FUNDRAISING FOR YOUR SOCCER TOUR TO ENGLAND
💰 MAKE THE TOUR MORE ACHIEVABLE
A soccer tour to England is a major experience for players and families, and fundraising can make a real difference to the amount each family ultimately needs to contribute. The key is to start early, involve the whole team and use a mixture of individual fundraising, team events and local business support. You do not need one huge fundraising event. A series of smaller activities over several months can build into a substantial amount.
⭐ A REAL FUNDRAISING EXAMPLE
One team that travelled with TFE shared the fundraising approach they used because it was so successful. Their programme combined local business sponsorship with a restaurant raffle. Players approached local companies for sponsorship and restaurants for donated gift certificates that could be used as raffle prizes. The sponsorship levels ranged from $100 to $1,000, with businesses receiving different levels of recognition on the team banner, commemorative shirts and social media.
THE RESULTS
⚽ 19 players participated
💵 $34,600 raised through sponsorship
🎟️ $8,300 raised through the raffle
🏆 $42,900 raised in total
The team came from a city with a population of only around 10,500 people, showing what can be achieved when the whole group gets involved. Every team and community will be different, so there is no guarantee that another group will raise the same amount. However, it demonstrates just how powerful organised fundraising can be.
💡 FUNDRAISING IDEAS
There are hundreds of ways to raise money towards a soccer tour.
Some ideas include:
⚽ Sponsored penalty shootouts
⚽ Soccer skills challenges
🏃 Sponsored walks or runs
🚗 Car washes
🧁 Bake sales
🍔 BBQs
☕ Team breakfasts
🎟️ Raffles and prize draws
❓ Quiz nights
⚽ Youth soccer clinics
🏆 3v3 or 5v5 tournaments
👕 Merchandise sales
🏡 Yard sales
🎉 Community events
🥅 Parents vs Players matches
You could also ask every player or family to research one fundraising idea and bring it back to the group. The club can then decide which ideas are realistic and create a fundraising calendar.
👨👩👧👦 GIVE EVERY PLAYER AND FAMILY A ROLE
Fundraising becomes much easier when the responsibility is shared. Instead of one coach or parent trying to organise everything, each player or family could take responsibility for one activity.
For example:
Family 1 — organise a car wash
Family 2 — organise a raffle
Family 3 — approach local businesses
Family 4 — arrange a soccer clinic
Family 5 — contact restaurants for prizes
Family 6 — organise a team social event
The team can then organise additional group fundraisers to top up the overall tour fund. This spreads the workload and gives everyone a part to play.
🤝 LOCAL BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP
Local businesses may be willing to support the team because sponsorship can help them increase their visibility within their own community while also helping local young players take part in an international experience. Rather than simply asking:
“Will you sponsor our team?” consider creating different sponsorship levels.
For example:
⚽ STRIKER SPONSOR — $1,000
Largest logo placement on the team sponsor banner, prominent recognition on the tour shirt and social media recognition.
⚽ MIDFIELD SPONSOR — $500
Large logo placement on the sponsor banner, recognition on the tour shirt and social media recognition.
⚽ DEFENDER SPONSOR — $250
Medium logo placement on the sponsor banner, recognition on the tour shirt and social media recognition.
🧤 GOALKEEPER SPONSOR — $100
Smaller logo placement on the sponsor banner and tour shirt, together with social media recognition.
These are simply examples based on a successful fundraising programme shared with TFE. Your club can create its own sponsorship levels and benefits to suit your community.
📸 GIVE SPONSORS SOMETHING IN RETURN
Think about how you can give local businesses genuine recognition for supporting the team.
This could include:
📸 Photographs of the team with the sponsor banner
👕 Sponsor logos on commemorative tour shirts
📱 Social media recognition
🏆 Sponsor recognition at fundraising events
📰 Sponsor logos on fundraising materials
✈️ Photographs of the banner during the England tour
This turns sponsorship into a partnership rather than simply asking a business for a donation.
🛠️ ASK FOR SERVICES AS WELL AS MONEY
Not every business needs to contribute cash.
A local company might be willing to help by providing:
👕 Tour shirts
🖨️ Printing
🎟️ Raffle tickets
🪧 Sponsor banners
🍽️ Restaurant gift certificates
🎁 Raffle prizes
🍔 Food for a fundraising event
The team in the real example suggested reducing fundraising costs by asking relevant businesses to provide their services free of charge rather than making a financial donation. That means more of the money raised can go directly towards the tour.
