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How Merbein South are Crowdfunding for new cricket facilities with the aim to raise funds for 2 new portable pitches
Like many sports clubs at grassroots level, Merbein South Cricket Club have aspirations to grow, develop and expand their offering to support the local community and perhaps even create the next Steve Smith or Mitchell Starc! Unfortunately as with most grassroots clubs, access to the funding necessary to achieve these goals can be tricky to obtain especially for larger capital projects or ground improvement works. Crowdfunding for cricket facilities is a great option and Merbein South CC are already well on their way to funding two extra length portable 2G Flicx Pitches ahead of the new season.
When funds are low but ambitions high, that’s where Crowdfunding comes into play to save the dreams of sports clubs and teams around the world! Crowdfunding is a method of raising funds in small payments from a large amount of people in order to reach a set goal amount, for things like extra equipment to a new clubhouse.
With the global Crowdfunding market valued at $13.9 Billion USD, and forecasted to triple by 2026, it is a serious area to considering for clubs and teams in need of extra investment.
Clubs ask for contributions and shares for the campaign from people with a direct interest in the cause, which then spreads to the friends and families that person; and so on and so forth with every donation or share. Crowdfunding is a very online method and most commonly works well on social media platforms.
Merbein South Cricket Club are based in Victoria, Australia and call Chaffey Park their home. Boasting 4 Men’s teams, 1 Women’s team and junior age group teams from U16 down to U10s. With big aspirations to increase capacity for their ever growing junior cricket program, Merbein South CC have looked into innovative ways to achieve this, and have found 2G Flicx Pitches to be the best solution!
Merbein South CC applied for initial funding with Cricket Australia which has been granted, but more funds are needed to make it happen for the Cricket Club in Victoria. This is where they have set up their very own crowdfunding page to raise the rest of the funds:
As of Tuesday 6th October, Merbein South CCs Go Fund Me page had raised just over a third of their desired funding goal – after only a little over two weeks! With 15 donors and 60 shares, it goes to show the power of crowdfunding! Small donations from many people and the sharing of the campaign have worked! Whilst impressive, Merbein South CC would be grateful for any additional donations from the global cricket family so do take a look at their page and help if you can.
To help you and your club set up your crowdfunding campaign, whether it be for rejuvenating your clubhouse; buying new coaching equipment for the junior club; or improving playing facilities, here are our top tips for setting up a first class campaign!
Tell your story about the problem you face, the solution you have found and the benefit it will bring! Pull on the heartstrings of those potential donators and be specific on who the campaign will benefit in the end.
Put the time and effort into creating a campaign that looks and feels professional – simple things like ensuring brightness on photos and sound quality on videos add those little touches that make your campaign look professional and worthy of donating.
Create a buzz on social media to get people excited for the cause, encourage shares and collaborate with local media companies and sports associations to aid your reach! Regular posting across all platforms is excellent practice too – If you create an excellent campaign, make sure you bring people to it!
No doubt that your club has a large network of contacts, but if you ask your network to share the campaign with their network too your campaign could really go global! A share can often be as valuable as a donation and perhaps you might even be able to ask a local celebrity or international cricketer to champion your cause too? Local businesses could also be a great source of support and 2G Flicx Pitches can be branded with logos in exchange for a larger donation amount.
Regular updates during your campaign keep followers and potential donators in the know with the latest stages of the campaign. It could be you’re celebrating a 50% milestone or that funding has been approved by a National Governing Body, or even that initial work has started on getting a facility ready. Keep your updates fresh and informative!
It is key to spend some quality time on assessing how much to raise. Set the target too high and you may not reach it. Whereas if you set the target too low you may achieve it when only just gaining momentum within your network. Assess, comprehensively, what you need, how much it will cost and if it is achievable.
Speaking about Merbein South’s campaign, Flicx UK’s marketing manager Kate Costin said its something other clubs should consider ” We are aware of quite a few organisations who have successfully crowd funded for their 2G Flicx Pitch now. Its a great way not only to raise funds but also awareness of the clubs important role in the local community. The committee at Merbein have been proactive and its great to see the page total creeping up all the time. It will be amazing to see their two new Flicx Pitches rolled out as a constant reminder of their efforts over the coming years which will allow the club to expand their capacity further. Its definately a win-win and do take a look at their Go Fund Me page and support if you can.”
If you would like any support setting up your own campaign for example a pitch mock up, Flicx video and photo assets, then do get in touch via – kate@flicx.com
Download your free copy of the 2022 2G Flicx Pitch Brochure for the world’s most versatile cricket pitch.
