What Southend United Football Club does

Southend United Football Club is a 120-year-old English non-league football club headquartered at Roots Hall Stadium in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom. The club currently competes outside the English Football League following relegation from EFL League Two in 2021 and is working toward a return, with promotion to League One publicly stated as the consortium's minimum aim. It operates a traditional football-club business centred on the men's first team, supported by an academy, a ladies team, a Community Foundation, and Roots Hall Stadium facilities. The club is owned by the COSU Consortium led by Australian businessman Justin Rees, who took over from Ron Martin in 2024 and currently serves as Chairman; Catherine Honey is General Manager and Kieron Dyer was appointed Head Coach.

The core product is professional football, delivered through matchday attendance and digital content. Commercial offerings include home and away ticketing, 2026/27 season tickets, match streaming, the Only Blue fan-powered subscription membership at £10/month (with all proceeds ring-fenced for the football department), the Junior Shrimpers youth membership, hospitality packages (Captains Suite, Blues Legends Lounge, 1906 Club, D2 Lounge, Executive Boxes), an online e-commerce shop (shop.southendunited.co.uk) for merchandise, and fan engagement programmes including Blues Lottery and the Shrimpers Trust. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through Roots Hall matchdays, the official iOS and Android apps, the ktckts.com ticketing platform, the club website, and a presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

The revenue model combines transaction-based matchday sales, recurring subscription membership, tiered commercial sponsorship partnerships (Enterprise and Armour Security are principal partners, with Nudev and Ora Asbestos added for 2026/27), merchandise retail, and premium hospitality / room hire. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored on matchdays and community initiatives, with no disclosed AI, proprietary technology stack, or non-football product lines. Financial data including revenue is not publicly disclosed; the club is privately owned with 51-100 employees and a 120-year heritage that underpins brand and community positioning.

Name

Southend United Football Club

Legal name

Southend United Football Club

Website

https://southendunited.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Southend United Football Club is a 120-year-old English non-league football club based at Roots Hall Stadium in Southend-on-Sea, owned by the COSU Consortium led by Chairman Justin Rees and competing to return to the English Football League. It generates revenue from matchday ticketing, the Only Blue subscription membership, tiered commercial partnerships, merchandise, and hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Football Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Major League Stadiums (MPAKAEAA), Concession & Stadium / Arena Catering (THAFAIAG), Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Professional football club
• Fan membership scheme
• Matchday ticketing
• Matchday hospitality
• Club merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Southend-on-sea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Matchday Revenue: Revenue from ticket sales for home and away matches, season tickets, and matchday hospitality including suites such as Captains Suite, Blues Legends Lounge, 1906 Club, and D2 Lounge.
2. Memberships: Only Blue fan membership scheme priced at £10 per month, described as a fan-powered collective. All proceeds ring-fenced directly into the football department with quarterly updates and annual impact report provided to members.
3. Commercial Partnerships: Tiered sponsorship partnerships including platinum partners, main partners, official partners, and league sponsors. Also includes matchday sponsorship, player sponsorship, advertising, and training wear draw programs.
4. Merchandise and Retail: Club shop selling official merchandise including 2026/27 home kits and other club merchandise through e-commerce storefront.
5. Hospitality: Premium matchday experiences including executive boxes, matchday experiences, and room hire for events and functions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Southend United Football Club is a professional English football club that operates Roots Hall Stadium and delivers football matchday experiences through home and away tickets, season tickets and match streaming. It sells fan memberships via the Only Blue (£10/month) and Junior Shrimpers schemes, offers premium matchday hospitality packages, runs an official e-commerce store for club merchandise, and monetises tiered commercial sponsorship, advertising and partnership packages.

