Upload
dave-farebrother
View
232
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
This is the first Corporate Social Responsibility Reprt of Sutton United FC, members of Vanarama Conference South. Sutton United is a FA Charter Standard Community Club
Citation preview
1
CSR REPORT 2014
The Borough Sports Ground, Gander Green Lane, Sutton. SM1 2EY
United With
The Community
Proud to be a FA Charter Standard Community Club
2
More Than A Football Club
Welcome to Sutton United’s first Corporate
Social Responsibility report, which is just a
convoluted way of saying that we want to tell
you about all of the many varied things we do
that go far beyond the traditional image of
striving for a successful first team. That’s
important, of course it is, the first team is the
hook from which all of the club’s other
activities hang but whether it be live music at
the Boom Boom Club or partnering with local
charities we are doing so much more to put
Sutton United at the Heart Of The Borough.
United With The Community, our wide-
ranging social programme is now in its third
year and the last twelve months have seen us
make more progress in more areas than ever
before. That is in great part due to the
appointment of our two community officers,
Rob Hardy and Steve King, and we are
eternally grateful for the grant support from
the Football Conference Trust that enabled us
to make those appointments. Of course, the
majority of our helpers, both on the
community front and in running the club are
unpaid volunteers. We are very lucky to have
so many people who give freely of their time
to help, from car-park stewards to youth team
coaches, to enable us to field over twenty
teams from the first eleven to the youngest
boys and girls sides and, of course, deliver all
of our community activities.
Sometimes, the help we receive can come
from unexpected quarters, from people who
are more loosely associated with the club. So
perhaps the highlight of the year was seeing
top comedian Tim Vine give up an evening to
put on an unforgettable night of comedy in
our Times Square Lounge. Along with four
other comics who all appeared free of charge,
Tim wowed us all during a night that raised a
considerable sum for both ourselves and our
charity partners for the season, St Raphael’s
Hospice. Not content with that, Tim was at
the centre of our Community Funny Day a few
weeks later and helped attract a bumper
crowd of 2,172 to our match at home to
Basingstoke Town, when we waived the
admission fee and invited spectators to make
a donation, if they wished. Given the long
spell of wet weather we had last winter,
which led to so many games being
rescheduled, we even dropped our admission
charges for the last six weeks of the season to
help supporters attend as many games as
possible.
Dave Farebrother Chairman, Sutton United FC Ltd
Community Fun Days Have Proved A Great Success
Board of Directors
Dave Farebrother Chairman Dave Mathers Vice-Chairman Adrian Barry SUST representative Mike Bidmead Treasurer Bruce Elliott Club Chairman Tony Holland Phil Letts Steve Moore Graham Starns Brian Williams
3
Governance
Sutton United has always been a forward-
thinking football club. Six decades ago the
committee decided that there would be many
benefits in changing the club’s structure so
that it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of a
not-for-profit limited company. By
establishing Sutton United Football Club Ltd in
1953 we became one of the first amateur
clubs to make that change.
From the beginning, the shareholders in the
company have always been “Sutton United
people”; officials, supporters and former
players, and as the share-structure has
evolved to reflect the changing times, that
mix has continued. No one person or group
has a dominant stake in the company and we
run as a business, albeit not-for-profit,
financing our activities from our on and off
field income. Shares are not re-sold above
face value and we do not issue a dividend;
people do not buy shares as an investment
but because they love the club.
This structure also provides us with checks
and balances that are in line with modern
corporate practice. On a day-to-day basis the
club is run by our management committee,
headed by Football Club Chairman Bruce
Elliott. Committee members provide
administrative support for the club’s teams,
look after communications and media
relations, help to raise revenue and so much
more. We also have a Wine Committee, which
is responsible for running the social club and
hiring out of the facilities.
The board of directors of Sutton United FC
Ltd, chaired by Dave Farebrother, is less
involved with everyday matters and has a
focus on two main issues:- Financial stability
and long-term strategy.
The board and committee work closely
together to ensure that the club delivers its
objectives of competing at the highest level it
can combined with ongoing stability and
security.
In recent years many clubs have seen
supporters’ trusts come into being, usually at
a point of crisis in the club’s history and often
as a last throw of the dice. At Sutton our
trust, SUST, was formed a little under ten
years ago out of strength, not weakness, and
with the full support of the directors. The
Trust is fully involved with the administration
and governance of the club, having
representatives on both the management
committee and board. The Supporters’ Club,
which has been around for considerably
longer and is also completely independent,
also has representation on the management
committee.
Our large and growing Juniors section, for
boys and girls, has its own constitution and
management structure but is a fully-
integrated part of the club. Together we have
achieved prestigious recognition as a FA
Charter Standard Community Club.
CASE STUDY SUFCtv
Go back twenty years, or even ten, and the
idea of Sutton games being available for all to
see at their leisure would have seemed quite
far-fetched. The internet, of course, as in so
many other spheres of activity, has been a
game-changer.
