Treasurer’s Update for January 2026
January continued the excellent momentum built in December, both on and off the pitch. A 100% record in the league during the month, including two convincing home victories, ensured strong attendances and sustained supporter engagement. Despite having only two home fixtures across five playing weekends, which resulted in an operating deficit for the month, the club delivered another positive financial performance and further strengthened its year-to-date position.
On the pitch, the month could not have gone much better. We opened 2026 with a 4–0 home win over Newport Pagnell Town in front of 645 supporters, followed by another impressive 3–0 victory at The Oval against Leicester Nirvana, with 508 in attendance. Two away wins – 2–1 at Hinckley AFC and 5–2 at Eynesbury Rovers – completed a perfect January league record. Four wins from four have kept us firmly in the promotion conversation and maintains the positive atmosphere around the club.
The two home league fixtures produced an average attendance of 577 for the month (645 and 508), keeping us within touching distance of our “Operation 600” target.
The other home game in the month was against Easington Sports, which saw a slightly below average 518 attend.
Operation 600
January is traditionally a difficult month for attendances, with the weather and post-Christmas finances often having an impact. To achieve an average of 577 across our two January fixtures is therefore extremely encouraging. While we remain 27 short of the 600 target, we continue to track significantly ahead of historic averages and remain confident that strong performances on the pitch can help close the gap as we move towards the business end of the season.
Merchandise and matchday income remained solid throughout the month, supported by the strong New Year fixture against Newport Pagnell Town, resulting in better-than-expected sales.
Sponsorship and Matchday Opportunities
Commercial discussions also continue positively, with ongoing interest in match sponsorship and advertising packages as local businesses increasingly recognise the value of being associated with the club’s growth.
We still have match sponsorship packages available for upcoming games, which offer a brilliant opportunity for local businesses to promote themselves while enjoying a special matchday experience. The response so far this season has been fantastic, and we’re confident these final packages will be taken up in the coming weeks.
We have some exciting and cost-effective tailored packages designed for businesses of all sizes. If interested, contact Lee Davies at commercial@nuneatontownfc.co.uk
Expenditure
In January, we incurred £15,106 in direct costs, covering:
Contractual pay to management
Five weeks of players’ wages and expenses
The cost of merchandise sold.
Other matchday expenses
Administrative expenses were £289, including:
Website hosting
Subscription to Xero
Payroll processing
Transaction fees (SumUp & Stripe)
January delivered a positive monthly result, despite having only two home fixtures during a five-week playing month. This demonstrates the continued resilience of our financial model, with income streams diversified across matchdays, merchandise, sponsorship and supporter contributions. Whilst the operation deficit of £8,124 is the largest to date, it’s purely due to the way the matches fall. Consider the impact on the clubs that are struggling with weather related home match postponements – not only would that be incurring losses/deficits during the month, their cashflow would also be massively strained. Not everyone likes the 3G surfaces, but it does bring financial stability during the winter.
We’ve also spent money on the “Back to Nuneaton” project, which will be covered below. As this is outside of the club’s normal operating, we show this expenditure as “Exceptional Costs”.
The year-to-date surplus continues to provide a strong platform as we move into the final third of the season. Attendances remain significantly ahead of budget assumptions made at the start of the year, and this is the single biggest driver of our improved financial position.
As previously outlined, our objective remains to operate as close to cost neutral as possible across the core playing months, meaning matchday and recurring monthly income covering our football and operating costs. Doing so protects the sponsorship and season ticket revenue generated in the summer and maximises the contribution we are able to make to the “Back to Nuneaton” fund.
Regarding our cash position, the club remains in a healthy position at the end of January. As always, it is worth noting that cash movement and reported surplus differ due to VAT liabilities (20% of most income streams), PAYE deductions payable to HMRC, and other timing differences between income received and costs recognised. We ended the month with a healthy £103,000 in the bank, down £3,000 from December’s balance.
What to expect in February
February includes a more balanced mix of home and away fixtures. Historically, this can be one of the most challenging attendance months of the season due to weather and the long gap between paydays, so continued supporter backing will be vital.
The three home games, including the United Counties League Sports Ground Development Cup Quarter Final versus Grantham Town, will hopefully mean that we see a much smaller deficit, but it really depends on the level of the attendances. As mentioned above, the weather is a factor as the fact that one of the games is an evening kick-off. It should also be noted that the gate receipts are shared with the opposition for the UCL Cup matches. The away games include the re-arranged short hops to GNG Oadby Town and Lutterworth Town, along with the trip to promotion rivals Histon in Cambridgeshire.
It is possible that we will be close to breakeven during the month, but a small deficit is the most likely outcome.
Back to Nuneaton Update
During December, the fund increased by £3,284 and now stands at £86,867 raised.
Alongside the income generated by excess gate receipts, we also received donations from the December 200 Club winnings and a £1,000 donation from Karen and Colin Chapman, who despite having no connection to the club or even the town, decided to support our cause as recognition to hard work put in by all fans to get the club up and running once more.
January marked a significant step forward in the project. We have now formally appointed a planning consultant to guide the scheme through the planning process and have commissioned ground investigation works on the site. This investigation will take place over the coming months and represent an important milestone in moving the project from concept towards deliverability.
Expenditure on professional fees will begin to increase as these works progress, and this underlines why maintaining strong operational performance during the season is so important.
Further updates on timelines will be provided once the ground investigations and transport assessments are underway and initial findings are available.
If anyone else would like to make a donation, small or large, to the “Back to Nuneaton” fund, you can do so here or by emailing finance@nuneatontownfc.co.uk
How can I help?
There are several 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.
· NEW! Please consider taking part on the new Nuneaton Town Supporters Cooperative games. See here for more information. Proceeds from the Mega 6 game are being donated to the Back to Nuneaton fund.
· 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. 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.
· If you would like to donate to our “Back to Nuneaton” fund, please do so here
