How to Run a 200 Club Fundraiser for Your Club (UK Guide)

A 200 Club is one of the most dependable fundraisers a UK grassroots club or charity can run. Supporters take a numbered entry, pay a small amount every month, and one number is drawn each month to win a cash prize. Whatever is left after prizes stays with your club — every month, without organising another event. The simplest way to run one properly is on a compliant digital platform such as Play Fund Win, which handles the sign-ups, the monthly payments and the draw for you. There is nothing to pay up front and you can be live in around ten minutes.

What a 200 Club actually is

The name simply refers to the number of entries available. A 100 Club has up to 100 numbers, a 200 Club up to 200, and so on. Each supporter buys one or more numbers, pays a regular subscription, and every number in the pot goes into the monthly draw.

It works because it is recurring. A raffle raises money once and then you start again from scratch. A 200 Club builds a base of supporters who contribute quietly all year — which is exactly what treasurers need when the pitch hire invoice or the insurance renewal lands.

The rules: is a 200 Club legal?

Yes — but it is a lottery in law, so it has to be run correctly. In Great Britain, lotteries fall under the Gambling Act 2005 and are overseen by the Gambling Commission. Two routes usually apply to a club draw:

• Private society lottery. Run by your club purely for its own members, promoted only to those members, with proceeds going to the club's purposes. There is no registration requirement, but you cannot advertise or sell to the general public.
• Small society lottery. If you want to sell more widely — to parents, local businesses, followers online — you register with your local licensing authority (your council). Your club must be non-commercial, and at least 20% of the proceeds of each draw must go to the purposes you registered for. Registration involves a small fee and periodic returns to the council.

A few other points worth knowing. All tickets in a draw must be the same price, and payment must be taken before entry — you cannot let people play now and settle up later. Age restrictions apply, and reputable platforms operate an 18+ policy as standard. And if your club is in Northern Ireland, different legislation applies, so check with your local council before you start.

None of this is difficult, but it does need doing. Running your draw through a platform built for compliant club lotteries takes most of the burden off your volunteers.

Setting your price and prize split

Two decisions shape everything else: what a number costs each month, and how much of the pot goes back out as prizes.

Keep the price low enough that people say yes without thinking about it — the appeal of a 200 Club is that it feels painless. Then set the split openly and stick to it. Many clubs pay out around half and keep the rest, which is easy to explain and easy to trust. Others run a smaller monthly prize plus a bigger draw at Christmas or the end of the season to keep interest up.

Whatever you choose, write it down and publish it. Supporters are far more willing to commit when they can see exactly where their money goes.

Filling your 200 numbers

You do not need 200 members on day one. Start with the numbers you can sell and grow from there — a half-full 200 Club still raises money every month.

• Start with the committee and squad. If your own people will not join, nobody else will.
• Ask parents directly. A short, honest explanation at the end of training beats a group message every time.
• Give it a purpose. "Helping cover pitch hire and kit" lands better than "club funds".
• Announce the winner publicly each month. It is free promotion and it proves the draw is real.
• Bring in local businesses. Sponsors who are not ready for a shirt deal will often take a few numbers.

Keeping it running month after month

The reason most 200 Clubs quietly die is admin. Chasing standing orders, reconciling who has paid, keeping a spreadsheet of numbers, remembering to do the draw — it usually falls on one volunteer, and when they step back, it stops.

Running it online removes almost all of that. Payments collect automatically, entries update themselves, the draw is recorded, and the treasurer sees exactly what has come in. It also makes it far easier to prove the draw was run fairly if anyone asks.

A few habits keep the momentum going: do the draw on the same date each month, publish the result the same day, and tell supporters once or twice a year what their money actually paid for. Renewal is much easier when people can see the result of last year's contributions.

Mistakes to avoid

• Advertising a members-only draw to the public. If you want to sell widely, register as a small society lottery first.
• Collecting cash by hand. It is slow, hard to reconcile and puts everything on one volunteer.
• Changing the prize split mid-year. It looks like moving the goalposts, even when it is not.
• Letting the draw slip. Miss a month and you will lose members you never get back.
• Describing it loosely. Be clear it is a prize draw with a cash prize, not a donation with a thank-you attached.

Is a 200 Club right for your club?

If you have a settled base of members, parents and supporters, a 200 Club is one of the best-value fundraisers going: low effort, steady income, no venue to book. If your support is more occasional or seasonal, a 50/50 draw tied to matchdays or a one-off campaign may suit you better — and there is nothing stopping you running both.

Ready to get your club draw off a spreadsheet and running properly? Set yours up in about ten minutes at playfundwin.com — nothing up front, compliant by design, and built for volunteers who already have enough to do.