SUFCtv has built up slowly over the last few
years, driven largely by long-time supporter
Clive King and his family, and 2013/14
probably saw the service reach maturity.
4
The picture quality is excellent, “corner cam”
is possibly unique at this level of the game
and the final piece of the jigsaw was the
introduction of a live match commentary
service.
Although offering our own “in-house” Match
of the Day was the initial inspiration, SUFCtv
has embraced many of the goals of our
community programme. Tom Mitchell, one
of the commentary team, is autistic. Tom
delivers a first-rate service and SUFCtv is
hopefully helping him to achieve his ambition
of a career in broadcasting. His co-
commentator Joe Hook has already been
snapped up by Radio Cambridgeshire.
Jenny The Giraffe: Jenny has become a well-known
character at events across the borough
Support from the Football Conference Trust has been
vital in funding our Community Outreach Programme
Jenny: A Tall Story
In her own words
“I must admit that I was surprised when I first
received the invitation to become Sutton
United’s mascot. At first the only connection
that I could see was that we share the same
colours and I am sure you agree that amber
and chocolate do look so distinguished!
However, when I thought about it a bit more I
realised that we have so much more in
common. Like me, Sutton United likes to stick
its neck out, wants to stand out from the
crowd. And we both love children.
They say it’s a jungle out there (although,
technically, I prefer savannah, grasslands and
open woodlands) and I like to feel that I have
a lot to offer the club in guiding it through
that jungle and, of course, they repay me in
acacia leaves - which are rather difficult to
find in this part of Surrey.
I was persuaded to accept the role by Tony,
and I find that he does rather get under your
skin; we became friends and go everywhere
together. I am told that I have become
something of a local celebrity and I certainly
have a very busy social life. I particularly enjoy
the events where I meet with young children,
I enjoy making them laugh and smile, and I get
a lot of satisfaction out of our visits to sick
children in hospital. School fêtes are a
different kettle of fish, all noise and colour
and lots of fun.
I have really enjoyed my time at Sutton United
and I hope they want me to carry on for a long
time yet, and I hope you enjoy seeing me
around the borough. Come and say hello, I’m
always pleased to meet people.”
Jenny
5
From The Chair
I can scarcely remember a time when Sutton
United was not a major part of my life. I
started out as a schoolboy on the terraces and
was enormously proud, a few years ago, when
I was invited to take over as Chairman of the
club.
Even though I had already served on the
management committee for many years I
probably had little understanding then of
quite how much the role would entail, of how
many new skills I would need to learn.
I freely admit that I couldn’t even
contemplate my role without the magnificent
support I receive, not only from colleagues on
the committee and board of directors, but
from all aspects of the club. We have
volunteers in every direction you look:
operating the turnstiles, stewarding our
matches and running a match-day snack bar.
We also have the team from SUFCtv, who film
our games expertly and will be offering a live
commentary for the 2014/15 season,
available not only to fans who can’t get to the
games but also as a service for spectators with
visual difficulties. One of those
commentators, Tom Mitchell, is just 16 years
of age. Tom is also autistic but is an excellent
young commentator and hopes to develop a
career in that field. In that regard he is already
being shown the way by his colleague, Joe
Hook, who has been offered an opportunity
with Radio Cambridgeshire. We wish Joe well
and are delighted that SUFCtv proved a
valuable stepping stone in launching his
career.
But this help goes far beyond match days, we
have a regular crew of volunteers who
decorate and undertake minor repairs, there
are people in the office taking bookings and,
of course, we have the dedicated band of
people who run our community programme.
We do have two paid members of staff, Rob
Hardy and Steve King, who are supported by a
grant from the Conference Trust, and they do
a wonderful job engaging with schools, clubs,
charities and all sorts of varied organisations
across the borough and more widely, but
beyond that we have a small team of zealots,
there can be no more apt description, who
drive this forward on so many fronts. I know
that the team won’t mind me singling out
John James and Tony Henderson-Smith in this
regard, they have a passion and energy that
seems to know no bounds.
Two years ago we established the Community
Business Network, led by Jeremy Ramsden of
Abbotts FC Ltd, and around one hundred local
businesses have already become part of this
growing family. The club benefits through
advertising and sponsorship of course, but we
believe the businesses also benefit not only
from the exposure they receive by association
with Sutton United but, perhaps more
importantly, from the contacts they make
with each other.
Given this effort I was delighted when we
were named as Community Business of the
Year in the 2013 Sutton Business Awards and
was doubly delighted when we were
subsequently named as the overall Business
of the Year, not bad for an organisation run by
volunteers.
Bruce Elliott
Chairman, Sutton United Football Club
Sean Brennan,
Mayor of Sutton,
recognises the club
for its community
programme
6
United With The Community
Proud to be a FA Charter Standard
Community Club
It is our view that a community programme
for a club playing at our level of the game
should go beyond running a junior football
programme. We know that football clubs can
be a significant part of the identity of a town,
that their exploits on the field can help
promote awareness of the town and that this,
in turn, can bring benefits to the wider
community.
