Budgeting is challenging.

Building a robust Budgeting Plan is even more challenging, in the emotional and rollercoaster world of Football.

However, the Responsibility of those in charge is, many times, to avoid emotions to take place when dealing with the Financials of the Club, or Organization.

It needs to make sense for whatever the Plans are.

Therefore, understanding that Budgeting is just another tool to make the Club function at its best capacity is crucial.

The question is: How?

Well, I’ve finalized the last Text on this theme mentioning a “Desirable Point B”, once understanding the current Position (Point A) and designed the Strategic Goals.

Now, here it’s important that these Strategic Goals can come in different ways, or forms and all are potentially viable, if the Strategies align accordingly.
Take these simple example, as:

. Human Resources, or TLC (Talent, Learning and Culture) – to improve the Knowledge on AI Platforms, integrating AI Services at the Club’s Relationship with it’s Members (Families, Supporters, etc)
. Youth Academies – to create a Learning Support for young Athletes
. Women’s Football – to create a Girls Pathway and Women’s 1st Team

How would you generate Strategies to reach these Goals?
how would you analyze the market in oder to understand what is required, from all perspectives (financially, operationally, space and staff, for example)?

What would be the impact on the Financials of the Club?
Does it require Prioritization? If so, how do you prioritize?

The elementar pilar here is that the ENTIRE Club must be aligned into that direction, regardless the Department is more impacted or even the Specific Objective.

Let’s now discuss the impact on different Departments, starting on one of the most important Departments of the Club and one that has a direct impact on the Positioning and External Perception of the Club’s Values and Offer – Communications and Marketing Department.

Marketing is essential for Growth and Brand Development, but, here again, it must be aligned with available Resources.

• Prioritize ROI-driven Campaigns: Social Media ads, Email Campaigns, and Digital Content are Cost-Effective. Measure Conversions (Registrations, Inquiries and Processes for Follow-ups, etc).
• Tiered Approach: Invest more during high-priority Periods (Pre-Season, Early-Bird Offers, Camps). Similarly, consider Reducing spend in low-priority Periods.
• Leverage Free Channels: Organic Social Media, Community Engagement, and Partnerships with Sponsors can reduce Costs.
• Budgeting Principle: Marketing Spend should often be a Percentage of Projected Revenue to avoid overcommitment. Here, consider your current situation and Budget available.

On the other side, the Technical Department is the core of your Club’s Value, so Budget allocation should ensure the there’s massive impact on both Quality Player Development, focusing on Retention and Conversion (Recruitment involvement and Strategies accordingly) without overspending, as:

• Deliveries: Aligning all with the Experience that excels all involved
• Staffing: Ensure Full-Time Staff cover the critical Age groups; only use Part-Time Coaches Strategically for lower-density groups, making sure they are fully integrated within the Club’s Culture, Values and Methodology.
• Session Planning: Group Players to maximize Coach-to-Player ratios without increasing costs excessively, normally from my experience around 1 Coach per 10 to 15 Players, depending on Ability Levels and Age.
• Facilities (if needed) : Allocate Rental Hours based on peak Demand and Program Profitability. Consider different alternatives as sharing facilities (although this might not be advisable for the majority of the cases, if with competitors), making an efficient use of the spaces available without becoming detrimental to the Experience of the Players, or even off-peak scheduling to save costs (later/earlier Sessions may be cost effective).
• Budgeting Principle: Protect Technical Investment above Marketing, because (theoretically) Player Development is the Club’s core Product.

Another tool that must be understood is how does the Scouting will work at your Organization. Scouting is a crucial part when Planning Growth, as an investment in the Club’s future, but it can be costly. Here, some ideas of Strategies to adjust:

• Focus on high-value Opportunities: Target Regions, Tournaments, Clubs and Academies where Player Talent is most likely to convert into Registrations or Scholarships. For instance, if there’s a local Academy that focus on younger/older Players, why not to make a Partnership and work together ?
• Digital Scouting: Use Video Analysis, Online Platforms, and remote Scouting to reduce travel costs, making sure it fits your Budget estimations as some Platforms aren’t necessarily cheap.
• Tiered Scouting: Assign Senior Scouts to High-Priority Age Groups (U16–U21) while Junior Groups can be monitored through Coaches’ recommendations under their local Leagues or other referrals.
• Budgeting Principle: Scouting Budget should scale with Club Growth and Talent Needs for its specifics, as recognizing the need to build a stronger core quality at U12’s to U16’s to eventually develop a strong U18’s and U21’s or 1st Team accordingly; don’t rush here and be pragmatic with your approach, as it can be very challenging to focus on all and every Age Group.

Understand your Club’s Priorities, what is more relevant and how you’ll achieve that.

Separate them by Categories, as: Technical Developments; HR or TLC; Marketing, Communication, and Brand Positioning; or Business Expansion.

What is required?
What impact these Strategies may have on the Annual Budget?

How are you going to change the Budget to meet the needs?

How to monitor, create KPI’s and access Success?

And many more…

Hope this helps to make you think about it!