Esher Rugby

What Esher Rugby does

Esher Rugby Football Club is a community rugby club founded in 1923 and headquartered on Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey, United Kingdom. The club operates across competitive and social rugby formats, fielding senior men's teams (First XV, Cardinals 2nd XV, Abbots 3rd XV, Expendables Vets), youth and junior teams from U4 Little Lions through to U18 Colts, plus inclusive formats including walking rugby (Bishops) and touch rugby (Touch Mixed). Beyond playing squads, the club sells memberships, match day tickets, venue hire, player sponsorships, match day hospitality, and merchandise, and runs fundraising vehicles including the 500 Club lottery and the Wheatsheaf Club premium membership tier (£35/month) providing access to pre-match lunches, dedicated WhatsApp updates from Mike Brown, and league match video content.

The core technology platform is the club website, powered by First Sports International and integrated with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) Game Management System for live fixtures, results, and team administration. The kit shop is operated through a third-party partner (Akuma Sports). The club is volunteer-governed, with a President (Mark Bennett), Chair (Olly Johnson), and Honorary Treasurer (Nigel Scott) forming the senior leadership, supported by a broad committee of role-holders (fixtures, safeguarding, volunteer coordination, facilities, youth contacts).

Revenue is generated from subscription memberships, match day transactions, venue hire, an extensive multi-sponsor commercial portfolio (Lockton, Porsche Centre Brooklands, Heineken, London Square, Russell Cooke, Colliers, KLM Real Estate, and others), event ticketing, merchandise, and lottery/contribution programmes. The customer base is split between adult players, youth and junior players, social and inclusive rugby participants, corporate sponsors, and community/family members, all served within a single-domestic Surrey/Southeast England operating geography. No parent company, private equity backing, or institutional investment structure is present; the organisation is an independent member-governed club.

Name

Esher Rugby

Legal name

Esher Rugby Football Club

Website

https://esherrugby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Esher Rugby Football Club is a community rugby club founded in 1923 in Hersham, Surrey, offering competitive and social rugby from U4 mini rugby through to senior and veterans levels, supported by memberships, venue hire, sponsorships, and match day operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Amateur Rugby Club / Community Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Community rugby club
• Amateur rugby teams
• Youth rugby programs
• Sports club memberships
• Rugby venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Hersham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and monthly membership fees for senior and junior players, social members, and VIP Wheatsheaf Club members at £35/month providing exclusive benefits.
2. Match Day Revenue: Revenue from ticket sales for home matches, match day hospitality packages, and match day programme sales.
3. Venue Hire: Hiring out club facilities including function rooms, pitches, and event spaces to external parties for private events, corporate functions, and sports activities.
4. Sponsorships: Partnership revenue from multiple sponsors across various tiers including kit sponsorship,场地 naming rights, and promotional partnerships.
5. 500 Club Lottery: Monthly lottery programme where members purchase tickets at £1/month, with 50% going to club capital investment and 50% to prize pot with 4 monthly winners plus Christmas bonus.
6. Events: Revenue from organized events including curry nights, annual dinners, city lunches with guest speakers, and community activities.
7. Merchandise and Kit Shop: Sales of club merchandise, rugby kits, and apparel through partnered online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Esher Rugby is a community amateur rugby football club that delivers competitive and social rugby participation across Mini (U4), Junior, Colts, Senior Men's and Senior Women's sections, supported by associated clubhouse facilities. Beyond playing membership, it sells ancillary products and services including venue/function-room hire, matchday hospitality, a lottery, kit merchandise, player sponsorship packages, international rugby tour applications, golf society membership, HAF activity camps and a legacy brick programme, primarily serving local players, families, sponsors and community users in Hersham, Surrey.