We do run multiple teams for boys and girls,
with plans to expand, and provide coaching
for youngsters of all ability levels, but much of
our community programme goes way beyond
football. We often make use of football as the
hook, it is the ice-breaker that allows us to
communicate with people, particularly
children, and engage on a wider variety of
issues. Some of the themes that we have
been able to explore using this approach
include health, nutrition, social awareness,
sustainability and career guidance.
Picking up on that last theme, we do not seek
to advise anyone on their career path but
what we can do, as a club that is run by
volunteers who all have work experience
away from football, is provide face-to-face
opportunities for youngsters to talk to people
about their professions: what does it actually
mean to be an accountant, a bank manager, a
lawyer or an engineer? We think this sets us
apart from what the Premiership clubs offer
through their community programmes.
We have tried to categorise our community
programme into distinct areas, although that
is akin to herding cats as we frequently take
part in new activities at the request of local
organisations. So here is an attempt at
outlining what we do on a regular basis:-
Community Projects
For example, working with local cheerleading
groups, or as part of the schools’ local studies
project.
Community Events
We arrange our own events (eg: Disability
Awareness Day) and also participate in events
organised by others, including the LB of
Sutton careers fair, Black History Month and
the Cheam & Belmont Football Week. Jenny
The Giraffe is a frequent visitor to all of these
activities.
Community Business Network
(see page 13) This initiative not only helps the
club it provides a vibrant forum for local
businesses to engage with other companies,
to learn from each other and to generate
business opportunities.
Community Facilities
We traditionally use the main pitch every day
for two weeks at the end of each season for
local leagues and cup finals, corporate events
and charity matches. Last year we also made
the stadium available to The Challenge for a
sleepover. Of course, our indoor facilities are
used more frequently by regular groups
including darts, yoga and bridge clubs and
several leagues use us as their headquarters.
Community Partnerships
Steve King on Project Chaucer (©
S.King)
7
The Gander Green Lane Partnership is a
collaboration between Sutton Cricket Club,
Sutton Churches Tennis Club and ourselves.
The aim is to share knowledge, expertise and
resources in order to grow all three clubs and
provide opportunities for more people,
especially youngsters, to play sport and learn
about different sports.
Sutton United Football Club formally agreed
with Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust
(PCT) to work together in partnership to raise
key issues in health within the local
community. This work is now continuing with
the NHS with the aim of enhancing their
health campaigns, including raising awareness
of the stop smoking service and the
Chlamydia screening service.
Boys and Girls Football In Cheam Park (©
S.King)
Our partnership with The Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhoods Teams has gone from strength to strength. From their humble beginnings in 2008, the joint venture community fun days have established themselves as the largest events of their type and the Sutton West SNT distributes over 1600 tickets to local schools, with family tickets for each home game to three schools. Last August 200 children aged 6-11 years attended the Cheam and Belmont Football week, in partnership with Cheam SNT and Sutton United FC
Charity
Our charity work has a different element to it
compared to our other relationships, as well
as working together on a range of initiatives
the aim is to help raise funds for specifically
local charities. We therefore establish a
partnership in which one charity becomes our
charity for the year and we help raise funds in
various ways, including straightforward
bucket collections at home games.
Importantly though, the year-long
partnerships do not preclude us continuing to
work with other charities. Charity Partners
2011/12 Hospital Radio Marsden
2012/13 Sutton MENCAP
2013/14 St Raphael’s Hospice
2014/15 St Raphael’s Hospice
SUFC Chairman Bruce Elliott with Kerry Thomas,
Community Fundraiser for St Raphael’s Hospice
Community Football
As well as running numerous Sutton United
teams for boys and girls, the programme also
includes:-
Community Coaching
Player development (Saturday
schools, holiday coaching, skills
courses in conjunction with the
FA)
Community Football, aimed at providing
opportunities to those whose access to
coaching or games is limited for one
reason or another, including:- The
Stonecot Project, The Link Project and
disability coaching.
Sutton United Community Fun Days are
generously supported by Smith & Byford Ltd
8
Senior Football
The first team had a very good season.
Looking all the way back to the autumn they
reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup, for the
4th time in 6 seasons under manager Paul
Doswell, which is always good for clubs at the
this level both in terms of revenue and
increased profile. In 2014 the team only lost
one match in the league, finishing as runners-
up in Skrill South but then losing to Dover
Athletic in the play-offs to miss out on
promotion.
Our reserve team competes in the Premier
Division of the Suburban Football League,
under the guidance of James Bracken, and
had an amazing season, winning every
competition they entered. The main prize
was the Suburban League Premier Division
championship, but to that was added the
League Cup, the Champions’ Cup and the
Suburban Shield.
