12 Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Sports Clubs

The best Christmas fundraising ideas are planned in November. By December, supermarket slots are gone, local businesses have already said yes to someone else, and any custom sports kit with your badge on it needs to have been ordered.

So here’s our honest take. If your club only does one thing this Christmas, make it a club shop with your own margin added. It raises money while you sleep, families buy presents they actually want, and nobody has to count coins in a cold car park. Christmas orders close Friday 6 November, so that one needs doing this week.

The other 11 ideas are ranked by what they return for the effort, with what each one needs and when to start. Pick two or three.

Looking for ideas for the rest of the season? Our football fundraising ideas guide covers match day, tournaments, sponsorship and more.

One target, used everywhere

Pick one Christmas target and put it on every poster, post and bucket. “£800 for new U11 training tops by February” beats “raising money for the club”. Our football fundraising guide has more on setting goals people want to hit.

12 Christmas fundraising ideas at a glance

Idea	Effort	Start	Typical raise	Best for
1. Club Christmas shop	Low	This week (orders close Fri 6 Nov)	Depends on margin and uptake	Every club that qualifies
2. Christmas hamper raffle	Low	2 to 3 weeks	£200 to £600	Every club
3. Christmas jumper match	Low	2 weeks	£100 to £300	Every club
4. 12 Days of Giving appeal	Low	1 week	£300 to £1,000	Every club
5. Supermarket bag pack	Low	3 to 4 weeks (store booking)	£300 to £800 a day	Junior and youth squads
6. Advent skills challenge	Low	1 to 2 weeks	£10 to £30 a player	Junior sections
7. Festive quiz night	Medium	3 to 4 weeks	£150 to £500	Clubs with a clubhouse or pub link
8. Santa dash	Medium	4 to 6 weeks	£1,000 to £2,000	Running, football, rugby, multi-sport
9. Boxing Day charity match	Medium	4 weeks	£200 to £600	Football, rugby, hockey, netball
10. Carols and mince pies	Low	2 weeks	£100 to £300	Clubs with a clubhouse
11. Christmas card design competition	Medium	4 to 6 weeks	£100 to £400	Junior sections and schools
12. Christmas tree collection	High	6 weeks	£500 to £2,000	Larger clubs with lots of volunteers

Typical raise figures are a guide for a club of around 100 members. Yours will depend on your size and how hard you push.

Start this week

1. Club Christmas shop

Hoodies, training tops, jackets and beanies in club colours are presents players, parents and grandparents actually want. With a Decathlon Club Shop, families order and pay online themselves, and every item comes with your badge, sponsor logos, names and numbers. No cash to collect, no spreadsheet of sizes, no boxes to hand out.

The part most clubs miss: you can add your own margin to each item. Every hoodie a grandparent buys puts money back into the club, and a few pounds an item soon adds up across a whole squad of families.

• You’ll need: a club shop set up through your Client Portal, and a post telling members it’s open. Club shops are subject to qualification criteria, so check yours qualifies first.
• Order deadline: Christmas orders close Friday 6 November. Share your shop link the day it’s live and remind families once more before the cut-off.
• Set a fair margin: enough to matter, not so much that families feel stung. Tell members exactly what it pays for.
• What sells: see our personalised football gifts guide for the items families buy most.

Easy wins

2. Christmas hamper raffle

Ask local shops, cafés and members to donate one item each, and build a hamper (or two) as your top prize. Sell tickets at home games, at the carols and through your club’s WhatsApp groups.

• You’ll need: donated prizes, ticket books and a clear draw date.
• Check the rules: small raffles held at an event are simple to run, but selling tickets in advance or online can need a licence. Read the Gambling Commission’s guidance on raffles and lotteries before you start.

3. Christmas jumper match

Turn your last home fixture or training session before Christmas into a wear-your-own-jumper day. Players warm up in their own Christmas jumpers or Santa hats and pay £1 or £2 to take part, while supporters get a mulled drink and a mince pie at the gate.

• You’ll need: a date, a donation bucket or QR code, and someone with a camera.
• Make it bigger: a prize for the worst jumper, voted by supporters at 50p a vote.
• Timing: Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day is Thursday 10 December 2026. Hold yours the same week and you can split the money between your club and the charity, and ride the national publicity.

4. 12 Days of Giving appeal

Run a short online appeal over the 12 days before Christmas. Post one thing each day that a donation pays for: a match ball, a set of bibs, a junior’s shirt, a referee’s fee. Link every post to one donation page.

• You’ll need: 12 simple graphics, a donation link and someone to post daily.
• Got a kit target? Kit Funder lets families, friends and local businesses contribute directly towards new kit.

5. Supermarket bag pack

Players in club kit pack shoppers’ bags at a local supermarket in exchange for donations. Christmas weekends are the busiest of the year, so book early: stores often allocate slots weeks ahead.

