I was talking to Lee at the Football Buying Network who said he was looking for constructive ideas for his new Football Buying Network. It would have been rude not to support, so here goes.

Football Buying Network Launches Pilot to Help Non-League Clubs Reduce Costs Through Collective Buying

A new initiative aimed at helping non-league and grassroots football clubs reduce costs
through collective purchasing has launched its initial pilot. Football Buying Network (FBN) has been created to bring clubs together around shared purchasing needs, allowing them to combine demand and potentially access stronger pricing and commercial terms from suppliers than they may be able to secure individually.

The concept is simple: while one club may have limited negotiating power when purchasing
equipment, services or other essential products, a group of clubs requiring the same thing
can represent a much more significant opportunity for suppliers.
FBN plans to organise participating clubs into buying pools based on common requirements
and then approach suitable suppliers on behalf of the group.
The pilot is currently open to non-league and grassroots clubs, with FBN particularly keen to
hear from club owners, chairmen, secretaries, treasurers, commercial teams, volunteers and
anyone involved in purchasing decisions.
There is no membership fee for clubs taking part in the pilot, no subscription, no exclusivity
and no obligation to purchase through any agreement negotiated by the network.
Clubs remain free to continue using their existing suppliers and decide independently
whether any opportunity presented through FBN is right for them.
Founder Lee Holness said:
“Football clubs across non-league and grassroots football are often purchasing many of the
same products and services, but they are doing so independently.
“The idea behind Football Buying Network is to see what happens when we start bringing
that demand together.
“One club may not be able to influence the price of a product very much, but if ten, twenty or
fifty clubs have the same requirement, that potentially becomes a very different conversation
with a supplier.
“We are not trying to control how clubs spend their money or tell them who they should buy
from. The purpose of FBN is to create opportunities.
“If we can negotiate something that genuinely saves a club money or gives them better
terms, they can take advantage of it. If the deal does not work for them, they simply do not
use it.”

The Football Buying Network pilot will also be used to identify where clubs are experiencing
the greatest cost pressures and which areas of club spending are best suited to collective
purchasing.
Potential buying categories could range from football and training equipment through to
ground and pitch products, printing, signage, operational supplies and other services
regularly required by clubs. Holness added:
“One of the most important parts of the pilot is listening to clubs before deciding what thenetwork should become.

“I do not want to build something based on assumptions about what clubs need. We want
people who are actually running football clubs to tell us where the problems are, what they
are spending money on and where a network like this could genuinely help.
“Non-league football relies enormously on volunteers, supporters and people putting huge
amounts of time into keeping their clubs running. If we can build something that helps those
clubs keep more money inside the football club, that is worth pursuing.”
FBN says transparency will be a central part of the model.
Participating clubs will not be required to pay simply to access the network, while supplier
agreements, pricing and commercial arrangements are intended to be presented clearly so
clubs can make their own purchasing decisions.
The long-term aim is to build a network capable of representing demand from clubs across
different levels of non-league and grassroots football, helping suppliers reach groups of
genuine buyers while giving participating clubs greater collective purchasing power.
FBN is also interested in hearing from leagues, competitions, football organisations and
other groups working with multiple clubs where a collective purchasing arrangement could
provide wider benefits.

The pilot is now open.

Clubs interested in taking part, discussing their current purchasing requirements or finding
out more about the project can contact Football Buying Network directly.
Website: footballbuyingnetwork.co.uk
Email: lee(.@)footballbuyingnetwork.co.uk

About Football Buying Network

Football Buying Network is a UK-based initiative created to help non-league and grassroots
football clubs improve their purchasing power by combining shared demand

3 October 2026

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