The third of our “senior” teams is the under-
18s, also managed by James Bracken and he is
ably assisted by coach William Letts. Will is an
example of how Sutton United gets into the
blood, his grandfather Andrew – a former
mayor of Sutton – was club President for
many years and, indeed, helped set up the
limited company back in 1953 and Will’s
brother Phil joined the board of directors last
year. In 2013/14 we saw the club’s under-18s
side achieve remarkable success. The team
enjoyed a 19-month winning run in the Ryman
Youth League, picking up maximum points in
every league fixture between August 2012
and March 2014. That run delivered the
Ryman Youth League title in both 2013 and
2014. In the 2013/14 season the team also
won the League Cup and the Surrey U-18
Midweek Floodlit Cup.
Our aim is for the integration of these three
sides so that the better youth team players
graduate into our reserves and, hopefully, the
best reserve team players continue their
development into the first team. That has
numerous benefits. Developing our own
players gives the side a greater identity,
certainly it is something which resonates with
supporters; we have the possibility of young
players attracting interest from Football
League clubs and earning the club transfer
income and if players progress through the
system it encourages other promising young
players to join us.
Below the under-18s is the pyramid of boys’
teams in our Juniors section where the aim,
once again, is to provide a continuous route
for players to progress through the ranks and
for the very best boys to enter the youth team
set-up. It is misleading to think that only the
Premiership and Football League clubs offer
young boys a route into professional football,
the drop-out rate with the leading clubs is
very high and only a few ever make the grade,
whereas with a non-league side it is easier to
break into the first team and then, if you are
good enough, someone will spot you. The
statistics speak for themselves, if a top-flight
career typically lasts ten years on average
then only about twenty players each year will
make and sustain the breakthrough. And if a
young player doesn’t make the grade with a
non-league club, combining non-league
football with another career can still be very
rewarding both financially and in terms of
enjoyment and personal satisfaction.
Of course, not everyone has the ambition or
talent to become a professional footballer and
it is important that we never lose sight of the
basic fact that football is a sport and is meant
to be played for fun, so our structure still has
room for players and teams that just want to
play. Our coaches are all qualified to at least
the basic level and make sure that their
players, boys and girls, enjoy their matches
9
and their training, which is designed to teach
new skills but also to be interesting and fun.
Having run a number of boys’ teams for many
years, our ambition now is to build up the
strength of our girls’ teams. We fielded three
successful age-group sides in 2013/14 but are
planning to increase this number significantly,
in a controlled way, and also bring back a
senior ladies team. We are also exploring how
we can establish disability teams at Sutton
United. The aim has to be to see Sutton
United as the focus for football in the
borough, hopefully with a successful senior
team at the top of the pyramid but also
providing opportunities to play and learn
about football for all people, of all ages and
abilities
The main stand at the Borough Sports Ground
Junior Football
In the 2013/14 season we fielded 18 boys’
teams and 3 girls’ teams in the following
competitions:-
Key
Surrey Youth League SL
Epsom & Ewell League EE
Tandridge League TL
Surrey Women’s & Girls’ League SWG
Boys’ Teams U-7 SL U-7 EE U-9 EE League Cup
Winners U-10 SL Premier Division Champions U-10 SL U-11 SL U-11 EE U-12 EE U-12 SL U-12 SL Champions U-13 SL League Cup Finalists U-13 SL Premier Division Runners-Up U-14 SL Premier Elite
Division Runners-Up U-15 SL U-15 TL U-16 SL Premier Division Runners-Up U-16 Girls’ Teams U-10 SWG U-11 SWG League Cup Finalists
County Cup Finalists U-13 SWG
Finally, we’d like to thank Kevin Howard who
stood down as Chairman of the Junior section
at the end of the season. He has always been
an enthusiastic supporter of football for
young boys and girls and of Sutton United in
general and will undoubtedly be missed. The
incoming chairman is Phil Greeenhead and we
hope he enjoys his tenure and helps drive the
section on to bigger and better things.
It was great to work with the team over at
Sutton United again this year. Our young
people had a great time volunteering, helping
to set up social media platforms and a
website. It was also great having Rob Hardy on
our panel of dragons for our Dragons Den
Pitch Day. The Sutton team at The Challenge
couldn't be happier with how things have gone
this year and are hoping to work with Sutton
United again in the future."
Janine Hardy Senior Assistant Programme Manager, The Challenge
10
CASE STUDY THE CHALLENGE
The Challenge is a leading national charity
running youth and community programmes
with the aim of mixing diverse groups of
people together. It is also part of the National
Citizens Service.
Sutton United has been working with the
Challenge since 2012, providing support for a
range of projects.
A group of young people aged 15-16 has been
allocated to the Club over the last two years
and has been working with us to gather
information for the Pavilion Development
Project and also the production of a video.
Last year a group of youngsters from The
Challenge undertook an overnight sleepover
on the terraces at the Borough Sports Ground
to highlight homelessness. As 2014
progresses they will be supporting our close
partners the Friends of Collingwood with the
development of a website page and the
establishment of the use of social media,
Facebook and Twitter.
Our Community Officer Rob Hardy will be
working with the young people and will also
support two other groups as part of a
‘Dragons Den’ initiative to review their
proposed projects.
