Thank you to those who have renewed and paid their membership for the current season. It’s the primary source of funding and the lifeblood of our club. What does your membership buy? See the infographic...

-All your training and match fees - including rental of 3G slots throughout the months of dark evenings from September to Easter, as well as dressing rooms on match day - 32% of income

-League Registration - 10% of income

-Maintaining our pitch and training area at Clarisford Park - what a years, flooded, frozen, flamed resulting in big maintenance bills - 21% of revenue

-Insurance - 5%

-Referee Fees - 6%

-Paying down our bank loan - 14%, down to €12K

-Equipment - bibs, balls, cones, kit, liner, nets and all the other bits and bobs

- 8% of our income.

While we appreciate the membership fee can seem high compared to other clubs, it’s all inclusive, whereas other clubs keep membership low and charge ongoing match fees and training fees that mount up over time and place an additional burden on coaches to collect.

Our total membership contribution last year amounted to €40K. Total cost of running the club was €53K, with fundraising activity required to bridge the gap.

Over the year we do various fundraisers - from bag packs to table quiz, cycles to calendars, prediction competitions to pin badges and sponsorships. Your support for these fundraisers in vital to allow the club to successfully function.

For the coming year we have some pressing financial priorities:

1. Acquisition of a 2nd playing pitch to support our growing number of squads

2. Pitch maintenance cost control following last season’s weather related increase in costs

3. A fundraising programme that bridges expenditure gap between membership and overall expenditure and also generates capital for continued growth.

If you would like to get involved is supporting any of the above programmes your help would be greatly appreciated.

As a first fundraiser of the new season we are hosting a Dawn to Dusk football marathon on the Bank Holiday Monday 29th October. All our squads will take a slot and each family with players are asked to complete a sponsorship card. Every returned card entered into a draw for a Lough Derg FC playing kit. All funds raised from this fundraiser will go to the New Pitch fund.

Above I listed what is bought with your membership money. The reality is what you get from grassroots football at Lough Derg FC is thousands of hours of happy, healthy footballing fun. Lifelong friendships through sport, growth and personal development. Priceless. Be part of it.