15 Proven Soccer Fundraising Ideas to Boost Your Team’s Budget

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, played in over 200 countries and followed by more than 4 billion fans globally. FIFA reports that over 200 million play organized soccer in the world.

From packed stadiums in Europe like the Bernabéu, Old Trafford, and Allianz Arena to more obscure places like Greenland’s Nuuk Stadium or your local high school stadium, soccer is the game that connects people across cultures, languages, and continents.

Its simplicity makes it universally accessible, while tournaments like the FIFA World Cup draw more viewers than any other sporting event on Earth.

What else besides soccer is more commonplace around the world? Fundraising. It’s true everywhere else just the same as it is here in America, soccer programs need to fundraise. Yes, it’s a simple game at its heart, but nowadays soccer is as expensive to play as any other sport thanks to training grounds, up-to-date equipment, lessons, and of course, travel.

Here at Teamfi we believe that every organization should have the tools needed to execute a great soccer fundraiser, that’s why we came up with this list of 15 creative soccer fundraising ideas that actually work.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #1 - 3v3 Fundraising Tournament

Host a 3v3 mini-tournament with an entry fee per team is a great fundraising idea for soccer teams. Include a youth division and division for recent graduates and high schoolers for maximum reach. Sell concessions and offer a small prize to the winning squad such as gift cards to local restaurants (bonus points if they’ll donate some).

This one’s great mid-season when your fan base is already engaged, or before the season so your players and alumni can play during the summer. Inviting local youth soccer programs to get involved helps elevate a tournament fundraiser.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #2 - Team Crowdfunding Campaign

Fast to launch, easy to share, and highly effective. Each player gets their own fundraising page tied to a team goal. Add photos, personal messages, and a real deadline. Crowdfunding works especially well early in the season or ahead of a big event. A key part of fundraising, be specific about what you’re fundraising for.

I know what you’re thinking. I’ve done this before, I’ve seen 20 percent of the funds my program worked hard to raise get kicked back to a large fundraising company when they didn’t do anything? Oh yeah we get that, and that’s why we’re transparent about how we’re free to utilize for your crowdfunding campaign.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #3 - Local Business Sponsorships

Create simple sponsor packages with banners, social shout-outs, or logos on warm-up tees or fan t-shirts. Hit up local businesses (especially ones owned by parents or alumni).

Offer exposure during games, on your website, and through emails to parents. This is a must for programs and is arguably one of the most effective fundraising tools.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #4 - Pick-a-Date To Donate Calendar

Let’s test your knowledge. What costs more, a home and away uniform for your soccer team, or a ticket to watch Inter Miami and Lionel Messi play?

If you said Inter Miami, well you’re right. At $270 a ticket, it’s a bit pricey. The uniforms? For Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, looking at around $225 for the set. So it’s not far off.

What if we told you though, there was one fundraiser that would pay for your uniforms and then some? Meet our soccer pick a date to donate calendar fundraiser.

This is the top low-effort, high-impact soccer fundraiser right now. Supporters choose a date and donate that amount in dollars. Pick the 12th? Donate $12.

Two great options to use, our digital version and our pen and paper pick a date calendar template. Teams using the Teamfi version raise $250–$600 per player on average. So get those uniforms, and maybe some Inter Miami tickets for the team (just kidding).

Soccer Fundraising Idea #5 - Custom Team Merch Sales

Everyone loves repping the team. Set up an online merch store with T-shirts, hoodies, scarves, or car magnets. You don’t need to carry inventory — platforms like Bonfire or integrations through Teamfi make it simple. Offer limited-run designs tied to events or rival matchups for urgency.

Add in one of the higher margin items to help boost sales, and those are vinyl stickers. Ordered in bulk, these stickers which often feature team logos or player numbers can sell for high margins back to parents and fans.

While merch sales are not often the highest net profiting fundraisers, they are often the most rewarding.

Having a fundraiser in the fall? Here’s some fall-themed fundraising ideas that could work as well!

Soccer Fundraising Idea #6 - Alumni Game

An alumni game is a great way to reconnect past players with your current soccer program while raising money in the process.

Particularly excellent for high school programs, an alumni game, typically played during the summer, allows you to bring back former players for a friendly match.

Most high schools can’t allow ticket sales for non-school events at their field, but what you can do is have free admission with a recommended donation to attend. Layer in concessions, merchandise sales, and the option to order custom jerseys for the event.

Not only does it raise funds, but it also builds community pride, creates networking opportunities for players, and strengthens the program’s legacy.

Want another interesting event you could do? Consider a color run fundraiser.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #7 - Hire-A-Soccer-Player

Alt - One soccer fundraising idea that could be a big hit, rent a soccer player.

Run a “Team for Hire” fundraiser where your soccer players lend a hand in the community in exchange for donations. Perfect for high school teams or even middle school, this event gives supporters the chance to “hire” athletes for simple jobs like lawn care, dog walking, or light yard work. Nothing dangerous like cutting down trees.

It’s a great way to raise money while giving back to your town, and it builds teamwork off the field, too. Promote it with a flyer or social media post listing the dates your team is available and the kinds of tasks you're offering. Set suggested donation amounts or let supporters give what they can.