Multi-Sports Disability Day (©
S.King)
Environment
Environmental management is a tricky subject
for a football club to understand, it is certainly
an area that few try to tackle. Our major
asset, the stadium, is only used for its primary
purpose of staging football matches for
around 100 hours per year, so our impacts
revolve chiefly around our non-core activities.
Although the pitch itself may be used
infrequently, the administrative offices and
social facilities are open every day of the week
and so our significant impacts do include
energy and water usage and waste
management. These impacts are relatively
straightforward for us to measure, manage
and set improvement targets and we have
been making progress in these areas. More
problematic are the impacts associated with
our travel to away games and our main Scope
3 impact, travel of all spectators to all home
matches.
In terms of travel to the Borough Sports
Ground we are relatively lucky. We are
situated next door to West Sutton station,
and the 413 bus stops outside the stadium.
Traditionally a large percentage of non-
League football supporters drive to matches
but we have tried to encourage lower carbon
alternatives by installing bike shelters in the
car park.
We have no control over the number of away
games we play or where those games take
place, but we do encourage players to car-
share on those journeys and, where
practicable, will provide a coach for the team,
coaching staff and directors.
We adopted an Environmental Policy three
years ago and were delighted to become the
world’s first Planet Positive football club. We
recently completed the accreditation process
to be certified under the new Planet Mark©
11
and have set ourselves carbon reduction
targets (see table below). In March 2014 we
also started to address our waste
management by switching contractors and
now receive a service from Biffa that will see a
much greater percentage of our waste
recycled.
One of the reasons why this report is only
available on the internet is that it is the
environmentally-friendly option:-
Virtually zero CO2 emissions
No paper or inks required
No waste
Sutton United – Planet Mark Report
Carbon Footprint
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions only, excludes
waste, water and travel.
Total Emissions: 97.07 tonnes CO2e
We are committed to engaging with our
employees, suppliers and customers to
encourage wider sustainability action.
We have decreased our Carbon Footprint by
14% since 2012 and have made improvements
including:-
Installing new double glazed windows
Promoting sustainability on our website
Adopting a new environment policy
We have made a commitment to take
positive action to improve our
environmental performance by reducing
our Carbon Footprint by 5%, or 4.75
tonnes CO2e , equivalent to 0.16 tonnes
per employee.
© - The Planet Mark is a joint venture between Planet First and
the Eden Project
Charity Partnerships
Each year we work with a local organisation as
our charity partners for the season. In
2011/12 we partnered with Marsden Hospital
Radio, the following year it was Sutton
Mencap and this season it was St. Raphael’s
Hospice.
The aim of these partnerships is to try to raise
the profile of the charity by association with
club activities and also help them to raise
money. The principal event planned for the
2013/14 season was the Community Funny
Day, an extension of our usual twice-yearly
Fun Day given an extra twist by the
involvement of top comedian and big Sutton
fan Tim Vine.
The aim was a day of fun at the football, with
Tim as the team mascot, and various stalls
and other attractions, followed by a comedy
gig in the evening. The original date set was in
January, right in the middle of the spell of wet
weather, and the game was postponed on
match day but, nevertheless, the second part
of the day duly went ahead with Tim and four
aspiring younger comics giving freely of their
time to put on a hilarious comedy show that,
with the help of an auction of promises, raised
a considerable sum of money to be shared by
the club and St Raphael’s Hospice.
Despite his busy diary, Tim promised to return
as soon as possible and kept that promise a
few weeks later when we entertained
Basingstoke Town. We didn’t charge for
admission that day and that helped attract a
crowd of 2172. The team won, Tim enjoyed
his second childhood as the matchday mascot,
the cameras from Soccer AM came down to
cover the day for Sky TV and give some
excellent publicity to the hospice and,
afterwards, Tim stayed on for much of the
evening. Why? Well he took on all comers at
darts for £5 a game to raise money for St.
12
Raphael’s and won an astonishing 21 games in
a row. Thanks Tim!
St Raphael’s will again be our charity partner
in 2014/15.
Case Study SUFCGambia
Sutton United FC (Gambia) was founded by
village children but was only properly
established when they started attending Bible
classes in 1999. The club’s aim has always
been to create a sustainable club for the long-
term, owned and democratically run by its
members, to serve as a vehicle of
development for the village and its nearby
surroundings and one in which they can fully
participate in.
Previously called Sanchaba United the club
was inspired to change its name to Sutton
United FC Gambia in 2008 after a visit from an
English fan on holiday. The Gambians
contacted us here in England and we agreed
to act as their mentors. There are no formal
ties between the clubs, we cannot afford to
support them financially but have donated
playing kit and raised small contributions
through donations.
We have hosted two trade visits and club
officials were even invited to the Mayor’s
parlour, and we helped them to engage with
the Football Association, who laid on a tour of
Wembley Stadium. We have helped the club
put in place a constitution that seeks to
emulate our community model, organised
coaching visits and even helped the club
become the first in Gambia to have shirt
sponsorship and an internet presence, with
their own pages on our website.
