Flitwick Ea les Football Club g
Founded 1986 Registered Charity : 1109671
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
www.flitwickeagles.org
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| General Information | 1 |
| Trustees Report | 2 – 6 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 7 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 8 |
| Balance Sheet | 9 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 10 - 13 |
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
GENERAL INFORMATION
| Trustees | |
|---|---|
| Geoff Springall (Chairman) | Lynda Gazeley |
| Melvyn Gazeley (Secretary) | Peter Hagan |
| Ian Mulligan (Treasurer) | Colin Giggle |
| Ian Noble (Vice Chairman) | Paul Jenkins |
| Independent Examiner | Mr P Fenn |
| Mercer & Hole LLP | |
| Silbury Court | |
| 420 Silbury Boulevard | |
| Central Milton Keynes | |
| MK9 2AF | |
| Bankers | Barclays Bank Plc |
| 111 High Street | |
| Bedford | |
| MK40 1NJ | |
| Registered Charity Number | 1109671 |
| Principal Address | Flitwick Football Centre |
| Ampthill Road | |
| Flitwick | |
| Bedfordshire | |
| MK45 1BA |
1
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
Trustees’ Report 2021-2022
The Trustees present their Annual Report with the Financial Statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 May 2022.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Trust’s Deed 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).
Objectives of the Charity
The charity was established by a constitution adopted on 10 April 2005 and was registered on 25 May 2005.
The objectives of the Charity are to advance the educational and physical development of boys and girls living in Flitwick and the surrounding area, regardless of race, ability or social background by the provision of sports facilities and opportunities to participate in sport and in particular football.
The trustees meet four time per year and regularly review our charitable activities to ensure that the club offers both the facilities and opportunities to all children in the local community to participate in sport. This is demonstrated not only by the teams that represent the club on a Saturday and Sunday but also the diversity of sessions we are able to offer from those first starting out to our adults side and our wider community activities.
Review of the development, activities and achievements of the charity
Club Development
This was our eight season in the football centre. A facility all at Flitwick Eagles are proud to call our home, the centre has become increasingly important to the local community and provides a base where teams, volunteers and parents can interact.
In its 34th year the club were once again awarded FA Chartered Standard status. To achieve this again is a huge achievement for a club the size of Flitwick Eagles, because we have over 50 teams and somewhere in the region of 90 coaches and managers to monitor. That all of our volunteers are compliant with FA requirements is a great testament to them, but even greater testament to Lynda Gazeley who works extremely hard to maintain this high standard within the club.
The club continues to grow with over 50 teams competing in the season with great representation throughout local leagues on both Saturdays and Sundays in youth levels and in Ladies senior football. The trustees continue to review policy to ensure that we cater for the local community and ensure a safe and friendly environment for all.
Facilities and equipment
The Flitwick Football Centre is the envy of all visiting teams. The pitches and centre are a super example of what can be achieved with determination and hard work. It is a great pleasure to see the pitches in use every Saturday and Sunday with the girls, boys and ladies teams.
2
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
The club is indebted to Colin Giggle who, as a volunteer spends a huge amount of his own time maintaining our wonderful home, helping to ensure that the pitches look great each week. The pitches are rested from May to September to allow for maintenance and for new grass to grow. As with previous years, the summer was particularly dry and hot and rainfall was minimal. The club increasingly appreciate the need for an irrigation system to cope with these conditions and have completed research to help us understand what options are available to us and the associated costs as progressing this remains a high priority.
This was our ninth year of training on the 3G pitches at Redborne Upper School and our fifth on the Flitwick Leisure Centre 3G pitches. The use of both facilities has enabled greater flexibility in delivering effective training sessions. We cater for all age groups with suitable training slots and times, so some teams have to be flexible with their expectations despite the range of venues.
Discussions have begun this season with the FA and Central Bedfordshire Council about installing a 3G all-weather facility at Flitwick Football Centre. This would provide year-round access to football and a fantastic state of the art facility for our members and the wider community.
The high standards of football kit and equipment has been maintained, but our preferred kit manufacturer Mitre have sadly recently announced that they will no longer be manufacturing clothing, so an alternative kit supplier is in the process of being identified.
Growth and Retention
Our membership levels continue to increase. With over 50 teams, we have over 600 playing members in the club. We also have many satellite activities supporting the wider community outside of the structured weekend leagues with Eaglets, Fledglings, Frame, Veterans and Walking football.
This was the third season that the Eaglets sessions were held on a Sunday morning at the football centre. These sessions have been very well attended and allow 3- to 6-year-olds the opportunity to experience the club at the weekends, something that we hope embeds them into the club for years to come. We were also really excited to bring back our Fledglings session for girls under the age of 9.
