GoCardless and Kent FA Join Forces to Champion Women and Girls Football in Kent
Last editedFeb 20252 min read
LONDON, 25 FEBRUARY 2025 -- Global bank payment company GoCardless has announced a partnership with Kent FA to become its official Payments Partner and a Community Investment Partner for women's and girls' football within the County, reinforcing its commitment to growing the game at all levels.
Clubs can use GoCardless to easily collect recurring subscriptions via Direct Debit, in addition to instant one-off payments through open banking. This will give club secretaries and treasurers greater control and visibility over their funds through an easy-to-use online platform, in addition to options for automatic payment collection and reconciliation.
As a result, football clubs will stop losing out on unpaid subs and membership fees while freeing up time for staff and volunteers. With a transparent fee structure that could be up to 54% cheaper than cards, GoCardless also helps to keep costs down -- so more of the funds paid in go directly to the club.
As part of this collaboration, GoCardless will support a Women and Girls Football Extravaganza on 8 March, a key event aimed at inspiring and empowering female players and supporting and educating female match officials and coaches from across the county. This event will feature friendly matches, skills challenges, coaching clinics, and inspirational talks from female football pioneers, encouraging greater participation and inclusivity in the sport.
Beyond this flagship event, GoCardless is dedicated to removing barriers to play by supporting key initiatives such as the Women’s Beginners Festival and the Kent Women’s Casual League. These programmes aim to create more playing opportunities for women to engage with football, fostering a more inclusive football community.
Darryl Haden, CEO at Kent FA, said: "We are delighted to welcome GoCardless as both our Payments Partner and Community Investment Partner for Women and Girls Football. Their support will help us improve the financial health of our clubs, break down barriers, and inspire more women and girls to take up the game. This partnership represents a huge step forward for grassroots football in Kent."
Catherine Birkett, Chief Financial Officer at GoCardless, said: “We believe football is for everyone so we’re thrilled to support Kent FA in widening participation, particularly for girls and women. Whether it’s lending a hand at the upcoming extravaganza or providing our bank payment services behind the scenes to take the pain out of getting paid for teams, coaches and volunteers, we’re here to help clubs focus on what really matters -- building community, inclusion and healthy habits for life through football.”
The Women and Girls Football Extravaganza will take place at the training ground of London City Lionesses, offering inclusive opportunities for girls of all ages and abilities, championing the movement for greater representation in football.
For more information, visit www.KentFA.com or follow #OnePitchOneGame.
GoCardless is a global bank payment company with deep roots in the sport and health & wellness space. The initial idea for the company, founded in 2011, stemmed from a desire to make it easier for grassroots football clubs to collect membership fees. Today GoCardless serves over 7,000 organisations across the grassroots, membership and health & wellness industry and has more than 75 partners in the sector.
Within the football space, GoCardless is a shirt sponsor for Chesham United FC Women, a tier 4 National League club. Last year it launched a partnership with Total Grassroots and Kelme to offer stress-free payments and new kits to grassroots football clubs.
In 2023 GoCardless also became the official payments partner and headline sponsor for all Swim England national events, covering activities across swimming, diving, artistic swimming and water polo.
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About GoCardless
GoCardless is a global bank payment company. Nearly 100,000 businesses, from start-ups to household names, use GoCardless to collect and send payments through direct debit, real-time payments and open banking.
GoCardless processes US$130bn+ of payments annually across 30+ countries; helping customers collect and send both recurring and one-off payments, without the chasing, stress or expensive fees. We use data and insights to improve payment success, reduce fraud and, with open banking connectivity to over 2,500 banks, help our customers make faster, more informed decisions.
