What might be the best way for a sport organization to build goodwill with the local community?

Eric Verbonac

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Eric Verbonac
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Giving a Business a Soul
A Source of Genuine Stories
Vitality Sponsoring Women’s Sport in the U.K.
Jersey Mike’s Subs Sponsoring College Football in the U.S.
Ultra Football Sponsoring Grassroots Soccer in Australia
Choosing a Club to Sponsor and How to Get the Most From It
Which is the first step in sponsorship presentation?
Which is an example of a sales promotion that uses a special event to increase high attendance rates at a professional baseball game?
What variable might increase attendance at a professional soccer game?
Which of the following is an example of using a special event as a sales promotion strategy to increase ticket sales?

Eric Verbonac

Director Of Customer Service and Operations at HR Strategies Consulting Inc.

Published Sep 23, 2019

FedExCup. Outback Bowl. TCS New York City Marathon. Large national brands have become ingrained in professional-level sports. With fans' strong emotional ties to sports, companies know they can score some of the love by sponsoring halftime shows, finish lines, seating sections and more.

But sports sponsorship isn't just a game for the big leagues. Many savvy small businesses invest in sponsoring local community sports organizations. Some consider their sponsorship a charitable contribution and others, a form of advertising. Either way, it's a mutual relationship that pays off for the sponsor and the team.

Here are 6 reasons why businesses should sponsor a youth sports organization:

Increase awareness of the company's products and services. Each sponsorship package has benefits for the sponsor built in: field signage, website advertising, company name on uniforms, etc. Through a sponsorship, a company's brand will be in front of the youth sports market of parents, coaches, program organizers, players and fans.
A welcomed form of advertising. In most settings consumers are inclined to tune out advertising. Although many traditional ways of reaching consumers are failing, youth sports sponsorships are a positive and engaging way to market a brand. Parents like to see the companies that are supporting local sports.
Help keep the cost of youth sports programs low. Player participation fees cover the majority of the costs of a youth sports program but support from sponsors provides additional resources which can help keep participation fees low. With lower fees, more families are able to afford to sign up and that means more children being able to receive the many benefits of sports.
Outstanding value for the dollars invested. Although sponsorship package costs vary from organization to organization, they commonly range from $100 up to $5,000 or more. When comparing the cost of other marketing outlets like print, television and billboard advertising, youth sports sponsorships can be a great value and a smart option to include into the marketing mix.
Build goodwill. Companies that sponsor youth sports programs make a positive contribution to their community. Overall this can evoke a community wide feeling that a company understands the impact and importance of sports for their youth. This feeling can instill loyalty among a business' current and future patrons.
Possible tax incentive. Many youth sports organizations are registered nonprofit groups. If that is the case, businesses can get a tax break for making a charitable donation. That is just another added benefit of sponsoring youth sports.

We know $500 from a local company to a youth team goes a long way to offset the rising costs of sports. But what the company may find is that their sponsorship also goes a long way to strengthen the bond between their brand and their community.

What benefits does your youth sports organization provide to sponsors? Has your business sponsored a local sports team?

We have some exciting opportunities to support some young athletes and sports teams. Please reach out to me for details.

This article has been updated from the NAYS websites blog post from 1/1/2015

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One of the most appealing aspects of grassroots sports sponsorship is the chance for a business to give something back to the local community. It’s a win-win situation, but why?

One of the most appealing aspects of grassroots sports sponsorship is the chance for a business to give something back to the local community. It’s a win-win situation: the sponsor gets exposure and goodwill, while the club receives much-needed funds to invest in lower-level sport. It’s also one of the easiest ways for a company to change how consumers think and feel about its brand.

In this post, the third in our Sports Sponsorship Vs. Online Ads series, we’ll explore how sponsorship can help brand image and look at some grassroots examples of brands using sponsorship as a springboard for community projects and activations.

Giving a Business a Soul

For small or medium-sized businesses without internal strategy or branding teams, it can be difficult (and very expensive) to change how customers perceive their brand. Without the help of a branding agency and costly ad campaigns, it can be hard to communicate to customers what a business stands for. We’re not suggesting that sponsoring a local sports team can help a business with a bad reputation, but it can be a very effective tool when a business wants to change its reputation from a brand that people feel indifferent about to a brand they love and respect. This is especially true when sponsoring women’s, children’s, or underfunded community sports where even a small amount of money can have a significant impact.

