No matter how talented an athlete is, it is extremely difficult for him to move up the career ladder without financial support. Unfortunately, in some cases, it is not at all possible to realize your talent, because instead of developing skills, he is forced to work in order to earn a living. That is why the question of how to find a sports sponsor is relevant for both singles and teams. And it is worthwhile to dwell on it in more detail.
Investing in sports: profitable or not
The issue of attracting financing is always difficult. Especially in sports. Often, large and medium-sized businessmen simply do not see the prospects of such a method of investing for several reasons.
Even if in the future the wards succeed, the sponsor of the amateur team may be left with nothing. They can forget about him and immediately turn away from the previously provided support.
Of course, one can object, saying that a contract is concluded for this case. However, if we are talking about a children's sports team, the contract will have to be signed with the parents of minors or their guardians.
The benefit from such an investment can be extremely small or even negative. The latter is possible in case of unsportsmanlike behavior of the wards. Some of them may drink alcohol or dope, speak rudely to their own sponsor, etc.
Speaking of sports, topics such as injuries and other unforeseen circumstances cannot be avoided. Unfortunately, they are able to unsettle the athlete for a long time, and for the sponsor turn into financial losses.
Knowing all the difficulties described above, we can conclude that in order to reach an agreement with a potential sponsor, you will have to make a lot of efforts and show a real gift of persuasion.
Investing in sports is often justified when it comes to world-famous teams or athletes. That is why at various championships, football players are often dressed in t-shirts with branding of large brands. I must say that contracts are estimated in millions of dollars annually. For example, users often wonder which Gazprom football teams sponsor? If we talk about Russian sports, then this is the well-known Zenit. In parallel, a large company has a contract with the German company Schalke.
What do you need to know?
Do not despair. Despite the fact that the financial issue is a hot topic in any field, it is in sports that sponsorship is quite developed. At least better than in other similar industries. There is a logical rationale for this.
Sport attracts a huge number of people. Those who are watching him, as well as those who are directly involved. And this is not only about athletes competing in competitions. This is a huge number of people who produce equipment, provide sites, etc.
What will the sponsor get?
So, any cooperation should be mutually beneficial. The benefit of a sports team from having a sponsor is obvious - getting financing. And what benefit will the sponsor get? For what reason should he spend his own money specifically for financing sports activities, and not for something else?
By answering these questions, it will be much easier to understand how to find a sponsor for a football team and what can be offered to it. Be prepared for the fact that no one wants to invest their own funds, if we are talking about a little-known team that rarely participates in competitions. In this case, it is extremely difficult to convince a potential sponsor that he will receive a return on his own investments.
The situation is completely different if the football team is well known to the audience, is active, has achievements in its field and attracts the attention of fans.
Collaborating with a famous football team, a potential sponsor expects to receive intangible benefits associated with gaining wider fame, etc.
So, now you understand why it is important to put in the first place not only your own interests from potential cooperation.
Training
When wondering how to find a sponsor for a sports team, you need to know what its interest is. The ultimate goal is profit. That is why the emphasis in the negotiations should be done precisely on this point.
We need to carefully prepare for a dialogue with a potential sponsor. First, make a list of all the competitions in which the team or athlete has participated in the past period. Next, sum the total number of spectators who attended the event. The resulting figure is the audience coverage that a potential sponsor can count on.
In addition, any sporting event is covered by representatives of various media, which further increases the reach of a potential audience. This should certainly be told to the future sponsor in order to interest him in financial support.
Sponsor advertisement
As you already understood, it’s not enough to know how to find a sponsor for a sports team. It is equally important to successfully negotiate. And for this you need to clearly understand what benefits the second side will get from cooperation with the team.
As a rule, potential sponsors are attracted by a wide reach of the potential audience. That is why, even at the preparation stage, it is necessary to puzzle with the question of where it will be possible to place the sponsor's advertisement.
For example, it could be the facade of a building. The advertising poster will turn out noticeable and will certainly attract the attention of a potential audience.
Some teams have their own transport, which can also be decorated with the sponsor's logo.
Another place for advertising is the inventory and sports uniforms that the team uses. However, in this case, the size of advertising will be regulated by sports federations, as well as by the organizers of sports competitions.
Be active
Those who plan to receive financial support need to be constantly in sight, expanding the circle of their friends. The more people know about you, the higher the likelihood of a successful sponsor search for a team. We must try to constantly participate in sporting events.
However, even in your free time, you should not sit without action. In the age of the Internet, you can try to find financial support on various sites. Create accounts on several resources and regularly replenish them with new information, talking about the achievements of the team
If you managed to get in touch with a potential sponsor, write down all the benefits that cooperation with your team promises him. Provide data on the reach of the potential audience described in the previous paragraph.
How to make an appeal?
It is very important not only to know how to find a sponsor for a sports team, but also to be able to competently build negotiations. Your future situation largely depends on their outcome. Will I have to continue the search or will it be possible to concentrate on sports achievements.
