25 tried-and-tested fundraising ideas for sports clubs

Sports-related fundraising ideas

1. Host a tournament

Whether you’re a football, rugby, tennis, netball or cricket club, hosting a tournament where you invite other local teams to compete against each other for a fee is always one of the best fundraising ideas. For sports teams, it’s a chance to raise money while doing what you’re best at, and it’s a great way to meet fellow local sportspeople and supporters to get behind your cause too.

2. Penalty shootout

At the end of a match day or as part of a summer fete, charge people a small fee to see if they can score against your goalkeeper. If you’re looking for easy fundraising ideas for sports teams, this one couldn’t be easier to set up, and it’s one that all ages can get involved with. Try to secure a prize for the winner to add an extra level of competitiveness!

3. Sports swap tournament

Not heard of a sports swap tournament before? This type of fundraising activity could see a football team take on a cricket team, or a netball team try their hand at basketball, for example. Make it a sponsored event or charge a fee to take part to support your fundraising. It’s a great way to learn new skills and raise awareness of your cause among the local sports community. 

4. Old-school sports day

Hold a classic sports day event at your training ground or club to raise money for your team. This is an ideal event to host at a summer fundraising fete; charge people to take part and hand out medals to the winners. Here are some events to consider including:

• Three-legged race
• Sack race
• Egg and spoon race
• Parents’ race
• Penalty shootout
• Wheelbarrow race
• 100m sprint
• Tug of war

Prize draws

5. Win signed merch

A prize draw is a brilliant way to boost your sports fundraising or crowdfunding total. Asking people to pledge money to your cause for the chance to win merch signed by your team or a professional club is one of our top fundraising ideas for sports teams. Signed items could include:

• Shirts
• Footballs
• Rugby balls
• Tennis rackets
• Programmes
• Posters

“The Crowdfunder platform really allowed us to make the most of fundraising opportunities. The user journey for both – us in setting up our prize draws, and for supporters to get involved – is a nice, simple, easy-to-follow process, and I think this went a long way towards the success we had and the amount of money we raised. Each time we launch a new draw, they are always really well received and it’s a great way for fans to support our cause and we’re able to give a little back.”

Kate Smith, Head of Marketing and Communications at Foundation of Light, which raised £10,000 through prize draws, having raised £200,000 in total via Crowdfunder

6. Bid for match tickets

Match tickets also make a great prize in a draw. Whether it’s a local game or you’ve secured a pair of tickets to a national final, offering tickets as a prize will always be one of the most popular sports club fundraising ideas, attracting lots of interest.

7. Win a luxury hamper

Not all prize draws have to be sports-related; fundraising ideas for clubs can also centre around prizes donated by local businesses or corporate sponsors, or you could put together a luxury hamper featuring donations from the team. Good items to include are:

• Bottle of champagne or prosecco
• Restaurant vouchers for a local eatery
• Luxury chocolate or macarons
• Selection of preserves
• Beauty products
• Event tickets

Physical challenges

8. Sponsored hike

Recruit team members, families and friends to take on an endurance hike, whether it’s the Three Peaks Challenge, the Coast to Coast walk, or a climb up Snowdon or even Ben Nevis. These types of challenges often take months of training and prep, so share your journey via social media to show each stage of your fundraising journey to attract more sponsorship along the way.

9. Take on a marathon

A marathon is one of the most popular sports-related fundraising ideas, as you can find races locally to sign up to, or register for a place in the London Marathon or even an overseas race. Make sure your race kit clearly displays your cause with your logo or website visible, or consider completing the run in fancy dress to stand out from the crowd and raise more awareness of your fundraising.

10. Obstacle course

An obstacle course, through water, mud or perhaps even inflatables, is one of the most fun sports club fundraising ideas, as it’s a challenge the whole team and your supporters can take on. Charge an entry fee or ask people to sponsor you to raise money for your team, and add a competitive element to see who can conquer the course the fastest.

