What Forza's 2026 grassroots report means for running a club
Forza surveyed 409 UK clubs. Most are funded by player subs and run by volunteers. SquadPilot is one system for that organisation.
Forza's 2026 State of Grassroots Football report asked 409 clubs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland how the game is holding up. The survey ran from 1 to 17 July 2026. Respondents included chairmen, secretaries, players, coaches, committee members and treasurers. SquadPilot is not affiliated with Forza. These figures are theirs.
How the clubs pay for themselves
Player subs are the main fund. Forza found that 88% of clubs use them, ahead of sponsorship (71%) and fundraisers (52%). Grants and government funding are used by 23%. Almost every club (99%) has seen costs rise in the past year, and 83% have seen pitch hire go up. More than half (54%) have increased player subs, passing that cost on to families. 57% do not feel they have sufficient funding for what they do.
The volunteer doing the paperwork
99% of the clubs describe themselves as reliant on volunteers. 78% say it has become harder to recruit and keep them. When clubs named the challenges those volunteers face, 93% pointed to time and work-life balance, and 31% to a growing burden of paperwork and admin.
One system for the sports organisation
SquadPilot OS is built as one management system for running that organisation, rather than a spreadsheet for the money and another product for the members. Members, the receipts-and-payments ledger, Gift Aid prepared for the club to submit, expenses, events, venues, and training plans sit in the same monthly fee. There are no module add-ons on the public price card.
The non-profit part is specific. A charity or a CASC needs a receipts-and-payments file an examiner can take, and a charity can prepare a Gift Aid reclaim for its authorised official to submit. A club registered only as a CASC cannot claim Gift Aid on membership fees. SquadPilot does not submit the claim, is not the examiner, does not apply for a grant, and does not register the club.
The reading of what that software has to cover is in non-profit software for a sports club. Subs, the ledger, and the reclaim are in Resources. Plans are on the pricing page.
This is a reading of a published survey. It is not tax advice.