SUFCGambia is putting its community model
into practice, not only with an emphasis on
youth, but also helping to raise funds and
support for their local school, St Peter’s.
Sean Brennan, the Mayor of Sutton, and SUFC Chairman
Bruce Elliott greet supporters at the end of their 25 mile
walk to raise money for local charities
Community Development
Having worked closely with the London
Borough of Sutton and the Friends of
Collingwood Recreation Ground to help
restore the park to its former glory, we are
now looking at the next stage of the project.
Our contribution to the project had been to
cut the grass and bring football pitches back
into use but with no changing rooms on site
the young boys and girls who play there have
to turn up in their kit and often go home
muddy. And we wonder why we so often see
England struggle on the world stage?
We are grateful to the Friends of Collingwood
for their support and to the council for
granting us a long-term agreement for use
over the recreation ground. That was vital
because that lease is the key to opening up
the possibility of grants to support our
development plans.
This project has already been included within
the Borough’s Strategic Development Plan as
a priority project and has support from the
Surrey County Football Association. We are
hopeful of getting grant support, essential to
undertake the project, but must also raise a
significant proportion of the capital ourselves.
The football club and Supporters’ Trust have
13
committed funds to this project but we
wanted to raise a further £20,000 towards the
scheme to ensure that the maximum amount
of grant support could be leveraged to
complete a high quality facility. We therefore
launched an ambitious Crowdfunder project
in spring 2014. We also have a second aspect
to the project, having been donated the steel
frame and joists from a “pop-up” building
used during the London Olympics of 2012.
This building would cost around £50,000 to
erect and fit out but would provide additional
facilities to support the community pavilion,
with one goal being to include an endless pool
that could be used for rehabilitation from
injury and also as a training venue for elite
swimmers, including Paralympic athletes. To
achieve this goal we will need a local company
to partner with us and put forward a
significant proportion of the finance that we
need.
Community Business Network
The disconnect between the Premiership,
with its TV deals, transfer deals in the tens of
millions and players who get paid more in one
month than many earn in a lifetime, and the
average man, or woman, in the street is now
bigger than ever. Even once mighty giants
such as Leeds United and Nottingham Forest
struggle to compete with this juggernaut and
so, for clubs outside the Football League, the
challenge is daunting. And the challenge is not
just about competing on the pitch, it is much
more fundamental than that.
With live football, be it Premiership,
Championship or European on television
almost every night the challenge is simply to
attract enough spectators and revenue to
remain viable. When players in Serie A, La Liga
or the Bundesliga are as familiar as the local
non-League centre forward the size of the
task becomes daunting.
Cheam & Belmont Football Week, August 2013 (©
S.King)
For non-League sides the challenge has to be
about more than football, it has to be about
involving all sections of the local community
in THEIR club. That means getting youngsters
to play in club colours, getting mums and dads
to watch the games and join the social club,
and to enjoy other club activities such as
music and comedy. It means the club has to
reach out into the community, into schools
and clubs and links have to be forged with the
local business community. That is where we
come in.
“We” are Abbotts FC and we formally
represent Sutton United FC in terms of
marketing the club to local businesses and
have recently been awarded a new three-year
contract by the club after an initial one-year
trial period.
We are working extremely hard to link North-
Surrey and South West London-based
businesses with club connections, of which
there are in excess of 10,000. These people
are, in the main, affluent and high net-worth
individuals.
For details of our Community Business
Network Club members, go to:
http://www.suttonunited.net/commercial_community.html
The project is known as the ‘Community
Business Network’, which enables
organisations to link up with people in the
community through sport. These businesses
14
are reaching people when they are at leisure
and thus, arguably, much more receptive. The
network is designed to offer unique and
exclusive relationships, which ensure trust
and loyalty amongst the supporters and
commercial partners alike. As a result, several
businesses from a variety of sectors are now
successfully promoting their products and
services in this proactive and sustainable
campaign.
For its part, Sutton United has put in place a
number of initiatives in recent years to
strengthen these ties, increasing the value of
the Community Business Network to its
members:-
Charter Standard Status from the Football Association – the highest-level acknowledgement of the club's work in the wider community
Sutton United FC ‘outreach’ projects across North Surrey and South London, touching and working with underprivileged children
Sutton United FC in Gambia; Family Fun Days Club mascot 'Jenny the Giraffe' – Annual Christmas visits to Queen
Mary's Children's Hospital based at St Helier including appearances from 'Jenny the Giraffe' and first team players
Boys’, girls’ and disability football Annual Disability Awareness Day, in
association with Sutton Mencap and the Communication Workers’ Union
Through its Football Development Plan, Sutton United FC is committed to developing opportunities for those with wide-ranging disabilities to participate in sport
In return for the Commercial Partner devising an added-value incentive for our entire membership network (commercial partners and club mailing list), we offer exposure of the Sutton United FC ‘Community Business
Network’ package detailed below, for a heavily reduced rate.