11. Fancy dress fun run

Whether it’s a Santa Dash at Christmas time or a local fun run where you can wear your team’s kit or all dress as your club mascot, ask for sponsors to support you to complete a fancy dress fun run, or even several over the course of a year. These can be great fundraising opportunities for sports teams, helping to boost the profile of your club in your community while you raise money.

Online fundraising ideas for sports clubs

12. Start a crowdfunder

One of the easiest but most impactful fundraising ideas for sports teams is to start a crowdfunding campaign. With Crowdfunder, you simply create an online fundraising page, tell your story and set your goal. Advertise your cause via social media and to everyone you know to attract donations, and consider offering rewards to your supporters to boost your fundraising further.

At Crowdfunder, you can also apply for sports match funding grants of up to £15,000 from the likes of Sport England and Sport Wales to help you reach your goals faster. But every donation brings you closer to your total with crowdfunding.

“The smallest of contributions all add to the greater achievement of the goal. We hoped to reach our target and raise awareness at the same time. I had someone who gave £2 asking me when the project was going to be completed.” 

Jo from York RI AFC, which raised £26,662 from 210 supporters via Crowdfunder, and received £6,000 +Extra Funding from Sport England: Places and Spaces

13. Virtual sports quiz 

You can’t go wrong with a sports quiz when you’re looking for easy fundraising ideas for sports teams. 

1. Appoint a quizmaster

2. Set rounds based around different sports, different years, or different sporting tournaments

3. Secure a prize for the winner

4. Charge an entry fee

By hosting the quiz online, you save on the cost of hiring a venue, which means you can boost your fundraising pot further, while also welcoming quizzers from outside your local community. There are websites and apps you can use to host an online quiz that make sure no one can cheat using their smartphones!

14. Gaming marathon

If you’re looking for sponsored sports team fundraising ideas and there are keen gamers in your club, an all-night or 24-hour gaming marathon is a great option. Participants could take over your clubhouse or training facility for the night, ask supporters to provide refreshments to keep the gamers fuelled, and set different sponsorship rates for each hour they keep going to boost the total raised. If you don’t have a venue, this event could take place virtually, with supporters joining a livestream throughout the night to provide support, encouragement and donations.

15. Online auction

Auctioning off signed merchandise, event tickets, luxury hampers, and items donated by local businesses can be one of the best fundraising ideas for sports teams. Once you’ve secured the auction items, you can host the auction online to save money on hiring a venue or providing refreshments. Some bidders may even feel more comfortable pledging larger amounts away from a crowd. You will need to consider the logistics of getting lots to bidders, but this is a great way for team members and their families to support the cause.

Community fundraising ideas for sports teams

16. Community car wash

A community car wash is one of the classic sports club fundraising ideas. All you need is buckets, a good supply of cloths and plenty of soapy water. Hold the car wash in your team car park on a spring or summer weekend and charge a fee for each car cleaned. You could have a vacuum station for people to pay extra to have the inside of their vehicle cleaned as well to boost your fundraising total. 

17. Beach clean-up

If you live in a coastal area, a sponsored beach clean-up is a good way to raise money for your club while giving back to the local community and doing your bit for the environment. If you don’t live near a beach, a sponsored litter pick-up in your local park is also a great idea. Take along a QR code or wear hi-vis jackets that clearly show your logo or website so passersby can donate to your cause too.

18. Odd job week

In the summer (or when the weather allows) find a week where team members can give up their evenings to help out around the local community in return for a small donation for each job they complete. Get members to pair up to help with jobs such as:

• Mowing lawns
• Trimming hedges
• Jetwashing driveways
• Painting fences
• Running errands, such as picking up supermarket shopping
• Dog walking
• Cleaning windows

19. Bingo night

Host a bingo evening at your club. Everyone loves a bit of bingo, especially when there’s a cash prize; charge an entry fee, with half of this going towards the prize fund and half towards your sports club fundraising. Ideas to boost your pot further include serving refreshments for a small fee, or running a raffle on the night too.

