Treasurer’s Update for April 2025
The 19th of April 2025 was a historic day for Nuneaton Town Football Club! No team bearing the name of Nuneaton Town had lifted a league trophy since the 1930-31 season, when Town won the Birmingham Combination, a league that the Midland Football League can trace its own heritage back to. It was also the first time any Boro/Town side had lifted a league trophy since Nuneaton Borough raised the Southern League championship shield in 1999.
The match against Smethwick Rangers saw 715 come through the turnstiles and, not only did they get to see the Midland Football League Division 1 trophy presented, but they also saw Town come from two goals down to win 3-2 in an entertaining game. This moved Town onto 103 points for the season and 121 goals – both a phenomenal achievement.
With a spare week at the start of the month, followed by an away game at picturesque Saffron Dynamo, we had to wait until the last day of the month to complete the season – the BCFA Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup final against Cradley Town at the Bescot Stadium. Despite losing the game and having to play all but the first 6 minutes with striker Louis Baker in goal following injury to Brandon Bache, it was a memorable day – not least due to the hoards of fans from Nuneaton who made the trip up the M6. Particularly striking was the reception given to the Nuneaton Town squad at the final whistle, which for many supporters brought back memories end of the FA Cup 3rd replay at the Riverside.
With just the single home game in the month, turnover in April was £8,397. The home game, though well attended, was not as large is in would have been if the league title had not been secured so early, though this is not a complaint in any way! It was still a fabulous day and thanks to all who came to celebrate the title in style. The game also marked another first due to the incredible financial performance in the season, the club reached the threshold require to register for VAT in later February, and the registration began on the 1st of April. This means that we now lose just under 17% of all gate receipts to HMRC by way of VAT, the first being the game against Smethwick. We were expecting to hit the VAT registration limit sometime next year, so we really are victims of our own success.
VAT also applies to merchandise sales, so of the £2,148 of sales in April, £358 of VAT to HMRC. Again, the sales in the month were nothing short of superb and were bolstered by sales of the “Champions” scarves and t-shirts. We also sold £1,287.50 of coach tickets (no VAT on these!) which generated £287.50 for the “Back to Nuneaton” fund.
There is also the possibility of receiving additional revenue relating to the Midweek Floodlight Cup final – BCFC allow a 25% share of the gate receipts to the two clubs. However, this is after allowing for all costs of staging the game, including the venue cost. Prudence dictates we only recognise this revenue once we receive it, and, as the cost of staging a game at the Bescot stadium would not be cheap, we must assume we get little or nothing. At least we do not have to pay for the cup to be engraved!
The Nuneaton Town Supporters’ Co-op were again able to contribute £1,250 from the 200 club proceeds, which is yet another increase from last month due to increase participation. There’s also a “super draw” coming up in June, so look out for details of this, and if you haven’t signed up yet, the link is here.
Lee Davies is continuing to do an excellent job of securing sponsorship for the 2025/26 season – currently £13,715 has been invoiced to our sponsors, both new and existing and this represents over a third of our target for the season. We still have plenty of sponsorship opportunities left for next season, and you can view our 2025/26 brochure here . If you would like to discuss partnering us with your business, please contact Lee by emailing commercial@nuneatontownfc.co.uk
In terms of expenditure, we incurred £12,245 in direct costs during April, which covered:
Three playing weeks’ players and coaches’ remuneration,
Matchday ground hire
Training facility hire.
Physio fees and equipment costs
Matchday security and safety costs
Matchday officials’ fees and expenses
Post-match catering costs (required by the league)
Merchandise cost of sales
Programme printing and matchday fundraising ticket costs.
Coach Hire
Expenses relating to the Midweek Cup Final preparation.
We also incurred administrative expenses of £742, which included:
Website hosting costs
Subscription to the club’s finance system (Xero)
Payroll processing costs
Printing and stationery costs
Transaction fees charged by payment platforms (SumUp & Stripe)
Matchday volunteer training
However, as we are now VAT registered, we can reclaim input VAT on goods purchased that have remained in the business (such as the playing & kits, equipment, and any unsold stock) going back to the formation of the club, and VAT on services for the last six months. This amount to £1,053 and therefore our reported net administrative costs in April stand a surplus (profit) of £311.
Due having a single home game and three game weeks, including the increase cost of playing in a final, we recorded a deficit (loss) of £1,054 for the month. Year to date, our operating surplus (profit) stands at a fantastic £41,768. As mentioned above, the loss may be mitigated to a certain extent should we receive any proceeds from the final. We also have paid the invoice to FWP Ltd for the work conducted so far, which came in at £86 more than previous accrued. The net surplus now stands at £37,082 year to date.
With £4,686 spent to the feasibility study, £35,907 remains available for the purposes of “Back to Nuneaton” and £1,175 is held in reserve.
What to expect in May
Well, one thing is for sure – no football! Whatever are we all going to do with ourselves?! From a financial perspective, we are selling tickets to the end-of-season presentation evening. The ticket sales are expected to cover the cost of staging the event. There are a few tickets available, so if you would like to attend, you can purchase your tickets here. The club have also launched the away kit for the 2025/26 season, and they are now on sale from our online store , and we have purchased stock to sell at the presentation evening.
During the close season, we will be also running a stall on a market day in Nuneaton town centre (date TBC), where will be selling merchandise and season tickets, as well as having the league trophy on display.
With only administrative cost and contractual staff to pay, with the events and 200 Club contributions, we would expect to see a small operating surplus during the month.
Back to Nuneaton Update
During April, we were able to add another £534 to the fund, making a total of £40,593 raised so far.
This is less than usual, as we do not have enough headroom in our reserves to allocate the full amount, as we need to ensure we have enough funds on hand to meet any unexpected operating costs. This is temporary and due to the impact of VAT and only having one home game in April.
Should we make a combined surplus in May and June of over £2,000, we will be allocating any surplus above this figure to the fund.
Following receipt of the feasibility study on our preferred site by FWP Ltd, board members have met with key stakeholders, including the local MP, council officials, and the Birmingham County FA. We also continue to take advice from the Football Supporters' Association. The feasibility study has highlighted the need for more detailed highways and environmental assessments. We are waiting to hear if any of the stakeholders can help facilitate these studies, as at this stage we are reluctant to commit all the current Back To Nuneaton fund to one site, when it may be more prudent to use it for initial feasibility studies on other sites.
How can I help?
There are a number of ways that fans and local businesses can help support the club:
· Support the club by attending games and encouraging others to do so!
· While at games, please consider buying a 50/50 draw or Golden Goal ticket.
· Join the NBSC 200 club. This is a fantastic way of supporting the club financially, whilst give you the chance to win monthly cash prizes. This now contributes to the “Back to Nuneaton” fund. You can take part in the 200 Club online by clicking this link: Join the 200 Club
· Join the Nuneaton Town Supporters Co-operative. Not only will you be helping the Co-op fulfil its duty as part owner of the club, but you will also be able to hold the Co-op board members and club officials appointed by the Co-op to account (including me). Look out for further information about the new season membership drive and further information on how you can get involved in both the Co-op and the club. You can join the Co-op online by linking this link: Join the Nuneaton Town Supporters Co-operative.
· If you are a local business and would like to become a sponsor, reach out to commercial@nuneatontownfc.co.uk to discuss taking one of our great packages.
