From the Club Secretary;
"The costs to hire a pitch in London are staggering. When I first took over the running of a then Thursday night kickabout at Kennington Park in 2009, the hire cost for a 7-a-side pitch was just £35. Since then, costs have increased, we've relocated and rescheduled, but, still the cost for the most basic of football surfaces seems to be treated by local councils as a cash cow and the users of the facilities as merely customers to be squeezed, rather than net contributors to the overall health and well-being of the capital.
As such, we are now in a situation where the current cost - and impending increase - will make it impossible to continue to run our long-standing, affordable, accessible, and low-commitment kickabout, without an increase in charges.
Had we increased prices in line with the inflationary nature of the facility hire, it would be £8.25 per person for an hour of football; an eye-watering amount for those who show such commitment to the session.
What I am proposing is a vote between three options;
An increase from £5 per person to £7 but players can pay by cash only.
An increase from £5 per person to £7.50 but payment must be online only, saving players the hassle of getting exact change and discouraging drop-outs / no shows.
Keep the weekly price at £5 but enforce a £20 annual membership, encouraging commitment so that members get the most from their money.
This increase will be the first in 10 years so I hope all current players can appreciate that we do not take this decision lightly. The WNK has been the backbone of Wanderers Football Club and we are grateful to everyone who has participated and made the sessions enjoyable, competitive, welcoming, and memorable.
Please cast your vote now by clicking here."