Spond supports grassroots sport resurgence with digital fundraising campaigns
When Mark Foster took the reins as chairman of Wraysbury FC in 2017, he encountered a club teetering on the brink of financial collapse. This village football club, with roots stretching back over a century, faced an uncertain future after years of financial mismanagement. With unwavering determination and the aid of the Spond football squad app, Mark led a transformative revival. The club now fields 13 squads every weekend, showcasing its remarkable recovery.
A Passion for Grassroots Football
A passionate advocate for grassroots football and a former player, Mark recognised the vital role of community clubs like Wraysbury FC. Despite the demanding nature of his role as UK country manager for an international IT firm, he was determined to save the club. The introduction of Spond proved pivotal, offering a solution to efficiently manage his limited time and coordinate the club’s extensive needs.
“Wraysbury FC was formed in 1902, so it’s part of the fabric of the local community, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t disappear,” Mark reflected. “The support was out there to keep it going, and local families were crying out for someone to save it, but our volunteer resources are finite, so a modern sports club management app was needed to coordinate everyone’s efforts and keep things going. After a lot of research, and several false starts, we signed up for the Spond app, and I can honestly say it’s played a huge part in our successful efforts to save the club.”
The Impact of Spond’s Football Squad App
Five years into Mark’s leadership, Wraysbury FC now thrives with 130 junior members, 70 adults, and 30 regular volunteers. The club’s resurgence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the community, near Staines-upon-Thames, A key factor in this success is the Spond app, which streamlines membership management, match organisation, and communication. The club is also on the verge of integrating payment solutions through the Spond Club team management platform.
“Despite having the resources to pay professional coaches, we depend on volunteers for everything from accounts to groundwork,” Mark added. “Many of these people have full-time jobs, so we rely on Spond to coordinate activities and streamline processes. These are tasks that that would otherwise take hours.
“I’ve never added it up, but I’d say that Spond saves me at least a day a week on club management tasks, which is time that I can devote to actually getting out on the pitch. The club is open to all, regardless of fitness or ability, which means we need to focus all our resources on player development, training and support. With Spond doing most of the admin work in the background, we are able to focus on what really matters.”
Mark’s Experience and the Value of Spond
Having served as the chair of Berkshire Scouts, with over 11,000 active members, Mark knew the challenges of managing large, volunteer-driven organisations. He values Spond’s integrated GDPR compliance and safeguarding tool., which ensure secure access for junior members and allow parental oversight.
“This is just one more example of Spond doing a job that would take hours to manage and monitor outside of the grassroots club management platform. It’s not a case of setting up Spond and forgetting, far from it, but it provides all the tools we need in one place, so we spend a few minutes setting things up, rather than days building it from scratch. For a small local football club, I can’t overemphasise how valuable that is.”
A Game-Changer for Sports Clubs
The advantages of using Spond extend beyond Wraysbury FC, serving over one million users weekly across various sports. Its intuitive design, coupled with the absence of ads and fees, makes it an indispensable tool for effective sports club management, fostering engagement and improving communication.
