Setting up a business and bank account

You might not think of your football team as a business. But there are several structures and processes you'll need to have in place to keep it running smoothly.

1. Pick a team name

First off, every football club needs a name for fans to chant. And you’ll need to come up with one quickly, so you can set up a business and bank account for your club.

If you plan on becoming England Football accredited or entering accredited leagues, you’ll need to make sure your team name isn’t too similar to other clubs in the league. Try to come up with a few ideas, so you have more than one option to choose from. If you’re not fussed about accreditation, pick the name that represents your club best.

2. Set up a business bank account

Having a dedicated bank account helps keep team income and expenditure separate from personal accounts. This makes fulfilling your tax obligations easier and gives you a clearer view of your finances. Some banks provide specific products for charities and community clubs, so look out for accounts tailored to your needs.

Quick tip for setting up your business and bank account: look out for opportunities to integrate all your different apps. Whether you’re using SumUp to collect payments for concessions and merchandise on match days, or using Hello Club to manage your team admin. Join the dots between your apps and programmes to make the day-to-day running of your club easier.

3. Implement structures

Next, you’ll need to think about how your club is structured – from management and legal structure to tax status. This might sound like a lot of complexity, but having these structures in place early on can help you with the day-to-day running of your club.

A typical management structure includes a chairperson, manager, secretary, and treasurer. You might also need to hire other roles, depending on the size and age group of your club. Find out more about club structures on the Amateur FA website.

While a manager, secretary, and treasurer can cover most tasks, you should also make sure the wider team shares responsibility. Whether that’s doing the laundry, or maintaining and storing equipment. Everyone on the team should be chipping in.

Football clubs can choose from a range of options when it comes to legal structures. Some of the most common legal structures are unincorporated associations, private companies limited by guarantee or shares, and community interest companies (CIC).

Depending on whether you’re setting up a charity or a business, you’ll either need to use HMRC’s Trust Registration Service (TRS) or register your business.

Some clubs also qualify for special tax status – including Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) or registered charities. You can find out more about becoming a CASC on the gov.uk website.