Introduction
KitsNBoots is a Registered Charity in England & Wales No 1157251, run exclusively by Volunteers, with the objective of raising funds for the Advancement of Amateur Football. All the money raised within our Community, goes back into our Community.
KitsNBoots is a town focussed online car boot sale, where Individuals, Businesses, Corporate Entities, Public Sector Organisations, Other Clubs and Associations and even other Charities, are invited to donate or trade second hand goods using our website.
Donations will go to our Charity (utilising Government Gift Aid), thus enabling the funds to be distributed to our local Grass Roots Football Clubs, and therefore providing a benefit to a significant section of our Community.
We have designed this concept in such a way, which will keep administration overheads to an absolute minimum and we will do our very best to ensure that donations made directly to Club and Team are fully maximised. We fully understand that Supporters will not wish to tolerate a high level of overhead. The average Charity Shop absorbs 75% of donations in the form of overhead costs, leaving only 25% to the good cause, however due to our use of digital technology, we can ensure our operation is lean and fit.
Our aim is to support the Football Association, with their National Facilities Strategy.
Technology
We have provided a modern, fresh, new generation website, for our Community to use, which incorporates Buyer and Seller screens with clear instructions and auto email notifications.
The website is available for use on a PC, Tablet, Mini and Mobile Phone. For PC users, for the best customer experience, use Google Chrome.
We are probably the most technologically advanced Charity in the UK, using a website to facilitate; Click N Donate, Click N Trade, Click N Drop and Click N Collect activities, whilst processing those transactions within a local Unit, using the latest mini tablet Android technology.
If the Unit modem goes down, we can even use our mobile phones to run the Charity outlet.
For the protection of our Customers, we have developed a fully integrated PayPal merchant solution. We do not capture or transfer card details from our website. We utilise a PayPal IFrame, which sits within our webpage, enabling the card details to be entered directly into the PayPal website. All buyers money is retained in the Charity merchant trading account until the expiry of the 3 day buyer return period.
Pilot Scheme - Leigh Lancashire
Within a 5 mile radius of our Leigh Town Hall, there are 53 Clubs, 332 Teams, around 3,000 players, with over 80% of those being under 16.
Then when you add the Mums, Dads and Grandparents into the equation, in our Town alone, we are probably talking of about 10,000 people, with a direct interest in Grass Roots Football.
Football Clubs all over the Country are holding car boot sales to raise funds for the game, so it makes sense to bring everyone together to trade using an ONLINE Town car boot sale, whatever the weather brings.
The Founders
I am a Certified Accountant & Senior Business Analyst (Digital). Before taking most of 2014 away from paid work to develop KitsNBoots, I had spent the previous 3 years contracting to Lloyds Bank. Over the past 10 years, some of my other clients have included Barclays, Vodafone, Shell, Ernst & Young & O2. I have experience in the design and development of technology dependent Business Models, with experience of working with offshore developers.
My Son plays for a local Amateur Football Club. Over the last 2-3 years, I have enjoyed watching his team develop, from not knowing which net the ball should go into, to now, working as a team, tackling, passing, finding their space, marking up, letting the ball do the work, and so on…….
Having visited various Clubs, and having seen how some of the Clubs are having to manage with either no, or poor facilities, I believe we have a unique opportunity to use this business model to build the game within our Towns and surrounding areas. This has never been done before, therefore if we can all work together, we can reverse the decline in Grass Roots Football.
With your support we can make a difference, hence KitsNBoots.
I am a Senior Recruitment Executive, specialising in the supply of senior IT consultants to the UK Banking Industry. I am also qualified as a Prince 2 Project Manager.
At the time of writing this page, my football qualifications are as follows;
- UEFA B Licence in Coaching.
- 1st4sport FA Level 1& 2 Award in Coaching Football (QCF) Unique FA number (FAN): 57912804.
- FA Youth Modules 1, 2 and 3.
- FA Learning Safeguarding Children Workshop.
- The FA Emergency Aid qualified.
- Professional Club Academy Coach.
I continue to act in my capacity as a Football Coach & Grass Roots Development Officer, specialising in all age groups 5+ to open age, with specific focus on ages 11-16.
I have been employed for the last 15 years as a Service Manager at Orange Business Services within the telecoms industry, where I lead a team of engineers looking after blue chip clients in both the UK & Ireland.
I have played amateur football for over 30 years and I still turn out for Howe Bridge Mills FC, playing in the Lancashire Amateur League. I gained my FA preliminary coaching badge at Manchester County FA back in 1995. I am also part of the coaching team at Atherton Town U15's, who play in the Bolton & Bury District League.
The reason why I became involved with the formation of the KitsNBoots Charity, is because I would like to do something to stop the decline in the condition of the pitches and facilities, which local grassroots football teams have to endure.
The pitches are now in the worst state ever and something needs to be done about it. Local government do not have funds available for regular maintenance, therefore it will be down to the Clubs themselves, to take grass roots football forward, for the next generation of our Children.