Dear Parents,
The Board of Clapham Rangers do hope you are all well, safe and in good spirits.
The Board is meeting weekly by Zoom and is still planning to begin the new season in September, all subject, of course, to Government advice and guidance at the time. The welfare, health and safety of our players and everyone associated with the Club are paramount.
We have now registered with the League the teams we will be fielding in the new season and will soon begin the process of registering players. We have also been encouraging our coaches to do some online training and discussions with their team during lockdown. Some coaches however are better placed to do this from their home than others.
You will have read in a previous message from the Club that Clapham Rangers is now a registered charity. This is our Registered Charity Number – 1188214.
There are many benefits for us becoming a charity.
Our charitable purpose is defined as “The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation for the benefit of children and young people aged 21 and under residing in Clapham and surrounding areas in London by the provision of facilities for playing football .”
We are a grassroots football club led by a Board of Trustees, all of whom are volunteers. We make no profit and reinvest any excess into the club, such as new kit, equipment and training and match play facilities. Furthermore, we believe football teaches many life lessons beyond the game itself. Our emphasis is on building a positive mental attitude, learning to cope with defeat as well as celebrating victories.
We also hope that our charitable status offers reassurance to you that we are governed by the rules and guidelines of the Charity Commission of England and Wales. Organisations with charitable status must comply with regulatory requirements, including those relating to the preparation of annual accounts and returns. We now need to produce an annual financial statement which will be published online for all to see.
We cannot use any assets for any purpose other than the pursuit of our charitable objective. The assets of a charity can never be used for private benefit. Also, certain political activities and types of trading are subject to restrictions.
Charities benefit from a variety of tax reliefs. For instance, we will not pay VAT on some goods and services and we can now claim Gift Aid on donations from individuals, usually an additional 25%.
Many sources of grant funding are open only to organisations with charitable status. This will be important for us in our fundraising efforts. We aim to apply for grants to improve the facilities the Club offers and expand our bursary scheme so more children and young adults can enjoy playing football.
As always if you have any comments or suggestions – including becoming a sponsor of the Club or making a donation – please contact us at info@claphamrangersfc.com
One day we will be playing again. Very soon we hope.
Keep well, stay safe.
Simon Millson, Chairman
Clapham Rangers FC
You must log in to post a comment.