Total Grassroots and Kelme partner with GoCardless to offer stress-free payments and new kits to grassroots football clubs

LONDON, 28 November 2024 -- Bank payment company GoCardless has announced a partnership with Total Grassroots and kit manufacturer Kelme to simplify payment collection for grassroots football clubs and kit out their team. By using GoCardless, clubs can show unpaid subscriptions and high card fees the red card. Its enhanced Direct Debit capabilities give club treasurers and secretaries greater visibility and control over their payments through an easy-to-use online platform, in addition to 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. 

From now until summer 2025, football clubs that sign up to and collect payments with GoCardless will receive a £300 Kelme gift card*. This can be used in an exclusive GoCardless club shop to purchase kits and other apparel from Kelme, which counts Championship side Watford and La Liga’s Espanyol among its featured clubs. 

Colin Bowden, Founder of Total Grassroots and Commercial Development Officer at Leicestershire-based Hemington Hammers, said: “GoCardless has literally been a game-changer for our club. We went from spending hours each week chasing unpaid subs and thousands of pounds in lost income to collecting an extra £300-400 a month in previously missed revenue. Card fees were also eating into our budget but by switching to Direct Debit, they’re no longer an issue. Coaches handling cash is also a very welcome thing of the past!

“We’ve been able to redirect all of the time and money we’ve saved into growing our club. Over the past 5 years we’ve grown from having one adult men’s team, to having a whole junior section with well over 150 members because we’re a financially healthier organisation. And because GoCardless is all digital and automatic, we can continue to grow with confidence knowing that our payments can scale with us.”

Bowden continued: “We’re excited to launch this partnership with Kelme and GoCardless, especially having seen firsthand how a new payment system has transformed our operations. Enterprising clubs could even use it to launch new income streams, for instance by offering Direct Debit to pay for a supporters club membership or a monthly club lottery. We also want to thank Kelme for subsidising the GoCardless VIP club shop. With home and away kits to pay for in these economic times, their generosity will go a long way.”

Rob Lowe, UK partner for Kelme, said: “Grassroots clubs are the heart and soul of football, and we’re proud to play our part so every team can train and play with high-quality kit. By working with Total Grassroots we can grow our footprint in the UK and support even more clubs.”

Jolawn Victor, Chief Growth Officer at GoCardless, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to help grassroots sports thrive. By taking the pain out of getting paid, we can empower football clubs to focus on what they do best: fostering lifelong healthy habits and changing lives through sport.”

Football clubs interested in the offer can sign up here.

This is the latest announcement for GoCardless in the sports sector. Last year the fintech became the official payment partner for Swim England and headline sponsor of its national events. This summer GoCardless launched a partnership with Future Ticketing to help make season tickets and memberships more affordable, in addition to agreeing a shirt sponsorship deal with Chesham United FC Women.

* subject to eligibility

Notes to Eds.

For more information, contact:

press@gocardless.com

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.

We are headquartered in the UK, with additional offices in Australia, France, Ireland, Latvia and the United States. For more information, please visit www.gocardless.com and follow us on LinkedIn @GoCardless.

© 2024 GoCardless Ltd. All Rights Reserved. GoCardless is a registered trademark of GoCardless Ltd in multiple countries. Third party trademarks mentioned above are owned by their respective companies. Unless explicitly identified as such, nothing in this press release should be construed to the contrary, or as an approval, endorsement or sponsorship by any third parties of GoCardless Ltd. or any aspect of this press release.

About Total Grassroots

Total Grassroots Ltd help amateur and non-league sports clubs to grow and thrive through carefully sourced solutions and products. Through our experience and broad portfolio of specialist consultants we help generate income and free up volunteers time whilst supporting your clubs plans to improve club facilities and infrastructure. If your club needs help or inspiration then we have the solution, for a complete list of services and products then visit www.totalgrassroots.com.

About Kelme

Kelme are a leading Spanish brand for premium technical teamwear with over 60 years of history. In the UK we are the kit supplier of Watford FC as well as National League clubs Wealdstone, Maidenhead United and Scunthorpe United. We also have an established foothold in many of Europe’s other top leagues. Our involvement does not stop at elite level. Our teamwear ranges cater for all players and abilities.