The ‘Raise the Ground’ 500 Club (“500 Club”) is a fund-raising venture designed to generate funds on behalf of Cheltenham Town Football Club (“CTFC”) to assist in making improvements to the ground at Whaddon Road. The 500 Club is registered with Cheltenham Borough Council as a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005.
Membership of the 500 Club costs just £5 per month (or £60 per year). Members can pay their subscriptions either monthly (£5) by standing order, or annually (£60) by cheque or cash. Unfortunately it is not possible to offer the facility to purchase membership online due to the requirements of online merchant service providers. The preferred method of receipt is by monthly standing order as this helps to reduce the burden of administration.
Membership is open to anyone over the age of 16.
There is no upper limit to the number of members of the 500 Club.
20% of all membership subscriptions received are pledged to Cheltenham Town Football Club (“CTFC”). Amounts pledged will be accumulated and released to CTFC for ground improvements or other appropriate projects that have been identified and authorised by the 500 Club Committee.
Membership of the 500 Club allows members to participate in a weekly draw that, based on current membership levels, offers the following cash prizes:
1 weekly prize draw of £300 (40 weeks).
1 monthly prize draw of £500 (11 months).
1 annual prize of £5,000.
The weekly draws take place on the pitch during the half-time interval at home matches usually the last home match of each month. When there is no home fixture, the draw is deferred until the next home game. During the close season, the weekly draws take place at the Club shop or ticket office with club officials in attendance to ensure that the draws are conducted fairly.
The £500 monthly prize is drawn on the last Saturday of each month.
The Grand Christmas Draw is made at half time during the first home game after Christmas Day.
Members are only eligible to participate in the weekly draw if payment of their subscription is up to date. Any member whose subscription is in arrears will not qualify for inclusion in the weekly draw. Only those members who join before 1 September are eligible to participate in the Grand Christmas Draw for that year.
The names of prize winners are published online on this website.
Each prize may be paid only to the owner of the winning number.
Prizes are paid to winners by bank transfer. It is therefore in your interests to ensure that you notify us promptly of any changes in your contact details or bank details in case you are a winner.
In the event that the average number of paying members falls below 469, the annual Grand Christmas Draw prize of £5,000 will be reduced by around £48 for each member under 469. For example, if there are 465 paying members, the Grand Christmas Prize Draw will be worth approximately £4,800.
All profits arising from the 500 Club will be donated to CTFC (in addition to the 20% of membership subscriptions that are pledged to CTFC). “Profit” for this purpose is defined as: subscriptions received, less amounts pledged to CTFC (20% of subscriptions received), plus interest earned, less prize monies paid, less incidental expenses incurred, less tax payable on the resultant profit for the year.
The table below indicates how membership numbers determine the potential funds that can be generated annually on behalf of CTFC:
