Energy partner seeking brighter future for NPL clubs

Reports from some clubs at Step 3/4 level during the 2022/23 season suggested that energy costs were rising by as much as 50%.

On average, figures from across the Northern Premier League showed average energy costs grew by a third in that time - a problem league chairman Mark Harris has been keen to address.

So, how are clubs trying to reduce their energy costs, and are more sustainable energy sources the way forward?

Chairman Mark Harris said: “In non-league football, it all comes down to two things: people and money.

“All of our clubs are predominantly volunteer-led, and you can never have enough volunteers at a football club.

“The other thing is what we refer to as ‘the meat in the sandwich’ - in the professional game, there is a lot of money around, and also at the grassroots end of the game.

“Counties are also very well funded, so we are ‘the meat in the sandwich’. Our clubs are always looking to find new ways of not just increasing their revenue, but more importantly managing their costs.”

“We have recently surveyed all of our clubs, and found that broadly half of our clubs have taken one or more measures [to adopt renewable energy sources].

“What we looked at was the incidence of switching to LED floodlighting, whether it’s in terms of aggregated procurement driving the best possible deals, then also looking at HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and things of that nature, and also electric vehicle charging, so all of those areas of sustainability.”

In a bid to provide a strategic approach to energy consumption, the Northern Premier League are proud to be working in partnership with official energy suppliers Troo.

Troo have already helped revolutionise the league’s approach to energy challenges in the current climate, paving the way towards a brighter future for clubs at Step 3 & 4.

Discussing the decision to partner with Troo, Harris added: “We were looking for an energy partner and we get approached quite a lot, but the real reason that we decided to go with Troo is because they have an understanding of this level of the game, which is crucial.

“Many companies out there don’t really get the fact that we are a level of football that is reliant on volunteers, that clubs have relatively modest numbers in terms of fans, and that they don’t have huge infrastructures off the field because they are volunteer run.

“We felt it was a really good fit with Troo, and the measure of that has been the adoption by our clubs of opening up conversations with Troo, so we’re delighted with the progress so far.

“A partner like Troo, who have been highly proactive and immersed themselves in our level of the game, have demonstrated the difference between a successful partnership and a less successful partnership.

“It’s about working with a partner who is prepared to put in the time to build the intimate and nuanced understanding of how these clubs operate - once you do that, you’ve got it cracked.”

Click here to learn more about how Troo are supporting football clubs across the UK.