Raising Standards and Addressing Abusive Behaviour
Reflecting on last season, it was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic not to be interrupted by enforced breaks. We continue to enforce good practice with regards to behaviour, both on and off the pitch, however, we have been aware of a noticeable rise in poor behaviour since the Covid interruptions, leading to the formation of a Disciplinary Committee to investigate any complaints.
We continue to ensure our coaches and managers hold the necessary qualifications, ensuring, despite the growth of the club that high standards are maintained. The introduction of ID cards a few seasons ago for all coaches, displaying names and FAN numbers is an added safeguard in place at the club, one that sets a standard within the county. The FA’s code of conduct for coaches, players and parents is embedded within the club and abusive behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated. The club strongly supports FA initiatives such as, silent support weekends to improve the experience for our players.
3
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
Running the Game Effectively
We continued with the registration process as in previous years with a signing-on weekend. With over 600 members it is not possible to complete all player signings in one weekend and an approach allowing additional signing-on mornings and the flexibility to make signings on an ad-hoc basis has proven successful.
Our Treasurer Ian Mulligan’s leadership of the financial management of the club continues to be first class. With a significant turnover, collection of fees and control of expenditure under his stewardship has continued to provide a solid foundation for the club, helping us to demonstrate that we have the ability to manage our finances effectively – an important attribute for any prospective funding body.
Development of human resources
We continued to develop new coaches through the FA Level 1 coaching course, together with training in Safeguarding and basic First Aid requirements and monitor this to ensure that all within the club maintain their qualifications. We also support further development of coaches and their qualifications, with a structured approach to paying for the courses.
A number of the playing members have also shown an interest in refereeing, and this has helped to supplement the clubs growing need for officials at the weekend. This has proven invaluable, because as the demand for referees has grown, the number of willing young officials has sadly dwindled. We are strong supporters of young and new referees and greatly appreciate their role in football.
We have a volunteer's pool of approximately 90 Coaches and Managers who help out on a regular basis and a large number of parents / carers with a willingness to support.
Marketing and Public Relations
We make use of the WhatsApp messaging service to convey important information through the team managers, we also rely on managers to convey important messages within their teams. The club has a higher presence now on social media, with Facebook and Twitter regularly updated with club news. The volunteer who originally set up and maintained the club website unfortunately left the club and so our access to the website to enable us to update it was restricted for a time. This situation has now been resolved and going forward an arrangement has been made to ensure this valuable resource is properly maintained.
Football in the Community
Eaglets (introductory sessions for 3–6-year-olds) continue to be popular sessions. This season also saw the re-introduction of our Fledgling sessions, catering for girls under 9 years of age, ably coached by Lauren Thompson. Both sessions are held at the football centre on Sunday mornings and are a great opportunity for parents to socialise and for the children to experience the club on a “matchday”. The sessions are very well attended and in the longer term we may benefit from additional sessions being facilitated. These sessions are also a great opportunity for aspiring young coaches from within the club to assist. In addition, walking football and veterans' football have regular sessions that are very well attended. The veterans' sessions are also enjoyed by many of our volunteers.
4
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
Social Activities
Off the field and outside of match days it is acknowledged that we need to develop the social side of the club. Much of the shortfall in activity can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of social distancing. However, we have a great facility that could be used in so many ways and a captive audience for whom we could offer much more than we do currently. Looking forward we intend to reinvigorate our social committee to ensure social events are organised and well attended.
Tournament
We hosted our annual boys pre-season football tournament at the football centre for the sixth time. This proved to be very successful and generated valuable income for the club. The event was reduced in numbers due to the Covid pandemic and level of confidence about such events, but we still welcomed over 85 teams across the weekend. We continued to use the FA fulltime system to record progress through the tournament, whilst it is labour intensive in the lead up to the tournament it once again proved to be successful and met with approval from participating managers, coaches and spectators. It was our fourth year of using the Eventbrite system to enable teams to book their places on to the tournament. This was managed very well, with no overbooking of places. Without question we operate at a very high level when it comes to organising tournaments and our reputation in this field continues to grow.
Following the Covid pandemic we were once again able to host the girls only end of season tournament in May 2022. Using the same formula that we apply to our well-established boy’s tournament we will continue to grow and establish this in the coming years. Whilst still in its infancy we attracted 60 teams and are establishing a strong reputation as a quality girls tournament.
Presentations
The end of season presentations were carried out at the football centre at the end of season. These once again proved to be great social events and the club were pleased to return to a format that the playing members and their families could enjoy.
