Busy time on commercial front
Busy time on commercial front
Created on 29 May 2010
Whilst most footballers are away having fun in the sun, behind the scenes at AFC Telford the preparations are in full swing for the new season. One man who certainly doesn’t get much of a summer break is the club’s Commercial Manager Anton Gunter, who is currently busy sowing the seeds which will hopefully blossom into financial security for the football club over the next twelve months.
I caught up with Anton recently whilst watching ‘The Hotshots,’ a local schools team, play against the official AFC Telford United fans’ team at the New Bucks Head as part of the ‘Play on the Pitch’ initiative. ‘Play on the Pitch’ is a classic example of the sort of simple but effective scheme which Anton has implemented to generate some much-needed funds for the club. “ We had a couple of fans come to us and ask if they could play on the pitch, whether it be for charity or for the club, but unfortunately because of the programme during the season we try to avoid those sort of games,” Anton explained. However, once the season ended Anton was keen to give fans their chance to play on the New Bucks Head whilst raising money for the club in the process. “We’d got a window of opportunity to allow the fans to play on the pitch and it’s an initiative we are planning to take further next season and maybe incorporate something of a tournament if we can get enough teams. We’ve also tried to raise a little bit of extra cash, even if it’s just £30 to £40 pounds, by doing a bucket collection at the front gate as a donation to the club.”
The ‘Play on the Pitch’ scheme marks the start of a busy period for Anton in the run-up to the new campaign. “The last two weeks of the season is my pre-season,” says Anton. “Over the next six weeks I’ll be meeting up with sponsors, making sure we’re getting renewals and making sure that the money we got last season is carried on. It’s definitely my busiest period and this is where the foundations will be laid for next season’s commercial success.” An average day for Anton currently involves pro-actively contacting sponsors through various media to ensure that existing sponsorships are renewed where necessary. Whilst most “mainline” sponsorships have already been agreed, Anton estimates that “90%” of the perimeter advertising boards are up for renewal this summer whilst he is also trying to sell matchday sponsorships for the new season – even if only on a ‘to be confirmed’ basis ahead of the fixture list. As well as being pro-active, Anton also needs to be quick to respond when opportunities arise. “It’s about being reactive when somebody rings up with a request for a new order; making sure that we stay in contact with the sponsor and stay in contact with the board manufacturers.” However the sponsorship comes about, as Anton puts it, it’s all about “making sure that the commercial foundations are laid for next season.”
The commercial performance of the club obviously has a major bearing on the ability of the club to succeed on the field. “The Board of Directors have a budget in place and as part of that there’s a commercial budget which I’m meant to achieve,” Anton explains. “Obviously as the commercial performance is part of the budget, to a certain degree what I bring in will have an effect on the playing budget.” It is this which makes Anton’s role so crucial to the football club, particularly in the current economic environment when many businesses are looking to tighten their belts rather than loosen their purse-strings. “There is a certain amount of chasing up. People don’t just come to us and say they want to sponsor us. We have to go out looking for sponsors and I think companies in particular, with the current economic climate that we’re in, are looking to save money rather than spend. They see football as a luxury item, so it’s been hard.” As well as working to bring in additional revenue, Anton has also been working to reduce the club’s costs where possible. “We’ve concentrated really hard at reducing costs and we’ve been very successful at that.” Anton does admit, however, that the Bucks are fortunate to be blessed with solid support from people who care about the club. “We’re very lucky at the football club. I’d like to think we’re quite unique in terms of non-league football in that we do have a certain percentage of people saying to me that they’re a fan and they want to get involved.” The club also benefits, crucially, from non-commercial revenues. “Obviously the fans coming through the gates is the important one and I think if we can play a certain level of football on the pitch then more fans will come in which obviously gives us a bigger budget.” Playing that level of football, however, relies on a sound financial base to start with.
The importance of Anton’s role was highlighted recently with Banks’s Brewery signing a deal for naming rights to the David Hutchison Stand. “We had a meeting when our beer supplier contract was up for renewal and we had a conversation which went from a board sponsorship and then evolved into a stand sponsorship. We’re very pleased to have them on board.” In the meantime, however, Anton continues to work hard on maximising income through a variety of avenues in readiness for the new campaign.