Product overview

Southend United Football Club operates as a unified club offering a portfolio of products and services centered around its professional football operations. The core offering includes the First Team football operations, supported by mobile applications (iOS and Android), an online ticketing platform, and official merchandise e-commerce. The club's fan engagement portfolio includes the Only Blue membership scheme (fan-powered collective at £10/month), Junior Shrimpers youth membership, various hospitality packages, commercial partnership packages, and fan engagement programs. The Only Blue membership serves as the primary direct-to-fan product, with all revenue ring-fenced for the football department. The club competes in non-league football following relegation from League Two in 2021, with promotion to League One as the stated minimum aim.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Only Blue Membership Subscription-based fan membership scheme priced at £10 per month, with all proceeds ring-fenced directly into the football department and quarterly updates plus an annual impact report provided to members.
• Junior Shrimpers Membership Youth fan membership programme aimed at younger supporters of Southend United Football Club.
• Match Tickets and Match Streaming Online ticketing platform offering home tickets, away tickets, 2026/27 season tickets and live match streaming for supporters.
• Matchday Hospitality Packages Premium matchday hospitality experiences including Captains Suite, Blues Legends Lounge, 1906 Club, D2 Lounge and Executive Box packages.
• Commercial Partnership Packages Tiered commercial partnerships (platinum, main, official and league), matchday sponsorship, player sponsorship, advertising, networking opportunities and stadium room hire for businesses.
• Online Club Shop Official e-commerce store selling Southend United club merchandise including 2026/27 home kits and other apparel, with global shipping.
• Official Club Apps (iOS and Android) Official mobile applications for iOS and Android providing supporters with club news, match updates, ticketing access and content.
• Fan Engagement Programmes Fan engagement initiatives including the Blues Lottery, matchday messages, the Sammy The Shrimp mascot programme, mascot appearances, The Blue Eagle and matchday experiences.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ora Asbestos ManagementminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 July 2026Announced as Official Walkout Jacket Partner for 2026/27 season. Provides walkout jackets for the club's matchday staff and personnel.
• NudevminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2026New Back of Shorts Partner for the 2026/27 season, appearing on the back of player match shirts.
• EnterprisecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor and partner with enterprise badge placement on the club website header. Represents a key commercial partnership for the club.
• Armour SecuritycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner with logo placement on club website header alongside Enterprise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AFC Wimbledon: Fan-founded English football club with a strong supporter-trust and transparent governance model. Comparable to Southend United's Only Blue fan-powered, transparent allocation approach.
• Salford City FC: Lower-league English club that has scaled rapidly via celebrity ownership and aggressive commercial partnerships. Comparable in leveraging marquee figures and a strong commercial team to accelerate growth from a smaller base.
• Notts County FC: One of the oldest English football clubs currently operating in the National League. Comparable in heritage, brand longevity, and the National League promotion race Southend United is contesting.
• Oldham Athletic AFC: Former EFL club currently in the National League following recent relegation. Comparable in operating model, stadium-anchored revenue, and the challenge of rebuilding after EFL exit.
• Stockport County FC: Recently promoted from the National League back to League Two. Closely comparable trajectory, fan base scale, and stadium-led matchday model to Southend United's current stage and ambition.
• Wrexham AFC: Welsh-English border club that has recently climbed from the National League back into the EFL under high-profile ownership. Directly comparable as a lower-league English football club pursuing rapid promotion via fresh investment and strong commercial storytelling.
• Hartlepool United FC: National League club of similar size and fan base scale. Comparable as a former EFL club operating in non-league football with a community-oriented, membership-driven commercial model.
• Chesterfield FC: National League club with established community roots and a stadium-based hospitality offering. Comparable as a lower-tier English club targeting EFL re-entry through sporting performance.
• Dagenham & Redbridge FC: Lower-league Essex/greater London club with similar fan base scale, community focus, and matchday-driven revenue mix. Comparable as a community-anchored non-league English football club.
• York City FC: National League club with comparable stadium-led revenue model and community focus. Relevant peer given similar scale, regional identity, and EFL-return ambition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SUFCRootsHall
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtUEQDOQpXmZuAH9beGN4Aw
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthendUnitedFC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southend-united-football-club
• Instagraminstagram.com/sufcrootshall/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@southendutdfc?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southend United Football Club