Millwall FC has made a crucial close season signing, by drafting in the services of software experts who will transform the club’s off-the-pitch activities.
The move will revolutionise the Championship outfit’s ability to track and manage every aspect of its financial performance, from match tickets sold, merchandise sales and even the number of beers downed by fans.
Now the proud London club has brought in talent from Eureka Solutions, the club’s new Official Business Management Software Supplier, who are among the most sought-after in Europe for their widely admired skills in implementing financial/ERP systems.
Overseen by Emma Parker, the new Chief Finance Officer at Millwall, Eureka Solutions will implement best-in-class Oracle NetSuite ERP, providing a much-needed boost to operational and financial efficiency for the ambitious club.
Emma said: “A lot of our analysis is done on spreadsheets because we haven’t had a proper system in place, which makes reporting very clunky. We also spend far too much time producing reports that become outdated by the time of presentation due to the fast-paced industry we are in.
“What I wanted was an end-to-end system that could take care of invoice processing, expense processing and even real time reporting, and NetSuite will be able to do this.
“I report regularly to our board of directors on the financial status of the club. Rather than creating a presentation using six-week-old data, I will be able to provide a dashboard showing the things they need to know, such as how many shirts or beers we sold at the weekend.
“This not only saves huge amounts of time, but the ability to provide up-to-date financials on key elements of the club will let us direct resources to areas that most need attention.”
For many sporting clubs, different revenue streams such as season ticket sales, hospitality packages, catering and sponsorship are managed in separate systems, whether that’s via legacy accounting software or spreadsheets.
These systems rarely speak to each other, requiring finance teams to manually duplicate large amounts of vital financial information and leading to difficulties with interpretation. The software being rolled out at Millwall FC will connect the dots, giving the business team instant access to detailed reports from anywhere with an internet connection.
Eureka Solutions is one of Europe’s top-rated specialists in implementing Oracle NetSuite, the renowned enterprise resource planning (ERP) software used by around 38,000 leading businesses around the world.
Eureka Solutions’ team also have a wealth of experience working in the sporting sector and have already successfully delivered powerful solutions to major sports clients including Luton Town, Derby County and Heart of Midlothian football clubs, Juddmonte and the R&A.
The software experts also designed the financial management and reporting system which revolutionised business practices at the home of golf, St Andrews Links Trust, which earlier this year reported record earnings of £43.8m for 2023.
Emma Parker was already tracking the software firm after holding previous roles at Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace. However, her new role as CFO at ambitious Millwall FC has finally enabled her to bring in Eureka Solutions’ team to The Den after extensive research and due diligence.
She added: “Eureka Solutions have been very thorough, and that gives me comfort that the team are looking at every aspect of our operations and they’re not trying to just sell us something out of the box. They truly want to work with us on a long-term basis to find the best solutions.
“From my experience at previous clubs, I knew the potential of NetSuite and was keen to bring its capabilities to Millwall FC. Put simply, this comprehensive solution, tailored to our exact needs, promises to revolutionise our financial operations.”
David Lindores, CEO of Eureka Solutions, which is based near Glasgow, said it was a privilege to be working with such an instantly recognisable name in English football.
He added: “The EFL Championship is unbelievably competitive and like many clubs in the division, Millwall FC want to make sure they continue to thrive.
“In the modern game, the business performance of a club is becoming almost as important as the on-field achievements of the players. It’s impressive that Millwall FC is being so forward-thinking and setting up their systems for success over the long term. We’re extremely proud to be given this opportunity and are looking forward to seeing the transformative impact of NetSuite on its operations.”
Founded on the core principles of technical expertise and outstanding customer service, Eureka Solutions implements business software solutions, including Oracle NetSuite, Sage and iplicit, plus its own system integration platform, Besyncly.
It works with firms across tech, sport, hospitality, non-profit, wholesale distribution, ecommerce, and other sectors. Its clients include Loganair, Kelvin Power Tools, Barrhead Travel, and Western Ferries.
