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.”