LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report and Financial Statements
A Company Limited by Guarantee For the Year Ended 30 June 2024
Registered Company Number: 05143284 Registered Charity Number: 1104917
LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Contents
| Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report & Reference and Administrative Details | 3 |
|---|---|
| Independent Auditors' Report to the Members of League Football Education | 10 |
| Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating Income & Expenditure Account) | 14 |
| Balance Sheet | 15 |
| Statement of Cash Flows | 16 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 17 |
LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report Reference and Administrative Details
The Trustees, who act as Directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024.
| Charity registration number | 1104917 |
|---|---|
| Company registration number | 05143284 |
| Principal and registered address | EFL House |
| 10–12 West Cliff | |
| Preston | |
| PR1 8HU | |
| Trustees | AG Williamson OBE (resigned on 15thJune 2024) |
| M Molango | |
| P Coyle | |
| N Craig | |
| J Tagg (appointed on 10th January 2025) | |
| Chief Executive Officer | S Stephen |
| Company Secretary | S Stephen |
| Members | The Professional Footballers’ Association |
| The Football League Limited | |
| Bankers | Barclays Bank plc |
| PO Box 357 | |
| 51 Mosley Street | |
| Manchester | |
| M2 3HQ | |
| Auditor | Saffery LLP |
| 10 Wellington Place | |
| Leeds | |
| LS1 4AP | |
| Legal advisor | Mills and Reeve Solicitors LLP |
| 1 Circle Square | |
| Symphony Park | |
| Manchester | |
| M1 7FS | |
| Wrigleys Solicitors LLP | |
| 3rdFloor, 3 Wellington Place | |
| Leeds | |
| LS1 4AP |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
The Trustees, who act as Directors for the purposes of company law, are pleased to present their annual trustees’ strategic report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024 which are prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report, a strategic report, and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) effective 1 January 2019.
Structure, Governance and Management
League Football Education (LFE) is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 2 June 2004 and registered as a charity on 15 July 2004. LFE is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association adopted on 16 June 2004 and subsequently amended on 28 July 2010 and 7 September 2012.
Trustees
The Trustees are listed on page 3.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of LFE. Each member of LFE is entitled to appoint up to two Trustees. Trustees are appointed by the members and due to the background and experience of the Trustees appointed they already have a good understanding of LFE’s business and of the Charity sector in general, therefore, the training requirements for new Trustees are limited. However, on appointment new Trustees are provided with an overview of LFE, its aims and objectives, business processes and risk strategy together with the Charity Commission’s expectations of Trustees.
The Board plan to meet at least quarterly however additional meetings are scheduled should the need arise. The Board approve annual operating plans and budgets and an annual AGM is utilised to approve the Accounts and appoint External Auditors.
The income and assets of the Charity shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects and no part shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly, by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by way of profit, to members of the Charity, and no Trustee shall be appointed to any office of the Charity paid by salary or fees or receive any remuneration or other benefit in money or money's worth from the Charity.
Every member of the Charity undertakes to contribute such amount as may be required (not exceeding £10) to the Charity's assets if it should be wound up.
The Trustees retain the oversight of the financial and operational activities of the Charity and are responsible for the recruitment and performance of the Chief Executive Officer.
The Trustees meet annually to review the pay and remuneration of the Senior Management Team (comprising of Chief Executive Officer, Chief Education Officer, Designated Safeguarding Officer and Quality Lead) and in conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer, pay is set according to the market rate at the time and comparisons made with similar roles in other organisations within the industry.
Organisational Structure
Day to day management of LFE is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for implementing policy as agreed by the Trustees. The Chief Executive Officer ensures the Trustees are informed of all financial, operational and strategic developments and ensures all material transactions receive Trustee approval. LFE is committed to maintaining the highest possible standards to meet its social, moral and legal responsibilities to safeguard the welfare of every learner and works in partnership with The English Football League (EFL) and The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) in order to achieve this. The Chief Executive Officer also has overall responsibility for the safeguarding of the learners.
The Chief Executive Officer is supported by a Senior Management Team and staff split into Educational and Support Teams. The Educational Team manage the delivery of education ensuring co-ordination between the learners, employers and educational partners. The Support Team provide administrative and management
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
support to the Education Team and all stakeholders and ensure that the fundamental company functions such as Quality Assurance, Finance, HR, IT and MIS are delivered effectively.