Product overview

Esher Rugby operates as a community rugby football club established in 1923, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centred around its website platform powered by First Sports with RFU Game Management System integration. The core offerings include match centre ticketing, event tickets, venue hire, memberships with tiered benefits (including the Wheatsheaf Esher Club at £35/month and 500 Club lottery), player sponsorship, matchday hospitality, match day programmes, and international rugby ticket applications. The club also provides youth and mini rugby teams from U4s through U18s, a golf society, volunteer programmes, legacy brick commemorations, and holiday camps for children. The kit shop is operated through an external partner (Akuma).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Senior Men's Rugby Membership Annual playing membership for adult men to participate in competitive rugby in the club's senior men's section.
• Senior Women's Rugby Membership Annual playing membership for adult women to participate in competitive rugby in the club's senior women's section.
• Junior & Mini Rugby Membership (U4–U18) Age-grade playing memberships for children and teenagers (U4 through Colts), providing age-appropriate rugby training and matches in line with RFU age-grade rules.
• Match Tickets & Matchday Programme Per-match admission and printed matchday programme purchased by spectators attending home fixtures.
• Matchday Hospitality Matchday hospitality packages providing food, drink and premium seating for supporters and corporate guests at home fixtures.
• Venue Hire (Clubhouse & Function Rooms) Commercial hire of the clubhouse and function-room facilities for private events, parties, weddings and corporate functions.
• Kit Shop / Club Merchandise Online and on-site sale of club-branded playing kit, training wear and supporter merchandise (shirts, shorts, socks, training gear, casual wear).
• Wheatsheaf Club (Bar & Social Membership) On-site social and bar membership operating the clubhouse bar, providing discounted drinks and access to social events for paying members.
• 500 Club Lottery Recurring lottery subscription product offering participants entry into regular cash-prize draws in support of the club.
• Player Sponsorship Sponsorship product enabling individuals or local businesses to sponsor an individual senior player, typically in exchange for recognition in matchday programmes and on club materials.
• International Rugby Travel Applications Co-ordinated group travel and ticket application service for members wishing to attend international rugby fixtures overseas.
• Golf Society Membership Annual society membership organising regular golf fixtures, tournaments and a yearly tour for club members, supporters and guests.
• HAF Activity Camps School-holiday multi-activity camps delivered under the Department for Education's Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme, targeted at eligible children and families.
• Legacy Brick Programme Named/engraved legacy brick product allowing supporters, players and families to leave a permanent personalised mark at the clubhouse or ground.
• Volunteer Programme Structured volunteer recruitment, coordination and recognition programme supporting club operations across matchday, events and section-level activities.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Sports InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform provider powering the club website with live RFU Game Management System integration for fixtures, results, and team management.
• LocktonminorOthersInsurance company sponsor displayed on the club website with global Lockton branding linking to global.lockton.com/gb/en
• Advanta WealthminorOthersWealth management sponsor linking to advantawealth.co.uk
• CollardsminorOthersProfessional services sponsor linking to collardpartners.com
• Porsche Centre BrooklandsminorOthersAutomotive sponsor linking to dealer.porsche.com/gb/porschecentrebrooklands
• Russell CookeminorOthersLegal services sponsor linking to russell-cooke.co.uk
• Surrey Hills RemovalsminorOthersRemoval services sponsor linking to surreyhillsremovals.co.uk
• AlsfordminorOthersCommercial sponsor linking to alsford.co.uk
• BCLminorOthersBusiness services sponsor linking to bcl.com
• ColliersminorOthersProperty services sponsor linking to colliers.com/en-gb
• KLM Real EstateminorOthersReal estate sponsor linking to klm-re.com
• IgniteminorOthersMarketing sponsor linking to weareignite.co.uk
• HeinekenminorOthersBeer sponsor with age-gate verification linking to heineken.co.uk
• KG CoachingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoaching partner delivering community rugby programmes including HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) multi-sport camps and paid coaching camps through Kieran Canavan (Head of Community Rugby)
• London SquareminorOthersProperty developer sponsor linking to londonsquare.co.uk
• LookersminorOthersVolkswagen dealer sponsor linking to Lookers Walton-on-Thames dealership
• Return2PlayminorOthersSports management software sponsor linking to return2play.org.uk
• Falcon CoachesminorOthersCoach hire sponsor linking to falconcoachhire.com
• Akuma Sports (Kit Shop)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline kit shop partner through akumashops.com/esherrfc for merchandise sales
• Wheatsheaf PubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner where the club was founded in 1923; venue for Wheatsheaf Club exclusive evenings and namesake of premium membership tier. Old photos of Esher Rugby players displayed in the Wheatsheaf toilets.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Blackheath FC: One of England's oldest rugby clubs with a comparable community club structure, multiple senior teams, and strong volunteer-driven governance. Operates at a similar competitive tier with overlapping sponsorship categories (professional services, property).
• Cambridge RUFC: Historic community rugby club with comparable multi-team structure across senior, age-grade, and social rugby. Operates a similar membership and volunteer-led model with venue hire and event-based revenue streams.
• Rosslyn Park RFC: South-West London community rugby club with a comparable multi-team structure (multiple senior XVs, age-grade rugby, social rugby) and similar membership/event/hospitality revenue model. Direct competitor for players, sponsors, and community engagement in the London/Surrey catchment.
• Tonbridge Juddians RFC: Kent community rugby club with comparable structure (multiple senior teams, age-grade, social rugby), volunteer governance, and match-day/sponsorship revenue model. Operates in the same broader South-East England rugby ecosystem.
• Ampthill RFC: Bedfordshire community rugby club that has professionalised at a higher tier while retaining its community base. Comparable in operating model (multiple senior XVs, youth pathway, match-day revenue) and a useful benchmark for progression pathways.
• Richmond Rugby Club: London-area community rugby club of comparable size and tier, operating a similar model across senior teams, age-grade rugby, memberships, and venue/event hire. Both clubs compete for the same Surrey/London player pool and sponsorship market.
• Old Albanian RFC: Hertfordshire community rugby club with a similar multi-team, volunteer-governed model and venue-based community engagement. Comparable in scale, structure, and commercial operations.
• Bishop's Stortford RFC: Hertfordshire/Essex community rugby club operating a comparable model with multiple senior teams, age-grade programmes, social membership, and venue-based revenue. Competitor in the same regional playing and sponsorship market.

Broad incumbents

• Coventry Rugby Club: Midlands rugby club operating at a higher tier with a more developed commercial operation (hospitality, sponsorship, ticketing). Provides a benchmark for the upper bound of community-to-semi-professional rugby operations in England.
• Hartpury College RFC: Gloucestershire rugby club affiliated with Hartpury College, operating at a higher competitive tier with more professionalised coaching and pathway programmes. Comparable in rugby operations but with embedded college infrastructure enabling scale Esher lacks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esherrugby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Esher Rugby