‘Community Business Network’ package:
Term: 12 months from date of
commencement
Exclusive quarterly eSHOWCASE, which will be circulated to the entire membership network and our mailing lists totaling well over 10,000 people. This can include a company profile, testimonials, images, graphics, case studies, press releases, guest columns conventional advertising and any other electronic promotional material that Commercial Partners are able to compile, design and send to us for database distribution.
Private mailings to our membership, as outlined above, including the ‘Community Business Network’ partners.
Commercial Partners are welcome to send us
a monthly offer (incentives, promotions,
reader offers, competitions, etc). We’ll
circulate this mail-shot to the entire
membership network, exclusively on the
Commercial Partner’s behalf.
Bi-monthly ‘Professional Services Seminar’ business-networking events, including refreshments (lunch or supper and drinks), at the Club and at other prestigious local venues.
Opportunity to deliver presentations at our ‘Professional Services Seminars’ throughout 2014 and hopefully beyond, as well as running business clinics and workshops.
Social media engagement and regular promotions via our interactive Twitter account, @ABBOTTSFOOTBALL
Displaying promotional material and having a trade stand on selected match-days, running competitions and data capture campaigns.
15
Logo, company profile and hyperlink will be featured on the club’s official website, maximising Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Please consult the club website to view
how we display company brandings by
clicking on: http://www.suttonunited.net/commercial_community.html
Enhanced mailing list capabilities (over 1,000 children are registered to play for the club) – more than 2,000 parents, many of whom are local company directors and business owners.
Company literature, brochures, fliers, business cards and other points-of-sale can be strategically displayed within the clubhouse, which is being used daily. People will be able to pick up the Commercial Partner’s marketing and promotional material, take it away with them and make contact at a later date.
Use of the ‘Sutton United FC’ crest and action-shot images in any of the Commercial Partner’s marketing and promotional material including their website (subject to written artwork creative sign-off from the club).
2 x season tickets Use of our clubhouse and its facilities
for business and private functions (subject to availability).
This campaign will build-out the three pillars
of marketing:
brand awareness lead generation market engagement
Sutton United FC is so much more than just a
football club and our reach, within the London
Borough of Sutton and surrounding areas, is
truly enormous and arguably unrivalled.
For further information about the benefits, please contact Jeremy Ramsden on 05600 760 981 or 07930 575 332. You are also welcome to email [email protected] for details and rates or visit our website: www.abbottsfc.co.uk
Penalty kicks at the Community Funny Day
“St Raphael’s Hospice has been delighted to
work with Sutton United. The hard work of
their players, staff and volunteers is evident
and has been much appreciated by all at the
hospice. Our presence at the club has been
invaluable for both fundraising and raising our
profile in the community.”
Kerry Thomas Community Fundraising Manager St Raphael’s Hospice
We Always Need More Help Sutton United is run by volunteers. We are lucky, we have lots of good people who give freely of their time but time moves on; people grow older and for others circumstances change. We want to encourage the next generation of volunteers, male and female of all ages, working in all areas to see this club through to its next landmarks and greater successes. If you’d like to help, please e-mail:-
all help greatly appreciated
16
Contact Us
SUFC Ltd [email protected] SUFC [email protected] Outreach Team [email protected] Facility Hire [email protected] Club Office tel) 0208 644 4440 or e-mail [email protected]
https://twitter.com/suttonunited
Community Outreach Team
Community Officer Rob Hardy and Community
Events Coordinator Steve King put many hours into
our community programme. Steve is a life-long U's
fan but Rob came into the fold more recently We
are grateful to the support received from the
Football Conference Trust that allowed us to put
the team together.
Steve: “I really enjoy the coaching side of the role,
getting around the borough and coaching young
boys and girls and the positive feedback we get
back from parents makes it all worthwhile.
The most rewarding part is coaching adults with
disabilities, they’re so willing to learn and the
enjoyment in their faces is extremely rewarding.
Sutton United cares about the community it serves
and I am very proud to be part of this.
The highlight of the year must be working with top
comic Tim Vine, Sutton United’s most famous fan,
and for him to give up so much of his time for the
St Raphael's charity was fantastic. Not only did Tim
perform an evening comedy show, he became our
oldest ever mascot, leading the team out in front
of a Community Fun Day crowd over 2,000 and the
invited Sky Sports Soccer AM cameras: this was
indeed a very special time.