The LFE Board consists of representatives from The Professional Footballers’ Association and The Football League Limited. LFE provide educational and vocational training for apprentice footballers aged 16 to 18 who aspire to progress to professional footballer status at the end of their Level 3 Sporting Excellence Professional (SEP) Apprenticeship. LFE has a key responsibility to ensure apprentices’ personal development and employability skills are catered for given that a high percentage do not achieve professional footballer status and therefore seek alternative positive destinations such as other employment, training or further education. LFE also ensure that the clubs that run a full-time or hybrid youth development programme at under 16 sufficiently monitor the educational progress of these players within the academy system to ensure they are not educationally disadvantaged.
SEP is supported and delivered by a variety of tutors, assessors, youth coaches and education officers based at the football club academies. Education also takes place at Further Education Colleges and other sub-contracted education providers. LFE currently engage with 67 Professional Football Clubs (64 out of the 72 EFL Clubs and 3 from the National League). In addition to the apprenticeship programme LFE also delivered a study programme within 13 EFL club community organisations (CCO’s), in conjunction with their Community, Education Football Alliance (CEFA) Games Programme. This programme was new to LFE in 2016/17 and during the year ending 30 June 2024 LFE saw a further increase in learner numbers to a total of 678 from 605 in the previous year, however this number reduces to 610 in the 2024/25 year.
Financial review
The Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA), Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the accounts are set out on subsequent pages. The SoFA details total incoming resources of £11.877m, of which £11.637m is income from charitable activities and £240k represents income from cash deposits during the year. The income from charitable activities includes £6.159m from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for the 16-18 apprenticeship delivery and a further £3.592m in respect of the 16-18 study programme. £1.642m was received from the Professional Footballers’ Association to support the work we carry out with the Professional Football Clubs and their associated Apprentices. A further £140k of income was received from clubs in respect of the coinvestment required by the ESFA for employers to contribute towards the cost of their apprenticeship training, together with £104k from the Turing Scheme in respect of European transition activities.
During the year resources consumed totalled £11.737m. Of this, £8.286m was spent on the provision of education and training, £2.623m was spent on staff costs and £724k was spent on other support costs together with the costs associated with the Turing Scheme programme of £104k. The surplus for the year ended 30 June 2024 was £140k.
Total income increased by £222k, predominantly due to an increase in ESFA revenue of £772k, £289k on the apprenticeship programme due to a higher funding amount per apprentice, together with £482k on the study programme due to a higher number of learners having enrolled in September 2023 together with an increased funding rate per learner. The employer co-investment contributions remained the same as previous year, however interest received increased by £104k. These increases were partially offset by a small reduction in revenue of £97k from the EFL. The Erasmus+ revenue also came to an end during 2022/23 year and was partially replaced by a much smaller project funded by the Turing Scheme, the funding across these projects significantly reduced in the year by £558k.
During the year ending 30 June 2024 there was an increase in total expenditure of £149k, predominantly caused by an overall increase of £573k in respect of the direct provision of education and training and an increase in staff costs of £117k, other support costs of £16k all of which were offset by a saving of £558k in respect of the Turing scheme costs.
The charity had an unrestricted funds balance of £2,999,074 as at 30[th] June 2024. These unrestricted funds are available for general purposes and there are considered to be no commitments against these funds for any liability that has not been accrued for.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
Risk Review
A review of the risks faced by LFE was conducted during the year and systems established to mitigate those risks. LFE has identified the business risks it faces and has documented these within its development plan and updates them annually in the form of a risk matrix. The current most significant risks to LFE are the external financial risks together with concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of Football Clubs and their academy operations many of which continue to be under financial strain following the pandemic.
The external risks are those associated with government funded educational programmes. Historically 16-18 year old apprenticeships were fully funded by the government, however in April 2017, this changed with the implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy and the requirement for all employers to contribute towards the cost of apprenticeship training.
All employers throughout the UK with an annual payroll bill of more than £3m are subject to paying the Apprenticeship Levy. The levy fee is 0.5% of the employers’ payroll costs in excess of £3m, which is used by the employer to pay for the education of their apprentices via the PAYE system and managed through their Apprenticeship Service account. Over 85% of the employers that LFE currently provide education and training to are subject to paying the Apprenticeship Levy. However, over half of these employers, do not pay enough Apprenticeship Levy to cover the whole cost of their apprenticeship training and as a result of this, these employers have had to co-invest a further 5% of their shortfall in Levy paid.
