Client Case Study
Beacon of Light (Sunderland Football Club)
Business Planning and Staff Structure
The Beacon of Light, which opened in September 2018, is a £20m sports, events and community hub built by the Charity of Sunderland Football Club, ‘the Foundation of Light.’
BJA was employed to review and develop a more realistic and operationally based business plan, which successfully supported the Foundation to secure £2m bridging loans from the charity bank. In 2018, the Foundation was set to relocate to a new venue the Beacon of Light. BJA was then employed to develop a new staff structure for the Charity to deliver the Beacon and to be able to flex the Charity more efficiently and cost-effectively to meet the needs of the community.
"They provided exactly what was needed to persuade our key stakeholders to support the project. They also reviewed the Foundation’s operating model and developed a new effective management and staffing structure serving the needs of the new venue and the Trust, which was nimble, flexible, cost-effective, and now the Beacon has opened, will enable the Trust to be in a stronger position to continue to meet the needs of our various audiences and customer groups both at the Beacon and throughout the region."
Sir Bob Murray
Former Chairman of Sunderland FC, Chairman, The Foundation of Light (Sunderland FC charity)
