Fundraising Ideas for Community Lacrosse Clubs

Running a community lacrosse club in the South West is a labour of love. Between pitch hire, travel to fixtures that can be two hours down the A38, and the eye-watering cost of helmets and sticks, the numbers rarely balance on subscriptions alone. The good news is that grassroots clubs here have a long tradition of raising money in ways that also build the community they serve. What follows are ideas that work, with enough practical detail to get you from "we should do that" to "we've raised £1,400".

Start With the Small, Reliable Earners

Before you plan the big event, put a few quiet earners in place. A 100 Club is the classic: members pay £5 a month, and each month a number is drawn for a cash prize. Fifty members brings in £2,500 a year and costs nothing but a spreadsheet and a standing order.

• Supermarket bag packing: ask a local store for a two-hour slot on a Saturday, bring eight players in club kit, and you will usually clear £200–£400 in donations.
• Car boot sales: a table of donated kit, boots and books. Arrive early, price simply, and go home with cash rather than clutter.
• Match-day tuck shop: flasks of tea, a tray of cakes and an honesty tin at every home fixture. It sounds trivial, but over a season it pays for the balls.

Quiz Nights and Socials That Genuinely Fill the Room

A quiz in a village hall or the function room of a friendly pub remains the best return on effort for most clubs. Book a quiet weeknight and you will often get the room free in exchange for the bar takings. Charge £5 per person, cap teams at six, and limit the room to about twelve teams so it feels busy rather than cramped.

• Write your own questions, with a round on local geography and a round on lacrosse rules. It is cheaper and far more fun.
• Ask local businesses for raffle prizes four weeks ahead and collect them in person. A haircut, a Sunday roast for two, a bag of dog food — most say yes.
• Run a heads-and-tails game between rounds to add another £60–£80 to the night.
• Repeat it quarterly. The first quiz is hard work; the fourth runs itself.

Other reliable socials include a curry night with a set menu and a per-head margin, a race night using pre-recorded races, and a bingo evening aimed at parents and grandparents rather than players.

Sponsored Challenges That Use the Landscape

The South West is built for this. A sponsored walk along a stretch of the Coast Path, a cycle from one club's home town to the next, or a supervised dawn swim all raise money because the effort is visible. Set a target per participant rather than a vague request — £75 each for a ten-mile walk is achievable and easy to explain.

• Sponsored shootout: players collect pledges per goal scored in a 100-shot marathon. Younger squads love it and it fills a Saturday morning.
• Indoor static challenges: rowing machine, bike or step-ups in the sports hall during training. No weather risk, no travel, easy to supervise.
• Set up an online giving page so people who cannot attend can still contribute, and share the link in the club group chat.

If your club is a registered charity or a Community Amateur Sports Club, remind sponsors that Gift Aid can add 25p in every pound on eligible donations. It costs them nothing and it is often the easiest money you will raise all year.

Turn a Fixture Into a Fundraiser

A mixed lacrosse festival has the best atmosphere of any club fundraiser. Invite six to eight teams from across the region, charge £60–£80 per team entry, and run a round-robin over a single day on a 3G pitch or a school field. Charge spectators £3, sell a barbecue, and put out a cake stall and a tombola.

• Add a junior tournament in the morning and the adult festival in the afternoon. Families stay all day and spend more.
• Sell pitch-side sponsorship: a local builder or estate agent pays £100–£250 for a banner on the fence and a mention in the programme.
• Ask each team to bring a raffle prize as part of their entry fee. It costs them little and fills your table.
• Keep a float and a card reader, or a clearly signed payment code, so you never lose a sale for want of change.

Grants and Local Business Support

Events are only half the picture. Small grants are easier to win than most clubs assume, particularly when the request is specific: £500 for a new goal, £800 for coaching qualifications, £1,200 for a set of junior helmets.

• Your local Active Partnership and county sports team hold small grant pots and can point you towards others.
• Parish, town and district councils frequently offer community grants of £250–£1,000, often with a simple form and a twice-yearly deadline.
• Player sponsorship: ask a local firm to sponsor a player's season for £100 in exchange for their name on the kit and a thank-you online.
• Equipment sponsorship: a set of match balls, or branded water bottles for the whole squad.

Always ask for something specific, and always report back afterwards with a photograph and a number. Funders remember the clubs that tell them what actually happened.

Make It a Habit, Not a Panic

The clubs that never worry about money are rarely the ones with the biggest events. They are the ones with a named fundraising lead on the committee, a calendar of dates agreed at the start of the season, and one clear target everyone understands — "£2,000 towards travel this year" beats "raise some money" every time.

Keep fundraising income separate from subscriptions, make the running total visible to members, and celebrate each milestone publicly. In a region where clubs are spread out and journeys are long, fundraising is also a way of spending time together. Do that well, and the money tends to follow.