The remaining non-levy paying employers that LFE works with were required to pay 5% of the cost of the education and training, as a co-investment, with the government paying the remaining 95%. This was a significant amount for each employer, given they provide an apprenticeship programme for approximately 18 apprentices over a two year period, however, these non-levy paying employers will no longer be required to co-invest due to a government policy change.
The apprenticeship levy and the employer co-investment have now been in place for just over seven years and have so far not significantly impacted on the number of apprentices that LFE care for, however, our apprentice intake was lower for the new starts in 2020 mainly due the impact of the pandemic. Since then, recruitment numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels. However, over the same seven-year period the national minimum wage for apprentices has also increased by more than 70% so for a club that employs 18 apprentices within their youth department at any one time has an annual cost of £180k, compared to a cost of £98k seven years ago. As minimum wages continue to increase this may affect the number of apprentices recruited by the clubs in future.
A further risk is that of the long-term sustainability of Football Clubs given wider financial issues affecting the game as a whole. This could potentially be part of their decision-making process to maybe close their academy operations, which will in turn impact on the revenue and the number of learners LFE take care of.
An additional risk for LFE is that of the Government Review of Subcontracting. LFE support learners on a government funded 16–19-year-old Study Programme within 15 (previously 13) Club Community Organisations (CCO’s) across England. Many of these learners come from disadvantaged backgrounds and they are often inspired to continue with their Post16 education through a football environment. However, most of the education delivery of this programme is sub-contracted to the CCO’s and the Government continue to review sub-contracted delivery.
After due consideration, the Trustees consider that League Football Education has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements. Full details are within note 1 of the financial statements.
Trustees are fully appraised at regular Trustee meetings and between meetings of any issues that impact upon the management of risk.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
Reserves policy
The Trustees are aware of the need to hold sufficient unrestricted reserves to enable completion of the educational programme for all learners on programme. The ESFA income continues to be the largest risk factor for LFE. In previous years the reserves policy had been to establish reserves target of 40% of prior year income with the explicit aim of ensuring support was given to all existing learners. During 2018/19 it was agreed that some of the reserves would be utilised to support the on-programme apprentices and to assist LFE to plan for the rollout of the delivery of the new SEP standard at Football Clubs across England. Some of the reserves were utilised in that year and it was agreed that reserves of 25% of the prior year income would then be appropriate. The unrestricted reserves as at 30[th] June 2024 stand at £2.999m which has just met the target of 25% of prior year income. The Trustees believe this would be sufficient to ensure support could be provided to all existing learners while allowing LFE the time necessary to restructure its business model and remain sustainable for the long term, should the need arise in future.
Objectives and Activities
The Charity's objects ("the Objects") are the advancement of education for the public benefit, in particular, but not exclusively, for apprentice footballers, professional footballers and retired professional footballers.
Public benefit test
From 1 April 2008 the Charities Act 2006 requires all charities to meet the legal requirement that its aims are for the public benefit. The Charity Commission in its “Charities and Public Benefit” guidance states that there are two key principles to be met to demonstrate that an organisation’s aims are for the public benefit: firstly, there must be an identifiable benefit and secondly, that the benefit must be to the public or a section of the public. The Trustees have considered this guidance when planning the activities of the charity and this report sets out the objectives and strategic aims of the charity and its achievements during the year.
LFE provide education to those recruited as potential professional footballers irrespective of their race, religion, location or prior educational attainment. LFE also provide Post16 education to a wider section of the community at 15 CCO’s across England, many of these learners come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are often inspired to continue with their education after school age within a football environment. The Trustees are satisfied that the aims and objectives of the charity and the activities reported on in this annual report to achieve those aims, meet these principles.
