As you can imagine there are a lot of people involved; managers and coaches at all age groups give up their time to the Club and to the children, having to not only coach but also to help mark out pitches, help with ground repairs, cut grass, roll the pitches, organise games, write match reports etc. It is a huge commitment for all of us.

                One of the other aspects we have to organise is raising sponsorship for kit, balls, track suits, training equipment and all the usual overheads to run the club such as pitch rent, electricity for the floodlights, maintaining the tractor and grass cutting equipment, line marking paint – the list goes on and on.

                Are you able to help in some way, however small, to help us run the Club and give the children a Club they can be proud of? Any donation or sponsorship, offer of help or loan of equipment would be gratefully received. It may help you to know that…a match ball costs £20 (each team needs two), practice balls cost £6 (each team needs approx one ball per player), a team kit costs around £500 per team of 13 players, a tracksuit costs minimum £25 each player.

                These essential items alone are substantial costs. Add to these the recent events such as our tractor being stolen (insurance policy excess was £1000) – we had to spend £2500 to replace it, having to pay the excess. One of the nets was slashed by vandals, replacement cost £120. If you would like to sponsor a team, your company name could be printed on the shirts or tracksuits. We could do this for a contribution of around £300. Otherwise any donation would be a help. We charge the players a season subscription to play for the club and if we get help through sponsorship, this cost can be kept to a level most parents can afford.

                An additional adjacent piece of land has been leased and this will be turned into a mini-soccer pitch for the age groups up to under 10. It has been previously used an allotment and therefore needs extensive preparation before the start of next season. We have already begun to clear the site of old metal, shrubs and greenhouses – a volunteer work party of all ages made good progress but the heavy plant costs of £3,200 need to be covered.

                As a Club we hold regular fund raising events such as race nights, summer fete, quiz nights and mini tournaments, and encourage the children to get involved so that they understand that money has to be earned for the club. They are made to realise that we don’t have a rich benefactor pumping money into the club! Last year a group of managers, parents and boys abseiled down Ipswich Maternity Hospital to raise money for the club and also donated £500 to a local charity.