Public benefit
The Trustees consider that the main activities of the Charity detailed in the objects above are for the public benefit and have given due regard to the Charities Commission guidance on public benefit.
Trustees
The trustees continue to ensure the club is operating on a sound base. The group met four times through the year and the Trustees who served during the period were:
| Geoff Springall (Chairman) | Lynda Gazeley |
|---|---|
| Melvyn Gazeley (Secretary) | Peter Hagan |
| Ian Mulligan (Treasurer) | Colin Giggle |
| Ian Noble (Vice Chairman) | Paul Jenkins |
5
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
Risk assessment
In accordance with the guidelines in the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) the trustees have considered the major risks affecting the charity and have taken steps to mitigate these as far as possible.
New trustee appointments and training
New trustees receive information on the charity in respect of its mission, charitable objectives, charitable activities and structure. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events that will facilitate the undertaking of their role.
The trustees have regard to the need for any specialist skills which individuals bring to the charity.
Reserves policy
The trustees regard it as important to retain an adequate level of reserves to meet operating costs over the summer period relating to the provision of training facilities and the annual maintenance programme for the football pitches. The Trustees have currently set a minimum level for general reserves of £20,000. This will be reviewed again during the 2023 year to ensure that the level is sufficient to meet any additional maintenance required from increased usage and inflationary cost increases for materials and services purchased.
Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and so the financial statements are prepared on the going concern basis.
Summary
On behalf of the trustees I would like to thank everyone has volunteered and contributed to making Flitwick Eagles a club to be proud of.
G Springall
Geoff Springall Chairman
28[th] January 2023
6
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Flitwick Eagles Football Club (the Charity) for the year ended 31 May 2022.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The Charity trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:-
-
examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;
-
follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and
-
state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosure in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent Examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than in respect of any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and in my opinion have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
P Fenn
Philip Fenn ACA FCCA
Mercer & Hole LLP Silbury Court 420 Silbury Boulevard Central Milton Keynes, MK9 2AF 28[th] January 2023
7
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022 INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
| Notes Income Income from: Memberships & donations Charitable Activities 2 Investment income 3 Other Total Income Expenditure Expenditure on: Raising funds 4 Charitable activities and other expenses 5 Total Expenditure Total funds brought forward at 1 June Net income/(expenditure) Total funds carried forward at 31 May |
Unrestricted Funds 2022 £ 31,720 97,660 5 - 129,385 7,142 112,681 119,823 83,206 9,562 92,768 |
Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 30,040 40,496 23 - |
|---|---|---|
| 70,559 | ||
| 1,085 47,373 |
||
| 48,458 | ||
| 61,105 22,101 |
||
| 83,206 |
The notes on pages 10 to 13 form part of these Financial Statements.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derives from continuing activities.
8
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
| BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MAY 2022 Notes Current Assets Debtors 6 Cash at bank and in hand Total Current Assets Creditors (amounts falling due within one year) 7 Net Current Assets Total Net Assets Accumulated Funds Unrestricted general funds 9 Unrestricted designated funds 9 Restricted funds Total Funds of the Charity |
14,630 83,838 |
31 May 2022 £ 92,768 92,768 37,768 55,000 - 92,768 |
9,380 101,906 |
31 May 2021 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98,468 (5,700) |
111,286 (28,080) |
|||
| 83,206 | ||||
| 83,206 | ||||
| 23,206 60,000 - |
||||
| 83,206 |
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 28th January 2023 and signed on their behalf by:
I Mulligan
………………………………….. I Mulligan ACMA Treasurer
9
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).
Flitwick Eagles Football Club meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
The Trustees have taken advantage of the exemption in FRS102 Section 1A, from including a cash flow statement in the financial statements on the grounds that the organisation is small.
1.1 Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds comprise accumulated surpluses and deficits on general funds. They are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees of the charity in furtherance of the general charitable objectives. Designated funds are unrestricted funds that the Trustees have designated or allocated for identifiable future expenditure. Restricted funds are amounts for specific purposes as defined by the donor.
1.2 Income
Incoming resources represents donations, subscriptions, subsidies, sponsorship, grant funding and other income. Income is only recognised once it has been received and voluntary donations are recognised on receipt where the donation relates to the current accounting period.
1.3 Expenditure
Expenditure incurred on activities falling directly within one cost category have been recognised as such. Items of expenditure which involve more than one category have been allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis.