Achievements and performance
LFE has key operational targets to achieve each year and these are shown in the tables below:
| Professional Development Phase Football Apprentices |
2023/24 KeyTargets |
2023/24 Results |
2024/25 KeyTargets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment - Apprentices | >600 | 606 | >570 |
| Retention - Apprentices | >95% | 97% | >95% |
| SEP – Apprentices through Gateway | >90% | 95% | >90% |
| SEP - Achievement of all EPA aspects | >88% | 95% | >87% |
Although LFE has now seen 17 cohorts of apprentices complete the apprenticeship programme, this was only the third full cohort of apprentices to complete the SEP Apprenticeship. LFE met or exceeded all four key apprenticeship targets, as set out above, the highlights of which were retention rates of 97% and overall achievement rates of the new standard of 95%, these results continue to be outstanding.
| Club Community Organisations Full-time Study Programme |
2023/24 KeyTargets |
2023/24 Results |
2024/25 KeyTargets |
|---|---|---|---|
| On Programme – Post 16 education | >600 | 678 | <625 |
| Retention – Post 16 education | >80% | 76% | >80% |
| Achievement Main Aim - Post 16 education | >80% | 75% | >80% |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
LFE recruited a higher than the expected number of Post 16 learners during 2023/24 and the retention rate was below target for the year due to various factors, including some learners choosing not to continue the second year of their course. The learners that remain committed and stay on programme, achieve their main aim at the end of their two-year programme. As a result of this LFE has restricted the recruitment at some CCO’s and implemented a closer management of the recruitment process, ensuring the programme is right for the learner at the outset.
Ofsted Inspection
In February 2023 LFE was inspected by Ofsted and was again graded ‘Outstanding’ across all key judgements, including Quality of Education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development and Leadership & Management. This outstanding achievement was reinforced by the successful renewal of both the Investors in People and The Matrix Standard during the 2022/23 academic year, which are further endorsements of the excellent work LFE carries out with its learners across both the Apprenticeship and Study Programme.
The Trustees believe that the recent independent reviews alongside the wider programme of audit and checks conducted within the education sector and the excellent retention and achievement rates provide all stakeholders with the confidence they require in the governance, management, and delivery mechanisms of LFE.
Related parties
The details of the related party transactions during the year are shown in note 16 of the financial statements. During the year LFE delivered the training and education of apprentice footballers on behalf of The Football League Limited and The Professional Footballers’ Association.
LFE is based at EFL House, the Preston office of the EFL, and as such LFE pay the EFL for the rental of office space together with various associated costs, amounting to £132,200 during the year ending 30[th] June 2024 compared to £159,144 in 2022/23.
The educational costs of LFE were supported by The Professional Footballers’ Association of £1.642m during the year ending 30[th] June 2024.
Plans for future periods
During 2024/25 LFE will continue to embed the delivery of the SEP Apprenticeship and support for the apprentices’ end point assessment on, what is still a relatively new programme. The SEP Apprenticeship Standard was updated and revised in November 2022 therefore the apprentices that carry over into the 2024/25 year started on the updated standard, which resulted in further systems changes and developments.
LFE continue to expand the Life skills and Player care offer to all apprentices given that they are training to perform at the highest level within Football and not all apprentices will achieve this. While doing so, LFE will endeavour to maintain its excellent position regarding retention and achievement together with developing young people that are ready for their next stages in life. LFE will continue to work with Professional Football Clubs to establish different delivery models that suits different employers to ensure the sustainability of the high-quality education that LFE provide, as recently endorsed by Ofsted.
In addition to the apprenticeship programme LFE has now recruited a further cohort of learners on to the 16-18 study programme within 14 EFL club community organisations (CCO’s) in conjunction with the CEFA Games Programme. The 2024/25 year will see a reduction in overall learner numbers, due to improved recruitment processes at the CCO’s, thus setting out the high expectations of the programme from the outset as many Post 16 learners look for alternative educational provision away from the traditional sixth form or college environment. We will work in partnership with the CCO’s to ensure the aims of the programme meet with the aims and expectations of LFE and provide a stepping stone at age18 into employment or higher education, inspiring those school leavers to engage in Post 16 education through the power of football.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Trustees’ Annual Strategic Report (continued)
Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
The trustees (who are also directors of League Football Education for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
-
there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and
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• the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the reparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The trustees’ annual strategic report was approved by the Board of Trustees and was signed on its behalf by:
Maheta Molango Trustee EFL House 10-12 West Cliff Preston PR1 8HU
Date: 6th March, 2025
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of League Football Education
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of League Football Education for the year ended 30 June 2024 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the charitable company’s state of affairs as at 30 June 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of League Football Education (continued)
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes Directors’ Report and the Strategic Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes Directors’ Report and the Strategic Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report and Strategic Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 9, the trustees (who are also directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed as auditors under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with regulations made under that Act.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of League Football Education (continued)
Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:
We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the trustees, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended. We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements. We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the charitable company by discussions with trustees and updating our understanding of the sector in which the charitable company operates.
Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the charitable company include The Companies Act 2006 and The Charities Act 2011 and guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Further the charitable company is subject to other laws and regulations where the consequence of non-compliance could have a material effect on the amount or disclosures in the financial statements, through significant fine, litigation or restrictions on the charitable company’s operations. We identified the most significant laws and regulations to be funding rules and guidance issued by the Education and Skills funding Agency (ESFA) and guidance issued by Department for Education.
Audit response to risks identified:
We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of financial statement disclosures. We reviewed the charitable company’s records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities, including the Department for Education, to identify potential material misstatements arising. We discussed the charitable company’s policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.
During the planning meeting with the audit team, the engagement partner drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud. We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud. We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business. We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias. At the completion stage of the audit, the engagement partner’s review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of League Football Education (continued)
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Sally Appleton (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Saffery LLP
Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors 10 Wellington Place Leeds LS1 4AP 12 March 2025 Date :
Saffery LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating Income & Expenditure Account)
For the year ended 30 June 2024
| Note Income from: Charitable activities 2 Investments Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities 3 Total expenditure Net income and net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Fund balances brought forward at 1 July Fund balances carried forward at 30 June 13 |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ 11,533,511 239,728 11,773,239 (11,633,522) (11,633,522) 139,717 2,859,357 2,999,074 |
Restricted Total Funds Funds 2024 2024 £ £ 103,935 11,637,446 - 239,728 103,935 11,877,174 (103,935) (11,737,457) (103,935) (11,737,457) - 139,717 - 2,859,357 - 2,999,074 |
Total Funds 2023 £ 11,519,341 135,375 11,654,716 (11,588,882) (11,588,882) 65,834 2,793,523 2,859,357 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
The net income and resulting net movement in funds arise from continuing operations.
The charitable company has no recognised gains or losses other than the net movement in funds for the year.
The notes on pages 17 to 27 form an integral part of the financial statements. ‘A full comparative statement of financial activities is shown at note 17.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Balance Sheet As at 30 June 2024 A Company Limited by Guarantee
| Note | 2024 | 2023 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Fixed assets | |||||
| Tangible assets | 7 | 21,633 | 33,371 | ||
| Current assets | |||||
| Debtors | 8 | 1,711,898 | 1,562,937 | ||
| Cash at bank and in hand | 12 | 4,166,412 | 4,732,384 | ||
| 5,878,310 | 6,295,321 | ||||
| Creditors:amounts falling due within | |||||
| one year | 9 | (2,900,869) | (3,469,335) | ||
| _ | _ | ||||
| Net current assets | 2,977,441 |
2,825,986 | |||
| Total assets less current liabilities | 2,999,074 |
2,859,357 | |||
| The funds of the charity: | |||||
| Unrestricted funds | 2,999,074 | 2,859,357 | |||
| Restricted funds | - |
- | |||
| Total charity funds | 13 | 2,999,074 | 2,859,357 |
The charity has no debt and therefore there is no requirement to show the net debt analysis.
These financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and were signed on its behalf by:
M Molango Trustee
Date: 6th March, 2025
Company Number: 05143284
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Statement of Cash Flows For the year ended 30 June 2024
| Note Cash flows from operating activities: Net cash (used)/ provided by operating activities 11 Cash flows from investing activities: Cash interest from investments Proceeds from the sale of equipment Purchase of equipment Net cash received in investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period 12 |
£ 239,728 17,654 - |
2024 £ (823,354) 257,382 (565,972) 4,732,384 4,166,412 |
£ 135,375 21,500 (35,174) |
2023 £ 1,729,159 121,701 1,850,860 2,881,524 4,732,384 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes to the financial statements (forming part of the financial statements)
1 Accounting policies
The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the charitable company’s financial statements.
Company status
League Football Education is a charitable company limited by guarantee and does not have a share capital. The liability of the members is limited but is not to exceed £10 per member.
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (effective 1[st] January 2019) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).
The financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis and on a going concern basis. League Football Education meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £1.
Going Concern
League Football Education has prepared cash flow forecasts for a period of 18 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. After reviewing these forecasts LFE is of the opinion that there will still be sufficient funds to meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period of 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements (the going concern assessment period). At the year end, LFE has reserves of £2.99m including £4.17m in cash and in addition to this LFE has no long-term debt.