• You’ll need: permission from the store, collection buckets, and adults to supervise every shift.
• Check first: collecting on a store’s own premises needs the store’s permission. Collecting on the street usually needs a permit from your local council.

6. Advent skills challenge

Give every junior player a 24-day challenge sheet: keepie-uppies, passes against a wall, skipping, press-ups or ball-handling drills, one a day through December. Families sponsor them per day completed.

• You’ll need: a challenge tracking sheet and a sponsorship form or online page.
• Why it works: it keeps players active over the break, and grandparents love sponsoring it.

Bigger festive events

7. Festive quiz night

Charge per team and make every round Christmas: a picture round of Christmas film stills, “name the Christmas number one”, and a round on your club’s year (worst own goal, longest away trip, which coach lost his car keys at the tournament).

• You’ll need: a quizmaster, answer sheets, a microphone and a few prizes donated by local businesses.
• Festive extra: sell crackers at £1 each with a joker card inside that doubles one round’s score. Teams will buy more than one.

8. Santa dash

Everyone runs in a Santa suit. Bulk-buy suits and include one in the entry fee: a field of 100 Santas is the photo that markets next year’s event for you. Keep it short, around 2km or 5km, so all ages can take part.

• You’ll need: a safe route (a park or your own pitches), marshals, first aid and a finish-line stall.
• Add a reindeer run: a 500m dash for under-8s in antlers, so younger siblings join in and parents stay to watch.
• Check first: your club’s insurance, and permission from the park or landowner.

9. Boxing Day charity match

Former players against this season’s squad is the classic, and it brings old faces back to the club. Charge spectators a small entry fee, sell hot food, and make fancy dress compulsory for anyone over 40. Split the money with a local charity if you want to widen its appeal.

• You’ll need: a pitch booking, a referee, first aid and a food stall.
• Kit idea: a one-off charity match kit makes the day feel special and gives sponsors a place to show their support. Order by Friday 6 November to have it in time. See our charity match kit guide.

Community traditions

10. Carols and mince pies

Host an evening of carols at the clubhouse, or under the floodlights if you have them. Sell mince pies, hot chocolate and mulled drinks, and ask a local school or community choir to lead the singing.

• You’ll need: song sheets, refreshments, and someone confident on the first note.
• Why it works: it brings in families and neighbours who don’t usually come to the club, which is great for recruitment too.

11. Christmas card design competition

Juniors design a Christmas card featuring the club. Members vote for a winner (at 50p a vote), and the winning design is printed as a pack of cards for families to buy and send.

• You’ll need: a closing date, a local printer and an order form.
• Bonus: use the winning design on your social channels as the club’s Christmas greeting.

12. Christmas tree collection

In early January, offer to collect and recycle households’ real Christmas trees for a donation. It takes organising, but some clubs make it an annual tradition that the whole town knows about.

• You’ll need: a van or trailer, volunteers, a booking form and an agreed place to take the trees.
• Check first: speak to your local council about where trees can go and whether you need a waste carrier licence.

Tips for Christmas fundraising

• Ask local businesses in November, not December. A short, specific ask (“one hamper item”) gets a yes far more often before the rush. Our sponsorship guide covers how to turn a one-off donor into a season-long sponsor.
• Check the school calendar. Nativity plays, school fairs and Christmas Jumper Day all compete for the same families. Ask your local primary for dates before you book anything.
• Make each event sell the next. Sell raffle tickets at the carols, share the club shop link at the jumper match, and promote the Boxing Day match at the quiz.
• Post your total on New Year’s Eve. A thank-you post with what you raised and what it’s buying lands when people are scrolling and feeling generous.

Christmas fundraising ideas: FAQs

What are the easiest Christmas fundraising ideas for a small club?

A club shop with your own margin, a hamper raffle and a wear-your-own Christmas jumper match. All three can be set up with a handful of volunteers, though the club shop needs to be live before Christmas orders close on Friday 6 November.

When should a club start Christmas fundraising?

In early November. Christmas club shop and kit orders close on Friday 6 November, and supermarket slots, venues and business donations fill up quickly after that.

Do we need a licence to run a Christmas raffle?

Small raffles held during an event, where tickets are sold and drawn on the day, are usually straightforward. Selling tickets in advance or online can need registration or a licence. Check the Gambling Commission’s guidance for your situation.

Can our club make money from a club shop?

Yes. Clubs can add their own margin to items in their Decathlon Club Shop, so every order raises money for the club. Families order and pay online, and every item includes your badge, sponsor logos, names and numbers. Club shops are subject to qualification criteria, so check whether your club qualifies first.

Make this Christmas count

Pick two or three ideas, set your target and get your volunteers on board this week. Start with the club shop: Christmas orders close Friday 6 November, and everything you raise after that can go towards your January kit order.

Check if your club qualifies for a club shop  |  Design your kit