THE YEAR’S AU clubs budget has been made available by the Athletic’s Union for the first time ever, in an effort to increase transparency between clubs and the Union hierarchy.
The total allocation for AU clubs totals £48,054, representing a fairly large decrease of £14,042 on the previous year’s budget.
AU President Scott Pigott commented on his decision to release the budget: “I think it’s important that as a students’ Athletic Union we should be transparent in terms of our funding.”
The decrease is not likely to be to the detriment of clubs though, as there is around a £20,000 contingency fund set aside that was not in place last year.
The income column refers to the estimated revenue generated by membership fees for each club. In most cases this level of income is matched by the AU’s allocation to that club, but any distribution of funds is capped to the level of income generated by the club itself.
This has created a surplus of £4,939 that may be distributed to those that requested it, should those clubs raise their income to the appropriate levels.
The expenditure column highlights how the allocations will be distributed between equipment, coaching subsidies, events, course subsidies and affiliations to national governing bodies.
Equipment subsidies for some of the more high risk activities, such as the martial arts clubs, are awaiting a safety audit to be carried out in order to find out what equipment is currently being used and whether any more is needed.
Clubs that take part in BUCS competition receive a higher coaching subsidy but are split into two tiers, reflecting their position in league competitions. Tier 1 refers to clubs in the upper echelons of BUCS competition, while tier 2 refers to those in the lower leagues.
As a new member of the AU, the clay pigeon-shooting club do not qualify for an allocation in the budget, even though they have not generated any revenue from membership.
The table tennis club have also not been allocated any funds due to incomplete information on the budget documentation submitted to the AU. However, income through membership is estimated at £750.
Scott emphasised that the budget is aimed at universal membership development and that “careful consideration was taken in deciding the distribution of funds to each club.”
