Chelmsford City FC saves 15 hours a week with TicketCo

Summary

Chelmsford City FC has rebuilt matchday and back-office operations on TicketCo. The club reports a weekly time saving of more than 15 hours across pre-match, matchday, and post-match tasks.

Upsell sits in the same flow. Fans can add merchandise at checkout today and the club is moving hospitality online so availability is clear and buying is self-serve.

Club snapshot

Chelmsford City FC plays in the National League South and hosts home matches at the Dunmow Group Stadium in Chelmsford. Capacity is listed at around 3,000 with approximately 1,300 seats. The present professional club was formed in 1938.

Chelmsford, located about 30 miles northeast of central London, is a growing city. The 2021 census recorded 181,500 residents and local government projections point toward roughly 198,000 by 2036. That gives the club a large catchment and headroom for growth.

The challenge

Eighteen months ago the off-pitch team was lean. About three part-time roles carried the load before a push to professionalise operations with full-time hires in operations plus sales and marketing. The brief was simple. Reduce admin. Standardise processes. Centralise data. Go cashless.

They chose TicketCo as their ticketing partner to reach these goals.

What changed with TicketCo

• One operational hub for tickets, season tickets, hospitality visibility, coach travel, and selected merchandise upsell. Fewer hand-offs and less manual work.
• Cashless by design with advance sales and walk-up card payments at turnstiles. QR scanning keeps queues moving and simplifies reconciliation.
• Season-ticket control and cleaner renewals from a reliable database. 625 season tickets this season with targeted renewal windows next year.

Results

• 5 hours saved each week across operations from build-up through wrap-up.
• Faster entry and shorter queues as fans buy on mobile and move straight to scanning. “They just want the convenience.”
• Upsell embedded in the flow for merchandise now and hospitality as it evolves.

Quotes

“The TicketCo platform has given us back over 15 hours a week. That is not an over-exaggeration.” — Keith Moule, Operations.

“We’re fishing in a very big pond which we’ve only just started fishing in.” — Keith Moule, Operations, on growth in a 200,000-person city.

“I’m using TicketCo a lot for giving away tickets for competitions… it’s super useful because otherwise there’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with people.” — Sally Dalton, Sales and Marketing.

Why this matters to National League clubs

• Right-sized for lean teams: A typical Saturday opens with two staff on turnstiles then scales to five as gates build. TicketCo’s flow matches that reality.
• Built for mixed maturity: Operational standards vary widely across divisions. Some grounds run automated gates and strict protocols. Others juggle clipboards and partial cash. A modern platform lets each club progress at its own pace.
• Growth runway in larger towns and cities: With a growing city behind them, Chelmsford sees room to convert occasional visitors into regulars through cleaner journeys and add-ons.

Looking ahead

The club plans to automate more of the fan journey. That includes triggered pre-match and post-match communications and a more structured hospitality and membership offer. The goal is simple. Less admin. More time for fans and partners.

About Chelmsford City FC
National League South club
Home ground Dunmow Group Stadium
Capacity about 3,000 with roughly 1,300 seats
Formed 1938
City population 181,500 in the 2021 census