Many international insurance companies and financial institutions sponsor a wide range of sports, partly because of the sterile nature of their products and services. Being closely associated with sport helps soften their image and increases brand recognition. When faced with a choice between ten different faceless insurance products, consumers will subconsciously choose the logo they see most often. Local businesses can create an even stronger connection as the often fanatic followers of small clubs are always grateful when a local firm puts cash into their club.

A Source of Genuine Stories

It’s common for small and medium-sized businesses to struggle with creating engaging content for social networks. Building a close relationship with a club or sport can solve this problem. If a company can make a genuine connection with a club and its fans, then the problem quickly becomes deciding which stories to tell, rather than having nothing interesting to say.

It’s important not to flood your followers with sports content, but if you choose the right community sports club, then their involvement in the local area goes beyond sport. There are many stories to tell: facilities are often used as a venue for community groups to meet; there are programs to get local kids active and reduce obesity and anti-social behavior; while clubs also help out local people in need with food banks and other charity work.

Vitality Sponsoring Women’s Sport in the U.K.

As well as being sponsors of top-tier sports such as Rugby Scotland and Premier League soccer clubs such as Chelsea FC and Leicester City, British insurance firm Vitality also invests heavily in women’s sport. The brand was the title sponsor for the Vitality Netball World Cup 2019, and they are the official wellness partner of Cardiff City F.C. Women, Chelsea Women FC, England Cricket, England Hockey, England Netball, and Scottish Rugby.

Vitality supports its sponsorships with a social media content strategy that focuses on women’s health and fitness. In the post below to celebrate International Women’s Day, Vitality created a video celebrating their support of women’s sport.

Equality in sport has been a big story over the last few years, and Vitality has been a big supporter of the movement. This sends a message to female sports fans that Vitality cares about issues that are important to them.

Jersey Mike’s Subs Sponsoring College Football in the U.S.

Not every sponsorship tie-in has to be about good causes. Sometimes, it can just be about giving away free products. Jersey Mike’s Subs sponsors several college football teams, including Michigan State and Oregon. Pre-pandemic, they supported this sponsorship with their Tailgate Tour, giving football fans a chance to sample their subs across the country.

A map showing the locations for Jersey Mike’s Tailgate Tour. Source: QSR Magazine.

Jersey Mike’s branded food truck. Source: QSR Magazine.

This is an excellent example of how sponsorship works best when it’s backed up with real-world activations. As an awareness campaign, it works much better if they get out there and give away samples so that fans can remember what the subs taste like whenever they see the company’s ads.

Ultra Football Sponsoring Grassroots Soccer in Australia

Founded in 2018, Ultra Football is a Sydney-based retail and online store dedicated to soccer merchandise. Since 2020, Ultra Football has sponsored Football Victoria, the state governing body for soccer in Victoria. The sponsorship deal includes Ultra Football supplying Football Victoria’s Talented Player Development squads with Nike apparel and balls. This shows that, at a grassroots level, sponsorship can include products and services as well as fees. Businesses that make essential products for running a sports club can make a big difference by donating merchandise as part of a sponsorship deal.

An ad for ultrafooball.com shown during an NPL Victoria soccer game, powered by LIGR.

Quality equipment means a lot to lower-level players. Nike has a long history of supporting young athletes with equipment, and Ultra Football uses the same strategy here. Also, parents will be more likely to spend money at ultra football knowing that the business supported the development of their children.

Sponsorship should be seen as a starting point. Think about ways that your business can work with a sports organization to create mutually beneficial projects. Ad campaigns that talk about empowerment and equality can help to change opinions, but these campaigns become more potent when businesses can back them up with investment in the causes they support.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a local team, our next post in this series takes a closer look at how to approach this: Choosing a Club to Sponsor and How to Get the Most From It (coming soon).

Which is the first step in sponsorship presentation?

The first step in preparing a sponsor presentation is to find companies who are courting the same audience so you can present demographic information to prove that sponsoring you will help sponsors reach their target audience.

Which is an example of a sales promotion that uses a special event to increase high attendance rates at a professional baseball game?

Which is an example of a sales promotion that uses a special event to increase high attendance rates at a professional baseball game? Free autographed baseballs are given to the first 100 attendees on Little League Day.

What variable might increase attendance at a professional soccer game?

What variable might increase attendance at a professional soccer game? the entertainment value of sporting events.

Which of the following is an example of using a special event as a sales promotion strategy to increase ticket sales?

Which of the following is an example of using a special event as a sales-promotion strategy to increase ticket sales: Free autographed baseballs are given to the first 100 attendees on little-league day.