“Sponsorship is when a business provides funds, resources or services to a club, in return for some form of rights and/or associations with the club that may be used to help the business commercially.”

This could be in the form of a logo on a football kit, signs at an oval, free advertising in the newsletter or presence on your club website.

Sponsors play a big part in grassroots sports and they are one of the key reasons clubs can run successfully. At the same time, sponsors are getting their name out there which may generate better awareness and business for them. Sponsorship should aim to benefit both parties.

It’s important to be prepared when putting together a sponsorship package and that’s where come in. Here’s our top tips for formulating and securing one epic sponsorship package.

1. Research, Research, Research

When looking to gain sponsorship for your club, it’s important to know exactly who you want to approach and that they are the right fit for you. Who’s their target audience, and does it match with yours? Why do you want this company to sponsor your club?

Some advanced planning and in-depth research is definitely worth putting time and effort into. It will benefit you massively for when the big day comes to present your proposal. By doing this, you’ll come across in a professional manner and better your chances of getting sponsored.

You also have to look well into the background of the companies you plan to approach. The more you know about them the better. If you have a good knowledge of the goals and objectives of the company, you can tailor your proposal accordingly and see where you fit into helping them achieve these goals. Utilise any ties you have at the company (maybe a member works there) to get the ball rolling.

You should understand their products and why they would be a relevant sponsor for your club.

2. Identify the right sponsors

As I’ve mentioned, getting the right sponsors for your club is crucial to a long and fruitful partnership. Draw up an initial list broad ranging list of any potential businesses in your local vicinity. This should be the list you start researching from. Narrow down your hit list and eliminate the targets that just aren’t relevant to your club.

It’s easier to start this list by looking more locally with your members, friends and relatives. If people know your club and understand what you do, they are more likely to be willing to help.

There may even be someone within the club who has a small business and is willing to sponsor you. You could check with your suppliers of sports clothing, food and equipment. Try researching local businesses and target those who could benefit from a partnership with your club.

When researching external companies not directly known to your club, try and look for companies that may have a vested interest already in the club. The more closely you can associate the company with the activities and people at your club the higher your chance for sponsorship.

Once you’ve got this list together, take a final look and make sure the companies listed are a good fit for this business opportunity. Without a personal connection there may be little use in approaching a company.

If you’re looking for a global company to sponsor you, do some research and see if there is a branch or office which is located near your club. Local branches of car companies are a great example.

3. Set goals

You need to make sure as a club you stay on track when trying to find sponsors. Before you begin, use the rule of SMART to keep you on marching efficiently towards your end goal. SMART stands for:

Specific - you need to specify what you want to achieve, which in this case, is a sponsor preferably with a connection to your club.

Measurable - Can you measure whether you are meeting the objectives or not? In other words, are you doing enough research for your sponsors? Are you getting positive responses?

Achievable- Are the objectives you set achievable and attainable? For example, approaching a global sponsor for your local football team may not be feasible, compared to a local business with relevant connections to your team or club.

Relevant - Be realistic in your approach to each individual company, and tweak your offer based on their means. Don’t ask a small company for a large amount of money for your club with no relevant back-up as the answer will almost certainly be a no.

Timely - Can you achieve your goal in a timely manner? For example, targeting the right business is a big time saver, rather than going straight in without doing any research.

Stick to this structure to ensure you build a structured sponsorship package. It could really make a difference to your proposal when the time comes.

4. What can you offer sponsors?

You must have the right intentions when putting together a sponsorship package. Sponsorship deals are of mutual benefits, so you will have to offer some benefits to the sponsor too.

You could benefit sponsors by offering them:

• Use their branding around your club (use their logo on your kit, equipment or around your facilities etc)
• Presentations/Awards nights
• A presence at matches/tournaments/events that you run
• You could help them collect data or feedback regarding their brands or products
• Use their logo on the match tickets – that way everyone attending the event will see the logo
• Use their logo on your event posters and any other marketing campaigns for your club – that way anyone who sees the publicity will have seen the logo
• Put their logo and link on your website and identify them as your sponsor

These are just a handful of sponsorship ideas you could offer as a club and reinforces just how vital they are for potential growth and revenue.

5. What past achievements has your club made?

This comes under what you can offer potential sponsors. Look at what you’ve already done as a club.

For example, you could talk about your team’s success in a recent tournament or a signing of a new player. It’s important to showcase opportunities that may benefit the sponsor and ways in which they can get their name out there.

Success puts the spotlight on your club. Have you made a local TV or newspaper appearance? Did your achievements go viral across social media? If so, this is a great opportunity to put sponsors in front of new audiences - so be sure to include them in your sponsorship package.

6. How big’s your following?

A key point to look at is the awareness and popularity of your club. How big’s your reach? How many followers do you have online? How many people drive into your club every season?

Asking yourself these questions is important because when it comes to gaining sponsors. They need to be sure their company is going to get exposed to enough people.

7. Harness the power of the club website

Websites are a great way of showcasing sponsors. The technological age means that people head online when looking for details of your club. An attractive website with regular visitors will be more attractive to a potential sponsor. Take Llandudno FC, a club who feature a number of their club sponsors in prominent positions on their website.

This in turn allows you to demand a higher price for space on your club website. In many cases, sponsors could even pay for the upkeep of your club website for an entire year.

Get a grip on how many people are visiting your website and use these numbers as the basis for a strong pitch to businesses who are interested in handing over their cash.

8. What are you going to ask your sponsor?

When it actually comes down to presenting to your sponsor, you need to be clear on what you’re asking them for. Ask for what you need based on your objective and your goal as a club. Be careful not to over or under sell yourselves.

It can be tempting to go straight in and ask a sponsor for cash, but their efforts may be better used elsewhere. Could they provide a product at a discounted rate, saving you significant sums of cash? Do they provide a service (say on site catering) that could be useful on matchdays?

Remember, sponsorship partnerships can be a great tool for both you and the companies that sponsor you so look at your sponsorship goals and ‘ask’ accordingly.

9. Be confident

When it actually comes to your proposal, be sure to have confidence in the package you’ve put together. You want to make sure as a club you sell yourself as best as possible.

Add that final 5% by showing a bit of personality in your proposal. Pictures, trophies and achievements are all great things to add to your package. Sponsors are going to be much more likely to go into business with you if they find you approachable and likeable.

All the hard work put into these packages will benefit you in the long run when you’re signing that sponsorship contract.

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