⚽ USE SOCCER TO FUND SOCCER
Some of the best fundraising ideas involve the activity your club already knows best.
🥅 YOUTH SOCCER CLINIC
Players and coaches could run a short soccer clinic for younger players in the community and charge an entry fee.
🏆 SMALL-SIDED TOURNAMENT
Run a 3v3 or 5v5 competition and charge teams an entry fee.
🎯 PENALTY SHOOTOUT
Players collect sponsorship or pay an entry fee to participate.
🧤 GOALKEEPER CHALLENGE
Run a fun competition for goalkeepers across the club.
👨👩👧 PARENTS VS PLAYERS
Turn it into a club event with refreshments, entry fees and fundraising activities.
These events can raise money while also involving the wider club.
🌱 FUNDRAISING CAN HELP PLAYERS DEVELOP
Fundraising is not only about reducing the cost of the tour. It can also help young players develop valuable skills away from the field.
🗣️ CONFIDENCE & COMMUNICATION
Approaching businesses, speaking to supporters and helping at events can improve communication skills.
🌟 LEADERSHIP & INITIATIVE
Players can take responsibility for tasks, solve problems and help organise activities.
💰 FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Working towards a financial target helps players understand budgeting, saving and the effort required to achieve a long-term goal.
🤝 TEAMWORK
Players work together towards something they all want to achieve.
🏆 SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
There is real satisfaction in knowing that you helped make your own soccer tour possible.
👥 FUNDRAISING CAN STRENGTHEN THE TEAM
Working together towards a tour can bring players, coaches and families closer before the team even arrives in England.
Fundraising can help:
⚽ Build team spirit
🤝 Create a shared goal
👨👩👧👦 Bring families together
🏘️ Involve the wider club
🌎 Strengthen community connections
💰 Reduce the financial burden on individual families
The fundraising journey can become part of the overall tour experience.
🎯 GIVE THE PLAYERS SOMETHING WORTH WORKING FOR
You might be surprised just how proactive a young soccer player can become when there is an incredible goal at the end.
The opportunity to:
🏴 Travel to England
⚽ Represent their club overseas
🥅 Play against English opposition
🎓 Train with experienced English coaches
🏟️ Visit famous stadiums
🎟️ Watch professional football
🌍 Experience another country and football culture
All these can create a huge amount of motivation. Players may be willing to approach businesses, organise events, sell raffle tickets and help with team activities in ways they may never have considered before. When the goal means something to them, young athletes can show tremendous maturity, initiative and work ethic.
💵 SMALL AMOUNTS ADD UP
Fundraising does not need to produce thousands of dollars every time.
Imagine a team raises:
$500 from a car wash
$750 from a soccer clinic
$1,000 from local sponsors
$500 from a raffle
$750 from a team event
That is already:
$3,500 TOWARDS THE TOUR
Add individual fundraising, additional sponsorship and regular family savings over several months and the amount each family needs to find personally can become considerably more manageable.
📅 START EARLY
The biggest advantage any team can give itself is time.
Starting fundraising months before departure gives the group time to:
💰 Run several smaller fundraisers
🤝 Approach multiple sponsors
📅 Spread payments over time
👨👩👧👦 Give families time to budget
⚽ Recruit additional players
🎯 Work towards realistic targets
A tour that may initially look like one large expense can feel very different when fundraising, sponsorship and staged payments are taken into account.
📣 HELP SPREAD THE WORD
There is another way your club could potentially add money to its tour fund.
If you recommend Total Football Experience Soccer Tours to a coach or another soccer club/organisation and they subsequently book a tour, TFE will take $1,000 off your final balance payment.
One successful referral could make a meaningful contribution towards your fundraising target.
MAKE ENGLAND THE GOAL
A soccer tour to England does not necessarily have to be funded entirely from the family household budget. With enough planning time, fundraising, local sponsorship and staged payments, teams can work together to make the experience much more achievable.
The important thing is to start the conversation early. You do not need every player committed or every dollar raised before speaking to us. We can help you explore potential dates, itinerary ideas and approximate costs so that your club has something realistic to present to players and parents.
NO SET DATES • NO SET ITINERARIES • PERSONALISED TO YOUR TEAM
CLICK HERE TO START PLANNING YOUR ENGLAND SOCCER TOUR
Fundraising Disclaimer: Fundraising rules, raffles, sponsorship and tax requirements can vary by state, province and organisation. Clubs should ensure that their fundraising activities comply with their own policies and any applicable local regulations. Total Football Experience does not administer or hold funds raised by teams.