1.4 Capital expenditure
Items under £100 are not capitalised. Items over this level are assessed individually before a decision is made regarding whether they should be capitalised. Donated assets are recognised at their monetary value, as estimated by the trustees, when received and are capitalised at this value. In certain cases, where title to an asset is restricted so that it has either no or little net value to the charity, the trustees’ policy is that the item should not be capitalised in the accounts.
1.5 Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any discounts.
10
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Cont’d
1.6 Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any discounts.
1.7 Financial Instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
1.8 Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. In making this assessment, the Trustees have reviewed the income and cash flow forecasts of the Charity and concluded that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.
2. Income from Charitable Activities
| Football training Football tournaments Community activities |
2022 £ 79,422 10,188 8,050 97,660 |
2021 £ 34,965 - 5,531 40,496 |
|---|---|---|
Income from football training and football tournaments reduced in the prior year due to the curtailment of activities due to the mandatory and voluntary restrictions that were applied relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
3. Investment income
Investment income comprises bank interest totalling £5 (2021 : £23)
4. Expenditure on Raising Funds
| Tournament costs Prizes and social events Stationery & adverts |
2022 £ 4,582 1,612 948 7,142 |
2021 £ - 82 1,003 1,085 |
|---|---|---|
11
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Cont’d
| 5. Expenditure on Charitable Activities Training and playing facilities Equipment Affiliation and League fees Match officials Tournament fees Coaching Trophies and prizes Pitch renovation & irrigation Repairs and maintenance Administration costs Independent examiners fee |
2022 £ 49,887 27,675 3,718 9,285 280 730 5,203 15,000 196 707 - 112,681 |
2021 £ 25,593 10,885 1,218 5,222 - 480 3,202 - 118 655 - 47,373 |
|---|---|---|
Expenditure on training and playing facilities was reduced in the prior year due to mandatory and voluntary restrictions that were applied by the facility operators relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the year a £15,000 contribution was made towards the costs of a survey regarding the proposed installation of pitch irrigation and all-weather playing facilities, expenditure regarding which funds have been designated by the Trustees.
| 6. Debtors Inland Revenue Gift Aid 7. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Accruals and deferred income |
2022 £ 14,630 14,630 2022 £ 5,700 5,700 |
2021 £ 9,380 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,380 | ||||
| 2021 £ 28,080 |
||||
| 28,080 |
Accruals relates to operating costs incurred for which purchase invoices were not issued at the yearend date. In the prior year, accruals and deferred income primarily related to football training fees that were paid in advance by members and deferred due to the curtailment of activities due to the mandatory and voluntary restrictions that were applied relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
12
FLITWICK EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2022
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Cont’d
8. Related Parties
Flitwick Eagles Football Club is a member of Flitwick Together, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration number 1157451 that owns the lease to the Flitwick Football Centre. Flitwick Eagles Football Club has the right to appoint Member Trustees to Flitwick Together CIO and Lynda Gazeley and Ian Mulligan are currently Trustees of both Flitwick Eagles Football Club and Flitwick Together CIO.
Costs of £ Nil (2021: £ Nil) were recharged to the charity by Flitwick Together CIO in respect of repair and maintenance costs during the year. No amounts were owed to, or due from Flitwick Together CIO at the year-end (2021: £nil).
The Flitwick Sports Community Interest Company Limited operates the Flitwick Football Centre on behalf of Flitwick Together CIO. Melvyn Gazeley is currently a Trustee of Flitwick Eagles Football Club and a director of The Flitwick Sports Community Interest Company Limited.
Flitwick Eagles Football Club paid rent for the hire of facilities during the year of £17,000 (2021: £17,000) and purchased equipment of £nil (2021: £nil) from The Flitwick Sports Community Interest Company Limited on an arm’s length basis. No amounts were owed to, or due from The Flitwick Sports Community Interest Company Limited at the year-end (2021: £nil).
9. Funds
All assets and liabilities are held as unrestricted funds, although a further £10,000 of the unrestricted funds have been designated this year by the trustees in respect of the maintenance and improvement of the training and playing facilities, which are expected to need substantial expenditure in the near future in view of the high levels of usage. £15,000 was expended during the year as a contribution towards the costs of a survey regarding the proposed installation of pitch irrigation and all-weather playing facilities.
There are no restricted funds.
10. Reserves policy
The charity has a policy of holding an adequate level of general reserves to meet operating costs over the summer ‘pre-season’ period and have therefore set a minimum level for unrestricted general funds of £20,000. This will be reviewed annually to ensure that the level is sufficient to ensure the long-term stability of the charity.
11. Remuneration to Trustees for services
None of the Trustees received any remuneration or reimbursement for expenses in respect of their services as a Trustee during the year.
12. Control
The Charity is controlled by the trustees.
13