The revenue generated by LFE is predominantly driven by the number of elite academy apprentices recruited by clubs within the EFL with more than 65 of the 72 professional clubs running academies and recruiting apprentices every year. Although some clubs may choose to recruit slightly fewer apprentices, the core provision of LFE is retained.
Consequently, LFE is confident that it has sufficient funds to continue to meet its liabilities as they fall due for at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements and therefore have prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis.
Fixed assets and depreciation
Depreciation is provided to write off the cost or valuation of tangible fixed assets by equal instalments over their estimated useful economic lives as follows:
- Motor vehicles 33% per annum
Asset capitalisation policy
Assets are capitalised when all of the following criteria are met:
- Assets purchased have a useful life of one year or more and cost more than £3,000.
Debtors
Debtors include amounts owed to the charity for the provision of goods and services or amounts paid in advance for the goods and services it will receive.
Debtors also include amounts receivable to which the charity is entitled.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
Income from charitable activities
Income from funding providers, including government departments, is credited to the income and expenditure account to the extent that the charitable company has provided its services. Where such incoming resources are received in advance the income is deferred until the charitable company becomes entitled to the resources.
Investment income
Interest receivable on cash balances is credited to the income and expenditure account as it becomes due.
Resources expended
Expenses are accounted for on an accrual’s basis.
Charitable expenditure includes the direct costs of the activities. Support costs are also incurred to enable the charitable company to provide these activities.
Operating Lease costs
Charitable expenditure includes the cost of the lease for the rental of the head office premises. These costs are recognised as an expense of the charity on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.
Pension costs
The company pays contributions to personal money purchase pension schemes for eligible employees and accounts for the amount in the income and expenditure on an accruals basis.
Funds
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Restricted funds are funds received under a grant agreement and can only be used for a specific purpose.
Creditors and Provisions policy
A provision will be made within the accounting period when the following applies:
-
the obligation became due as a result of a past event,
-
it is probable that the charity will be required to pay, and
-
the amount of the obligation can be estimated reliably.
Financial Instruments
The charitable company only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and are subsequently recognised at their settlement value.
Critical accounting estimates and judgements
In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors considered to be relevant.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised, if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods. On review, the Trustees do not believe there are any critical accounting estimates and judgements which could give rise to a material adjustment in the financial statements.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
2 Income from charitable activities
| Provision of education & training 2024 £ Unrestricted Funds Education and Skills Funding Agency 9,751,053 The Football League Limited - The Professional Footballers’ Association 1,642,000 Apprenticeship Employers Co-Investment 140,458 Turing Scheme - 11,533,511 Income from charitable activities during 2022/23 Provision of education & training £ Unrestricted Funds Education and Skills Funding Agency 8,978,868 The Football League Limited 97,000 The Professional Footballers’ Association 1,642,000 Apprenticeship Employers Co-Investment 140,022 Erasmus+ - 10,857,890 |
Turing Scheme 2024 £ - - - - 103,935 103,935 Erasmus + £ - - - - 661,451 661,451 |
Total Funds 2024 £ 9,751,053 - 1,642,000 140,458 103,935 11,637,446 Total Funds £ 8,978,868 97,000 1,642,000 140,022 661,451 11,519,341 |
|---|---|---|
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
3 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities
| Direct costs of the provision of education & training Turing Scheme / Erasmus + Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities in 2022/23 Direct costs of the provision of education & training Erasmus + |
Direct Costs 2024 £ 8,286,361 103,935 8,390,296 £ 7,713,108 661,451 8,374,559 ___ |
Support Costs 2024 £ 3,347,161 - 3,347,161 £ 3,214,323 - 3,214,323 |
Total Costs 2024 £ 11,633,522 103,935 11,737,457 £ 10,927,431 661,451 11,588,882 |
|---|---|---|---|
Expenditure on restricted funds comprised £103,935 on the Turing Scheme in the year (2023: £661,451 on the Erasmus+ Scheme).
Support costs are further analysed in note 4.
