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Message from the Chairman

Message from the Chairman

Accounts Department27 Jun - 11:20

Summer Update

Dear Brighton Blue

Here are some notes to keep everyone informed on our progress and to get started, as the new season will soon be upon us.

I have several thank-yous to extend, which include Richard Neil, who has stepped down as Director of Rugby and is now focusing on his young family. Rich is a true-blue who has been a player, leader, and coach during his time with this club and has put in a shift and more. He has been a pleasure to work with and all wish him good luck for the future. My second big thank you goes to Tudor Ellis, whose generous donation to the club has enabled us to create a significant revenue stream. This donation came out of the blue and has helped alleviate the pressure on the club's finances so much that we will be gifting an Honorary Life Membership to Tudor in recognition of his efforts and kindness. My last thank you is to Daren Steer, who has managed the Mini and Youth brilliantly for the last few years, and he has also given up hours to make things work. He will now help me with our futures program, which can be seen below.

It was disappointing to be relegated from a very competitive league in injury time, as Tunbridge Wells scored 2 tries in the last 5 minutes to seal our fate. However, a spirited fightback by the Blues at the end of the season proved a stepping stone and belief on our ability that we deserved to be at level 5 and 3 brilliant away wins showed our true colours. We have been put into Regional 2 South East and we will visit some of our old haunts as we will play Sidcup, Gravesend, Dartford, to name but a few. The fixture list is attached, and our league campaign starts on the 6th September at home vs Beckenham who were 2nd in this league last year.

It is fantastic that 90% of our players have re-signed, plus we have some new recruits coming in, including a winger, outside centre, No. 8, and 2nd row. Thus, coupled with a refreshing of the coaching staff, we now have a very positive outlook on the new season. Our players are back in pre-pre-season training. Apparently, being in good physical condition is essential for effective training. I’m sure some reading this will wilt at the thought of training while the ground is concrete and the sun is out in June.

The finances are what they are for an amateur grassroots club; however, the following is before the minutiae being confirmed with the accountant, and of course, we will release the full accounts 2 weeks before the AGM: -

Note - (Numbers in brackets negative)

  • Turnover - £123k
  • Cost of Sales - £86.6k
  • Gross Profit – £36.4k
  • Admin Costs - £236k
  • Operating profit – (£199.6k)
  • Other Income £180k
  • Profit after taxation – (£19.6k)

Note that we run at £19.6k loss, of which the car park depreciation sits at £19.4k on our books, so £200 adrift is a very good result at the grassroots level compared to the £26k deficit two years ago. This year has also included the club purchasing all the playing shirts, so that the U15’s fullback can play with the same logos and badges on his jersey as the Tighthead for the 1st XV. It has also provided a kit amnesty in which shirts can be handed down as players move up an age group. An essential fact about our set-up is making the game accessible to the community as well as trying to keep costs down for the parents.

With this in mind, we have been exploring ways to diversify our revenue streams (futures program) and make Brighton Football Club (RFC) more financially stable. For this, we are undertaking the following: -

  • Car Park rental space – minimum of £2.5k/month from June 1st 2025
  • HSS Rental for using our facility £500/day, this currently may increase to 2 or 3 days per week throughout the year, currently - £2k per month
  • EV Charging Stations – revenue is not known yet, but we are looking into providing this
  • Solar Energy for the roof - revenue is not known yet, but we are looking into this
  • Padel Courts – 4 courts with a rental income of £2k per month, with the ability to take a further £1k per month in the 1st year. If all is well, this will be ready in time for Easter 2026. The courts will be covered and floodlit.

Our Mini, Youth, and Girls' teams have gone from strength to strength, with new members joining all the time. This is related to our school's program, in which Barry Shearman, Rob Keywood, and Rose Dale, along with other coaches, have helped introduce our great sport to the very youngest in the education system throughout Brighton and Hove.

With everyone involved in Brighton Football Club (RFU) I would like to invite anyone forward to help with any jobs available. This includes painting, decorating, gardening, and finance, among others. We are currently exploring a rebranding effort to streamline our online presence. Spencer Crossley, a Father to one of our mini players, and Scott Forsyth, a coach and Father, have undertaken this job and have come up with some fantastic ideas. I am sure there is great talent like this in all walks of life that could help the club. Don’t be shy, please step forward to help.

I hope to see everyone at some point over the next 10 months as the new season begins. We will update with lunches and events as they come about.

Gibbo

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