “The True Value of Your Volunteers’ Time”
#2 Utilize Free Marketing Options
Money spent by a soccer club’s marketing team for advertising and promotion is an overhead cost you can likely trim. While marketing efforts shouldn’t be reduced as you need a stream of new athletes entering your organization to remain successful, the types of promotional efforts can be altered. Instead of spending a large amount of money on advertising, teams can look at how to use digital channels and content to improve the club’s web and social presence and boost its search engine optimization. Spending advertising dollars wisely can also go a long way in promoting the club without blowing the organization’s budget.
Need help with your website SEO? Check out our blog post, “6 SEO Tips for Optimizing Your Youth Sports Club Website“
#3 Find Cost-Effective Fields, Practice Facilities
Another large overhead cost for soccer clubs is the money spent to use fields and other training facilities for practice and games. Instead of taking the closest field – which may come with a high price due to its convenience – soccer organizations can search for a deal. While the league may require teams to play games on certain soccer fields, clubs can have more flexibility in the facilities they are reserving for practices and tryouts.
If your organization owns its facilities and fields, then ThemeBoy.com suggests renting out space to other teams during the off-season or downtime to help earn extra money for the soccer club.
#4 Make Administrative Cutbacks
How much does your soccer club spend on administrative costs, from rent to office supplies to utility bills? Taking a closer look at these costs can likely result in some savings. If the rent on your club’s office is one of the largest expenses, then it may be time to negotiate a new lease or look for another space. Clubs can also examine how much money they are spending on administrative materials, including club handbooks, printed forms and mailers. To reduce these costs, soccer clubs can look at digital options for these materials that can be emailed to players or posted on the club’s website.
#5 Reduce Travel Expenses for Club Personnel
To help athletes develop into better soccer players it’s important to compete in top tournaments. At times, this can require travel. While it’s important for athletes to make the trip, it’s not critical for all club administrators to travel. To reduce overhead expenses, soccer clubs can limit the number of team personnel who make the trip.
Stop Wasting Money
#6 Share Equipment Between Teams
While it’s important for soccer clubs to have the latest equipment to help them train and develop skills, it’s likely not necessary for each team in the organization to have its own set. To save money, soccer organizations can share equipment between teams as appropriate, according to KidsPlayUSAFoundation.org.
Check out our blog post, “How to Supply Your Youth Sports League with Awesome Equipment on a Budget“
#7 Schedule Out-of-Town Tournaments Strategically
Participating in out-of-town tournaments can be both fun for soccer players and a great way for them to enhance their skills by competing against players from other areas. However, these trips can be costly for each player’s family and the soccer club. To help reduce costs, organizations can be strategic about scheduling tournaments, as suggested by TheSimpleDollar.com. For example, scheduling multiple tournaments in the same area in a set timeframe can allow players to get the competition they need while only making one trip. While the stay in the location may be longer, it will reduce costs on flights and road trip expenses.
#8 Don’t Purchase Practice Jerseys
Having players wear practice jerseys during training sessions may be convenient, but it can also be a waste of money. Instead of purchasing specific practice jerseys consider having players wear clothing of certain colors or using reusable vests to identify who’s on which team during scrimmages and drills.
While it’s important for soccer clubs to invest money in athlete development and training, there are also areas where soccer organizations can trim costs. This allows the club to secure more money in its budget for the important items while making cuts in areas that won’t have a large impact on the club or the players.