Rob:"I have worked in many roles within sport and education and latterly with the voluntary sector but have to say I'm really impressed by the commitment of everyone at Sutton, the energy that so many pour into a wide range of initiatives is often quite amazing. I first worked with the Club in 2009, developing a girls’ and womens’ project. I’m an avid football follower and have always wanted to work for a club and in previous roles I’ve helped Crystal Palace set up their Football In The Community project as well as working with other clubs such as Croydon and Dartford. Sutton is a special club with hard-working volunteers and that’s very significant in developing the Community Programme and, most importantly, in progressing the Development Project….and I’ve become a fan, although I can’t compete with Steve!! If we can get the community pavilion built it will make such a difference, not only in terms of sport in Collingwood Recreation Ground, but also the wider contribution it can make for local people. Fingers crossed"
17
People make it happen
Sustainability Campaign
The environment and investment - the future
of Sutton United FC
For the 2nd year in succession, SUFC has been awarded the Planet Mark sustainability certification. This green kite mark has been achieved by reducing the carbon emissions of the club, from matches to training and our travel arrangements. Sutton United is the first football club to receive the Planet Mark certification. Please help us share our green success as reducing the carbon footprint of the club is important, not just for the environment but for the future of the club. Our carbon footprint is based on how much electricity, gas and fuel we use in the operation of the club. Reducing our carbon emissions, means we are operating more efficiently and saving money. Paying less for our energy bills means we have more funds for investment into the club. Alongside cost saving, there is another big potential benefit from sustainability – the opportunity to attract new sponsors and *investment. Just like all major organisations and many smaller businesses, we are committed to reducing our environmental impacts and supporting community programmes. Showing how the Chocolate & Ambers are going green will help us attract wider support for the club.
SUFC is committed to improving our environmental impacts. We will be setting targets to reduce our carbon emissions associated with our energy, water and waste. Each year, we will be striving to achieve the Planet Mark certification which is delivered by
sustainability specialists Planet First (www.planetfirst.co.uk) in partnership with the Eden Project. Planet Mark certification is awarded to organisations of all sizes in recognition of their commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability and we are proud to join businesses from across the UK in this exciting programme.
“SUstainability” is our campaign to cut carbon, energy, water and waste. We are reducing electricity and our gas by switching off appliances and running them more efficiently. We are reducing our fuel by coordinating our travel to away fixtures. Our proposed new building will be designed to operate as efficiently as possible. And we would like your help. Reducing our waste and increasing our recycling reduces our carbon emissions and is better for the environment so please use recycling points at our home fixtures. We would like your feedback too, so please email me with ideas you think could work for SUFC and we will provide updates during the season in our programmes and online. We look forward to working together to improving our environmental impacts. It is good news for our club, for now and the future. Dave Farebrother
Chairman, Sutton United Football Club Ltd Steve Malkin
CEO, Planet First
18
Community Business Network Club Members
www.ab247.co.uk www.johnsonfellowes.co.uk www.a-linesouthern.co.uk www.keystonewm.co.uk www.allaspectsoflandscaping.co.uk www.lcbmit.co.uk www.andreaclarke.co.uk www.lotushr.co.uk www.anotherwaytheatre.co.uk http://www.mandscarpetandflooring.co.uk/ www.avenue-uk.com www.manncountrywide.co.uk www.avriljonesphotography.co.uk www.meprint.me.uk www.championtimber.com www.minievolution.co.uk www.bansteaddowns.com www.croydon.minutemanpress.co.uk www.bedfordinsurance.co.uk www.healthynewu.co.uk www.checkatrade.com/beechmoreconstruction www.nudgefactory.co.uk www.beepsales.com www.nuffieldhealth.com www.bjic.co.uk www.osborneandsons.co.uk www.bowlinglaw.co.uk www.oandk.co.uk www.brasserievacherin.co.uk www.peppercorn.biz www.checkatrade.com/DawsonAerialServiceLtd www.platinumdriveltd.com www.dreamgenius.net www.porterandco-sutton.co.uk www.drewpartnership.co.uk www.predatorpestsolutions.co.uk www.empowerhealthuk.com www.protia.co.uk www.emsworthtreecare.com www.remotecontroluk.com www.ewemove.com www.rivasuttonbingoclub.co.uk www.factorestudio.com www.riversidecentre.org www.farleighfox.co.uk www.runcgroundworks.com [email protected] www.rwbnetworks.co.uk www.gary-mason-charity.org www.skinnybananaspianobar.co.uk www.gatewaylocks.co.uk www.surecare-croydonandsutton.com www.gffiresolutions.co.uk www.surreybeds.co.uk www.giraffe.net www.surreytreesandgardens.co.uk www.goddard-accountancy-services.co.uk www.the-arc-caterham.co.uk www.go-gym.co.uk www.it-partnership.com www.gordonsknight.co.uk www.theprojektstore.com www.gowenandstevens.com www.theraj.co.uk www.grayside.co.uk www.spaghettitree.co.uk www.growthaccelerator.com/ www.tjforever.flppro.biz [email protected] www.Totally-You-Consulting.co.uk www.hilondonsuttonhotel.co.uk www.trustedsalesdynamics.com www.homeinstead.co.uk www.ultimatecelebrations.co.uk www.huntersnet.co.uk/carshalton www.uwl.ac.uk www.iconicdigital.co.uk www.ventiventi.co.uk www.imageworxsigns.co.uk www.wesleycooper.co.uk www.jemcacargroup.co.uk
All photos courtesy of Paul Loughlin©
, except where stated.
www.suttonunited.net