When Five Acres Badminton Club first introduced Slate back in 2017, they weren’t just adopting a new piece of technology, they were rethinking how their club operated.
The challenge: cash, chasing, and awkward conversations
With around 60 active members, the club had traditionally relied on a standard annual membership model. While familiar, it wasn’t without its problems. High upfront fees made it harder to attract new players, and collecting payments often led to delays, awkward conversations, and even bad debts. For a volunteer-run club, the administrative burden was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
As Les Middleton explains, the day-to-day reality was far from ideal:
“We’d have members handing over £3 match fees here and there, others bringing £20 and needing change, and some forgetting cash altogether. It was painful to manage.”
Handling cash created a ripple effect of inefficiencies, counting money at the end of sessions, making trips to the bank, and keeping track of who had paid and who hadn’t. It all added up to time that could have been better spent on the court.
Everything changed when Les came across Slate in an article in The Telegraph.
“Slate was a bit of a light bulb moment. It sounded exactly like what we needed, so we didn’t even look at anything else.”
The switch: from annual subs to pay-as-you-play
After a simple setup process, the club made a decisive shift: moving away from annual subscriptions to a pay-as-you-play model. Instead of paying a large fee upfront, members now pay only when they attend training nights or matches. The change immediately made the club more flexible and accessible.
“The flexibility has been a game changer. People much prefer paying when they play – it just feels fairer.”
The impact: hours saved and debts eliminated
From an operational standpoint, the impact was just as significant. Members were able to link their bank accounts easily, and payments became automatic and transparent. The club no longer had to worry about chasing money or dealing with physical cash.
“We don’t deal with cash anymore, and that alone has saved us hours. No more counting money or trips to the bank.”
For Les and the club’s treasurer, one of the biggest benefits has been removing the discomfort of asking members for money, a challenge many grassroots clubs know all too well.
“Asking people for money is always awkward, but Slate has taken that away. It’s made the treasurer’s job so much easier, we just don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
The improved visibility and tracking of payments also eliminated concerns around bad debts. Everything is recorded, up to date, and easy to manage, giving the club confidence in its finances without adding complexity.
Beyond session fees, Five Acres Badminton Club has also started using Slate for additional income streams, such as selling badminton rackets and handling other ad hoc purchases. Having everything in one place has made managing these transactions simple and efficient.
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Looking back, adopting Slate didn’t just solve a cash handling problem – it helped modernize the club entirely.
“Slate has completely changed how we run the club. It just works, and it’s saved us a huge amount of time.”
For Five Acres Badminton Club, the result is a smoother, more flexible experience for both members and volunteers freeing everyone up to focus on what really matters: enjoying the game.
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