4 Analysis of total support costs
| Wages and salaries Motor vehicle expenses Travel and subsistence Rent and rates Insurance Telephone IT Repairs and renewals Printing, stationery and postage Publications Audit, assurance grant services Legal and professional fees General expenses Bank charges Depreciation |
Support Costs 2024 £ 2,623,137 134,220 82,930 116,391 8,977 48,396 92,653 3,329 10,796 77,199 21,000 3,841 112,360 193 11,739 3,347,161 |
Support Costs 2023 £ 2,505,867 105,239 84,949 132,689 8,467 45,267 88,559 820 13,084 74,676 22,000 15,971 82,719 425 33,591 3,214,323 |
|---|---|---|
Net income for the year is stated after charging auditors remuneration for the audit of the statutory accounts totalling £15,500 (2023: £14,950), and remuneration for other services totalling £2,625 (2023: £3,600).
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
5 Staff numbers and costs
The Directors, who are also Trustees of the charitable company are not remunerated and as such are not regarded as employees. The average number of persons employed by the charitable company during the year, analysed by category, was as follows:
| Regional and teaching staff Administrative staff Indirect staff The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows: Wages and salaries Social security costs Other pension costs |
2024 Number of employees 65 12 6 83 2024 £ 2,092,620 228,931 301,586 2,623,137 |
2023 Number of employees 58 13 5 76 2023 £ 2,043,560 212,863 249,444 2,505,867 |
|---|---|---|
The number of employees that receive total emoluments that exceed £60,000, including the value of all benefits received, including employers’ pension contributions and employers’ national insurance, are as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of | Number of | |
| employees | employees | |
| £60,000 - £69,999 | 0 | 0 |
| £70,000 - £79,999 | 0 | 1 |
| £80,000 - £89,999 | 1 | 2 |
| £90,000 - £99,999 | 1 | 0 |
| £120,000 - £129,999 | 0 | 1 |
| £130,000 - £139,999 | 1 | 0 |
The total remuneration paid includes the value of all benefits together with the employer’s national insurance contributions to the four key management personnel as detailed on page 4 the year totalling £367,321 compared to £361,808 during 2022/23. Total contributions of £53,011 were paid into their personal money purchase pension schemes, compared to £51,032 during 2022/23.
6 Operating lease
LFE recognised an annual rental expense of £61,834 in the year in respect of the rental of the head office of the charity. The operating lease is due to expire on 28 November 2031.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| The total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases | ||
| are as follows: | ||
| Due within 1 year Due after 1 and within 5 years |
51,528 206,112 |
51,528 206,112 |
| Due after 5 years | 77,292 | 154,584 |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
7 Tangible fixed assets
| Cost At beginning of period Additions Disposals At end of period Depreciation At beginning of period Charge for period Disposals At end of period Net book value At 30 June 2024 At 30 June 2023 All fixed assets are held for charitable purposes. Debtors Trade debtors Prepayments and accrued income |
Motor vehicles £ 294,674 0 (27,000) 267,675 261,303 11,739 (27,000) 246,042 21,633 33,371 2024 £ 579,231 1,132,667 1,711,898 |
Total £ 294,674 0 (27,000) 267,675 261,303 11,739 (27,000) 246,042 21,633 33,371 2023 £ 1,077,292 485,645 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,562,937 |
8 Debtors
9
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| Trade creditors Taxation and social security Accruals and deferred income |
2024 £ 360,692 57,682 2,482,495 2,900,869 |
2023 £ 307,210 105,111 3,057,014 |
|---|---|---|
| 3,469,335 |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
10 Movement of deferred income
| Deferred income brought forward Released during the year Deferred in year Deferred income carried forward |
2024 £ 80,170 (80,170) 84,904 84,904 |
2023 £ 779,706 (779,706) 80,170 |
|---|---|---|
| 80,170 |
Deferred income carried forward includes £57,154 of funding from the ESFA which relates to 2024/25 Also included is £27,750 relating to revenue received from clubs in respect of their full Apprenticeship Co-Investment for apprentices that are on a two-year programme and this element relates to the 2024/25 year.
11 Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities
| Net income for the reporting period (as per the statement of financial activities) Adjustments for: Interest from investments Depreciation charges Profit on the sale of fixed assets Decrease / (increase) in debtors (Decrease) / increase in creditors Net cash provided by operating activities 12 Analysis of Cash and Cash equivalents Cash in hand Total Cash and Cash equivalents |
2024 £ 139,717 (239,728) 11,739 (17,655) (148,961) (568,466) (823,354) 2024 £ 4,166,412 4,166,412 |
2023 £ 65,834 (135,375) 33,591 (21,500) 2,223,983 (437,374) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,729,159 | |||
| 2023 £ 4,732,384 |
|||
| 4,732,384 |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
13 Outline summary of fund movements
| Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds |
Funds Balances brought forward £ 2,859,357 - 2,859,357 |
Income £ 11,773,239 103,935 11,877,174 |
Expenditure £ (11,633,522) (103,935) (11,737,457) |
Transfers £ - - - |
Gains and losses £ - - - |
Fund Balances Carried forward £ 2,999,074 - 2,999,074 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outline summary of fund movements in 2022/23
| Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds |
Funds Balances brought forward £ 2,793,523 - 2,793,523 |
Income £ 10,993,265 661,451 11,654,716 |
Expenditure £ (10,927,431) (661,451) (11,588,882) |
Transfers £ - - - |
Gains and losses £ - - - |
Fund Balances Carried forward £ 2,859,357 - 2,859,357 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The unrestricted funds relate to the government funding of the Apprenticeship and the Study Programmes together with the income from The Professional Footballers’ Association. The restricted funds are in respect of Grant funding for the Turing Scheme Programme (2023 in respect of the Erasmus+ programme). This relates to income and expenditure specifically for the purposes of European placements for apprenticeship players at the end of their apprenticeship programme, to assist with their transition onto their next steps in life. This grant is applied for on an annual basis and expenditure under this grant is restricted to this programme.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
14 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Tangible Fixed Assets Current Assets Current Liabilities Analysis of net assets between funds in 2022/23 Tangible Fixed Assets Current Assets Current Liabilities |
Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds 2024 2024 £ £ 21,633 - 5,878,310 (2,900,869) 2,990,074 - Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds 2023 2023 £ £ 33,371 - 6,295,321 - (3,469,335) - 2,859,357 - |
Total Funds 2024 £ 21,633 5,878,310 (2,900,86) 2,999,074 Total Funds 2023 £ 33,371 6,295,321 (3,469,335) 2,859,357 |
|---|---|---|
15 Pension scheme
The charitable company’s employees are members of different pension schemes. These include various Personal Money Purchase Pension Schemes and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. All the personal pension schemes are defined contribution schemes, while the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme cannot separately identify the assets and liabilities attributable to individual members and only two employees of the charitable company are members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme therefore further disclosures have not been made. During the year ended 30 June 2024 total pension contributions were £301,586 compared to £249,444 during the year ended 30 June 2023.
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
16 Related party transactions
During the year, the charitable company delivered the training and education of apprentice footballers on behalf of The Football League Limited and The Professional Footballers’ Association. The Football League Limited and The Professional Footballers’ Association are both members of The Charity. The expenditure during the year with The Football League Limited represents the rental of the LFE Head offices together with the associated office costs, also including postage and the cost of sponsoring the EFL annual Awards, in recognition of the Apprentice of the Season Awards.
Related party transactions during the year were as follows:
| The Football League Limited The Professional Footballers’ Association |
Income during 2024 £ - 1,642,000 1,642,00 |
Accrued Income / Debtor 2024 £ - - - |
Expenditure during 2024 £ 132,200 - 132,200 |
Creditor/ Accrual 30 June 2024 £ 56,237 - 56,237 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Related party transactions during the previous year were as follows:
| The Football League Limited The Professional Footballers’ Association |
Income during 2023 £ 97,000 1,642,000 1,739,000 |
Accrued Income / Debtor 2023 £ - - - |
Expenditure during 2023 £ 159,144 - 159,144 |
Creditor/ Accrual 30 June 2023 £ 112,474 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 112,474 |
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LEAGUE FOOTBALL EDUCATION 30 June 2024 Trustees’ annual strategic report and financial statements
Notes (continued)
17 Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating Income & Expenditure Account)
For the year ended 30 June 2023
| Income from: Charitable activities Investments Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities Total expenditure Net income / expenditure Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Fund balances brought forward at 1 July Fund balances carried forward at 30 June |
Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ 10,857,890 135,375 10,993,265 (10,927,431) (10,927,431) 65,834 65,834 2,793,523 2,859,357 |
Restricted Total Funds Funds 2023 2023 £ £ 661,451 11,519,341 - 135,375 661,451 11,654,716 (661,451) (11,588,882) (641,451) (11,588,882) - 65,834 - 65,834 - 2,793,523 - 2,859,357 |
|---|---|---|
27