20. Host a potluck dinner

Bring your team, supporters and the rest of the community together and host a potluck evening. A potluck requires everyone attending to bring a dish, whether it’s an appetiser, their favourite meal or a dessert. Charge a small entry fee to support your fundraising and enjoy an evening of good food, conversation and community. 

21. Karaoke night

A karaoke night is one of the more unique fundraising ideas for sports teams, but it can be a huge success. This is a great idea if there’s a DJ or someone else with all the equipment you’ll need that belongs to your club, as this’ll help you to keep your costs low. Get team members, family and friends together for a night to remember, charge entry on the door, encourage each member of the squad to get up and sing, and run a raffle or prize draw on the night, all to support your cause.

Other creative fundraising ideas for sports teams

22. Bake sale

Bake sales are always good fundraising ideas for sports teams. Sell cakes, biscuits or even pies at matches or tournaments, or as part of a wider fun day or Christmas fete. Get as many people involved in making classic bakes or sports-themed treats as possible, recruit volunteers to man your stall, and offer teas and coffees too to boost your fundraising further. Ideas for sports-themed bakes include:

• Cookies or shortbread biscuits iced to look like footballs, tennis balls, cricket balls etc.
• Gingerbread people with iced sports kits
• Cupcakes with edible sports-themed toppers or swirled buttercream in your club’s colours
• ‘Hockey stick’ cheese straws
• Red velvet ‘cricket ball’ cupcakes
• Strawberries and cream ‘tennis-themed’ cakes or sandwich biscuits

23. Make and sell your own merch

From keyrings to t-shirts and from knitted hats to branded travel cups, the options for making your own merch to sell are endless. One of the easiest creative fundraising ideas for sports teams is to find items you can add your logo to and sell these to your supporters, with a portion of the money going towards your fundraising efforts.

24. Craft-a-thon

There are lots of crafty activities that make great fundraising ideas for sports teams:

• Host a sponsored knit-a-thon or crochet-a-thon and get team members who don’t know a knitting needle from a crochet hook to join in too
• Sell tickets for a ‘crafternoon’ where attendees can try different crafts
• Hold a ‘repair shop’, charging a fee for people to get buttons sewn on, clothes darned, or items re-hemmed

25. Create a team calendar

Making, printing and selling a team calendar requires careful planning and good photography skills, but it can be one of the most successful fundraising ideas for sports clubs. Everybody needs a calendar, friends and family will want a copy if their loved one is featured, and you can make it an annual event. Good ideas for a club calendar include getting team members to pose in their sports kit in and around your local area, you could recreate iconic album covers, or even ask supporters or their children to submit artwork to be featured.

Top tips to boost your sports fundraising ideas 

Give your sports fundraising ideas the best possible chance of success by following these top tips:

• Call on family, friends and neighbours to volunteer their time to support your cause
• Ask local businesses to donate prizes for raffles or draws
• Apply for match funding grants to boost a crowdfunding campaign
• Give back to your supporters with crowdfunding rewards
• Use social media to spread the word about your fundraising efforts and events far and wide
• Check out our Knowledge Hub for even more sports fundraising tips

“Give yourself plenty of time to contact local businesses for Rewards and to set up the campaign page. Don’t rush it and put yourself under additional pressure. Whilst the online crowdfund campaign was a massive success, we also had a significant proportion of the community who did not use social media. We found that it was really worth investing the time to create posters and leaflets etc to spread the word, and identifying ways that they could donate in cash, as they brought in a further £20,000 in additional donations.”

Sam at the Chinley, Buxworth & Brownside Community Association, which raised £31,782 from 501 supporters, and received £7,500 in +Extra Funding from Sport England: Active Together

“If you’ve got 50 or 60 people and everyone helps, rather than a committee of three doing everything, that will do the trick. Be prepared. Do your research. Do your homework.”

Martin Kast at Roe Green Tennis Club, Manchester, which raised £30,000 via Crowdfunder

Start raising money for your sports club

Start making your sports fundraising ideas a reality and set up a crowdfunding project. It couldn’t be easier with Crowdfunder; start raising money and access live funds to boost your total today.

Start crowdfunding