So, according to experts, the appeal should include four main points.
- Justification. This is mainly a story about the team and its achievements, as well as its plans for the future.
- Benefits. It is worth telling about the prospects that the sponsor will receive through joint activities. It is also worth mentioning the coverage of the potential audience mentioned earlier.
- Opportunities. Describe in detail several scenarios that are possible in collaboration with the team. Tell us in detail about the prospects.
If negotiations with a sports sponsor in Russia were successful, carefully read the terms of the proposed contract. You should know what is expected of you, and try to certainly realize the expectations assigned to your team.
Where to looking for?
Now you know how to find a sponsor for a sports team. However, the question remains where to look for it.
As a rule, there are three most popular and common options.
- Sports fans, which can be individuals and entire organizations.
- Manufacturers of various sports goods - inventory, equipment, uniforms and even food.
- Enterprises that one way or another serve sports events. These are all kinds of restaurants and hotels, sports clubs and medical facilities, as well as companies providing transport and logistics services.
You can access the last two categories according to the standard scheme, sending letters and talking about the benefits.
With private sponsors, things are a little more complicated. In their case, motivation is especially important, so the approach to each of the potential sponsors will have to be sought and found individually.
The difference between professional sports and amateur
According to experts, the difference between the above two sports is enormous. They differ in many ways:
- regulations on which competitions are held;
- level of training;
- fees amount, etc.
On the whole, amateur sports create more favorable conditions for athletes than professional ones. Achieving certain results depends solely on the motivation of the athlete. Amateurs often become participants in all kinds of competitions, tournaments, and also olympiads. At such events, they usually represent a sports club or school in which they study and train.
When it comes to professional activities, completely different rules apply. First of all, the differences relate to the level of training. Professional athletes are usually superior to amateurs. If the latter can skip training, for example, due to health reasons, then for a professional this is considered unacceptable. For the reason that each athlete or team often has a sponsor and, consequently, large financial injections. That is why professional sports are also called commercial.
Sponsor for sports enthusiasts
For unknown reasons, there was a stereotype that for amateur athletes, attracting a sponsor is an impossible task. Most likely, the explanation lies in the very essence of sponsorship. This is not charity, but an investment. Accordingly, the potential sponsor wants to get a return on their own financial investments.
Professional sports, as a rule, attract a huge number of spectators. For this reason, sponsors are interested in him, who, thanks to the athletes, get the opportunity to reach out to their own potential audience.
Amateur sports has become a mass phenomenon in which more spectators and participants are involved than in professional activities. However, if we talk about a specific event, the number of spectators can be at the level of tens or hundreds of people, which can not be compared with the thousands of audiences of professional events.
Attracting sponsors for amateur teams is difficult precisely because of the small reach of the audience.
Features of sponsor search in Russia
Unfortunately, in our country the sponsorship of athletes is not very developed. This happens for various reasons and as a result leads to the fact that the marketing laws of the market do not always work when looking for financial support.
Some sponsors act solely on the background of their own emotions. It is possible that they grew up in the same city as the members of the sports team. That is why, when looking for financial support, it makes sense first of all to turn to those with whom you have something in common. For example, interest in football. It is possible that this will become a key factor in the negotiations.
Even if you know how to find a sponsor for a hockey team, this may not be enough. In any case, you have to agree. This is a special art that requires prior preparation.
How to convince a potential sponsor?
So, you already managed to find out that financing a sports team should be beneficial to those who invest their own funds in it.
That is why, even before you make an offer, you should find out who your audience is and how interesting it may be to a potential sponsor.
For example, when it comes to a football team, you can try to negotiate with manufacturers of equipment for the players. Thanks to such cooperation, they will receive advertising and will be able to increase sales. This principle applies and vice versa. Football matches are rarely attended by girls. Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to attract manufacturers of cosmetics or wedding dresses to cooperation. Most likely, you are just wasting your time.
So, the higher the likelihood that your interests coincide with potential sponsors, the higher your chance for a successful completion of negotiations.
When entering into a dialogue, you should be prepared to tell the potential sponsor in detail about your achievements, first of all, about what audience coverage he can count on, and also list the events in which the team took part and what plans he is building for the future. It will also be useful to mention where the sponsor's logo will be placed. For example, on the uniform the players are wearing? or on vehicles in which team members move.
When you have gathered enough arguments to convince a potential sponsor, you can proceed directly to the negotiations.
In case of successful completion of the conversation you have to conclude a contract. It is advisable in the conditions to indicate the number of spectators who came, and not the number of those who purchase the products of the manufacturer. This is due to the fact that the sports club is able to build a system of influx of customers, rather than sales.
At the first collaboration, the amount of sponsorship may be small. However, such experience will further convince other sponsors. After all, a sports club will receive information on the number of visitors and those who bought the goods. In addition, if the first sponsor sees a positive effect, it will be possible to conclude a new contract on more favorable terms for the club.