Keep in mind these players would be donating their time, and the money would go toward the program.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #8 - Car Wash Soccer Fundraiser

A classic fundraiser, car washes can still be an effective fundraiser in an age when some car washes even offer monthly car wash subscriptions.

To combat this, be sure to market your car wash well ahead of time. Offering a pay what you want model with a minimum suggested donation is a great way to earn additional money. Just like rent a soccer player above, these players will be donating their time and it’s important to remind them of that.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #9 - Restaurant Profit Share Night

Drive your team’s supporters to a restaurant. Get a cut back. It’s one of the oldest fundraisers out there and is a great way to partner with a local community staple.

Generally speaking it is a comfortable recommendation that between 10% and 20% of sales goes back to the team to make it worthwhile. The more people you can get there, the better the fundraiser will go.

These fundraisers are fairly easy, but are often some of the lowest returning fundraisers. Don’t believe us? We surveyed over 100 coaches to see their thoughts on fundraising.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #10 - 50/50 Raffles and Silent Auctions

Easy to run at any home game. Sell raffle tickets for $1 or $5, and split the pot with the winner. Many will even donate winnings back, but don’t make this an expectation.

Include a QR code on programs and signage so people can enter digitally if needed. Draw names at halftime for extra hype.

Can also be paired with a silent auction night where community businesses donate items to be auctioned off. Make your silent auction a fun night with an entry ticket that includes dinner.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #11 - Food Truck Night at Your Next Game

A food truck night is an easy way to turn any home game into a community event and a fundraiser. Invite local food trucks to set up near your field and arrange a revenue split or vendor fee that goes directly to your team. One of the simplest ones is the vendor fee. Pay $100 to be there with access to a large crowd, they keep all the food and drink sales revenue.

Promote it on social media and flyers ahead of time to draw a bigger crowd, even from people who aren’t attending the game. That’s a key, people like food trucks. They’ll come for different types of food.

With fans grabbing tacos, burgers, or ice cream before kickoff or at halftime, you boost both attendance and fundraising with minimal effort. It’s a win-win for your team and your town’s small businesses.

Be sure to consult with your athletic department or athletic booster club for approval if you’re a high school team, as this will take away from concessions which is a main source of revenue for these organizations.

Soccer Fundraising Idea - #12 Collecting Pop Cans

A simple low yield, low effort fundraiser, collecting people’s unwanted pop cans is a good way to generate some extra money for your team.

This is particularly effective in the 10 states with bottle laws; California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. Michigan and Oregon in particular have 10 cent can and bottle deposits, meaning those two states will see twice the effectiveness of this fundraiser.

Go to your community Facebook pages or send out a request on social media asking for people’s unwanted pop cans. “Hey, we'll take care of these for you.” Unless you can get your hands on thousands of cans, this is a lower yielding fundraiser, but if you’re in a pinch, can be effective.

Soccer Fundraising Idea - #13 Kick-A-Thon

A kick-a-thon is a high-energy soccer fundraiser where players collect pledges based on the number of successful kicks they make during a set time or series of challenges. These kicks can range from penalty shots and free kicks to long-distance goals or even fun trick shots, depending on the age and skill level of the team.

Supporters either pledge a flat donation or an amount per successful kick. Kick-a-thons are easy to organize, get players actively involved, and offer great photo and video opportunities to share online.

Other popular a-thons include liftathons, walkathons, and bowlathons.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #14 - Soccer-Themed Photo Day

Partner with a local photographer to offer family photos. If you can get 15 families to participate, paying $200 for family pictures with a 50/50 split with the photographer, that’s $1500 raised for your program, you’ve elevated a local photographer's work, and your families get something of value.

There are plenty of ways to work with photographers that make it beneficial for both of you, including letting the photographer upsell prints.

Soccer Fundraising Idea #15 - Soccer Fundraiser Golf Outing

A golf outing is a classic high-yield fundraiser that brings together team supporters, families, and local businesses for a fun day on the course. Teams partner with a local golf club to host a scramble-style tournament, selling foursome registrations, hole sponsorships, and raffle tickets to raise funds.

Many outings also include extras like lunch, prize packages, or silent auctions. It’s a great fit for high school or travel soccer programs looking to engage adults in the community and attract corporate donors, especially in the off-season when players aren’t competing.

Below is an example of just how profitable a golf outing can be for a golf outing with 72 people. Most golf outings will add in a silent auction or raffle element.

Golf Outing Revenue Streams

• Foursome Entry Fees ($400 x 18) – $7,200
• Sponsor (Hole and Dinner) – $2,500
• Revenue – $9,700

Typical Golf Outing Expenses

• Course Fees – $2,160
• Food & Beverage – $1,500
• Signs for Sponsors – $350
• Prizes/Gift Items – $750

Total expenses – $4,760

Net Profit = $4,940

Soccer Fundraising Ideas - The Final Whistle

Not every soccer team has time to run car washes and sell cookie dough door to door.

There’s a variety of great fundraisers out there just waiting to be utilized. From merch sales to even a team like Lincoln Northwest in Nebraska who ran a fireworks stand, there’s no shortage of ways to raise money.

Some are easier than others though.

If you’re interested in an a-thon, crowdfunding campaign, or one of our pick a date soccer calendar fundraisers, well that’s where we’re here to help.

Jump into a 10-minute demo and see for yourself. It could change your soccer program.