There is no standard figure for club membership in the UK. A village bowls club, a cycling club, a choir and a football team have very different costs, so the right fee is the one that covers what your club needs and that members see as fair. This guide shows a method you can follow, then covers structure, concessions and how to display fees on your website.
Start with what the club costs to run
Work out your annual costs before you think about the price. List everything:
- Venue: hire, rent, rates, heating, cleaning.
- Insurance: public liability and any cover your governing body requires.
- Affiliation and registration fees to national or regional bodies, often charged per member.
- Equipment and its replacement.
- Coaching, tutors or instructors, if you pay them.
- Admin: website and domain, email tool, printing, postage, bank charges, payment processing fees.
- Events and social costs you subsidise.
- A reserve for the unexpected, such as a roof repair or a rise in hire costs.
Use last year's accounts and bank statements, not memory. Then add anything you know will change: a rent review, a new insurance quote, a planned equipment purchase. Check current figures with each supplier, because prices move.
Turn costs into a fee
A simple method:
- Total annual costs, including a sensible reserve contribution.
- Subtract money you reliably raise another way (grants, fundraising, session fees paid separately).
- Divide what is left by the number of members you realistically expect.
- Round to a figure that is easy to say and pay.
Be cautious with your member count. Use the number you had last year, not the number you hope for. If a fee only works when you grow by half, it is too low.
Do this sum before the AGM, then present it to members with the figures so the proposed fee is not a surprise. The AGM is often where fees are agreed, if your constitution says so; see how to run an AGM and our constitution guide for where to record who sets fees.
Choose a structure
There are a few common patterns. Choose the simplest one that fits.
- Annual fee only. One payment covers membership; sessions are free or included. Easy to run and easy to explain.
- Annual fee plus pay-as-you-go sessions. A low membership fee plus a per-session charge. Works when members attend very differently, or when venue costs vary by session.
- Monthly or termly instalments. Spreads the cost for people on tight budgets. It means more admin and more payment processing fees, so check what your payment provider charges.
- Tiered membership. For example full, social, junior and family. Make sure each tier has a clear difference in what it includes, otherwise people will pick the cheapest.
- Joining fee. A one-off fee that covers kit or induction. Useful where setting up a new member costs real money.
Pick a membership year too: the calendar year, a September to August year, or a rolling twelve months from joining. A fixed year-end is simpler for the treasurer; a rolling year feels fairer to someone who joins in March. Say which you use in the constitution and on the website.
Concessions and hardship
A fee that excludes people can work against what the club is for. Common concessions include:
- Junior, student and over-60s rates.
- A family cap, so a household does not pay for each person.
- A reduced rate for people on low incomes, with a confidential way to ask.
- A trial period or "try before you join" session, free or at a small charge.
- Payment by instalments, quietly offered to anyone who asks.
Decide the rule in advance and apply it the same way every time. Say on the website that people can talk to the treasurer in confidence. Keep any information given in support of a concession private and share it only with those who need it; see GDPR for small clubs and charities.
Be careful if your club is a registered charity or CIC: fees and concessions should fit your aims, so check with your governing document. Likewise, a club that offers membership to some people but not others needs to consider the Equality Act 2010. If in doubt, take advice.
VAT, Gift Aid and tax
Most small clubs are below the VAT registration threshold, and membership subscriptions of non-profit bodies can be treated in specific ways, but the rules are technical and depend on your structure. Check current guidance on GOV.UK and ask an adviser if you are growing or running a bar, shop or commercial events. Gift Aid generally applies to donations, not to payment for membership benefits, so be careful before offering it on subscriptions. Take advice if you are a charity thinking about this.
Collecting the money
- Give clear payment instructions: amount, due date, how to pay and who to contact.
- Offer at least one way that works for people who do not use online banking.
- Use a unique reference so the treasurer can match payments.
- Send a receipt or confirmation.
- Chase late payers politely, with a standard message and a grace period set out in the constitution.
If you take payments online, check the fees of your provider and whether your club or the member bears them. Put your privacy notice next to the form; our guide to running an online joining form without breaking GDPR covers the wording.
Reviewing the fee
Review it every year when you set the budget. Small, regular increases usually go down better than a large jump after several years of no change. Tell members early, show the reason (rent, insurance, affiliation costs) and give people time to pay before the new year starts. If a rise is large, offer instalments for the first year.
Display fees clearly on your website
People deciding whether to join look for the price. Put a "Join" or "Membership" page on your site with:
- Each membership type, who it is for and what it costs, in a simple table.
- What is included, such as sessions, kit, insurance and events.
- The membership year and when fees are due.
- Concessions and how to ask.
- How to pay and who to contact.
- A link to your privacy notice and the join form.
Write the numbers in the page text as well as in a flyer or PDF, so people (and search engines) can read them. Date the page, or update it each year, so nobody quotes last year's price.
If you need somewhere to put this page, Natterio has a free plan that gives you a live 3-page site on a Natterio subdomain with no card needed. Paid plans start from £7 a month. For other pages worth having, see what pages a community group website needs. If your club is also weighing up website costs, club website cost in the UK breaks them down.
A quick worked layout
Do not copy these numbers; they are placeholders to show the structure.
| Membership | Who it's for | Fee (per year) | |---|---|---| | Full | Adults | £[ ] | | Junior | Under 18 | £[ ] | | Family | Two adults and children in one household | £[ ] | | Social | Events only, no sessions | £[ ] | Concessions available. Talk to the treasurer in confidence at [email].