athletes and sponsorship

For athletes and sports teams alike, getting a sports deal is a huge accomplishment. It means someone is willing to invest in your future. Whether you’re looking for money or product donations, there are brands that sponsor athletes.

But finding the right athlete sponsorship? That can be a real challenge. Sure, there are several sponsorship opportunities out there, but it’s also one of the main reasons why many athletes find it difficult to find the right sponsorship deals for themselves! There are tons of sponsoring companies out there but if they aren’t careful, like many athletes, unfortunately, it’s difficult to truly gain recognition and solid success.

Elite athletes were able to gain exposure not just because of their social media followers, but because they took the right sponsorship opportunity. Most athletes nowadays jump on any potential sponsor that offers them a deal or more money without thinking whether this is really right for them!

A successful sponsored athlete would have to find sponsors that offer them more value than other companies. Like we’ve mentioned earlier, there are plenty of companies willing to sponsor athletes, but only a handful of them actually create elite athletes. Fortunately for young athletes and youth sports teams, the help of sports sponsorship agencies can make things easier.  

If you’re hoping to answer your questions on ‘how to get sponsorship for sports’ you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll help you figure out which among the thousands of companies offering to sponsor athletes is right for you and your brand. But before anything else, let’s discuss what sponsorships mean today.

What Are Athletic Sponsorships?

A sponsorship, nowadays, is defined as the association between a company and an athlete or sports club with the aim of exchanging access to new audiences for financial support.

For instance, if a sports brand decides to offer a youth sports sponsorship for a local team, their logos or color schemes will be incorporated into their uniforms. Aside from this, the brand is anticipated to also be featured in marketing collaterals for games or other sporting events involving them There are various other ways for companies to sponsor athletes, but generally speaking, these are some of the most common ways they get a sponsored athlete.

Recent trends in the sports industry have made sponsorships a powerful sports marketing technique. This is because it helps both parties, the sponsored athlete get the chance to improve their brand image while brands are given access to prospective customers!

How to Find An Athletic Sponsorship

Ultimately, the search for sponsors should not be taken lightly. It’s important for you to understand that businesses invest in these deals, allowing them to have high expectations when it comes to ROIs.

Before anything else, the first step to getting sponsored is discussing the type of deal you want to gain!

Think About the Type You Want

The decision-making process isn’t always easy in choosing the right sponsor as there are multiple things you need to consider. First, you must look into the different sponsorships offered today and discuss which type you’ll be aiming for.

The most common deals are; title sponsor, main sponsor, official sponsor, official partner, and technical partner.

One great example of the coveted title sponsor is Real Madrid’s deal with Adidas. The athlete can expect to receive over $100 million dollars a year from their main sponsor Adidas. And while it may be true that it’s a pretty great deal for the team, it also means they’d have to produce large numbers for the giant sports brand.

For a lot of athlete sponsorship companies, it makes more sense to go smaller and to target a specific niche area. For example, an official partner is usually a partner in a specific niche or industry. An example could be Visa being the financial official partner of a sports club.

Many sponsorships give players money or pay for a portion of their travel, training, and operational costs. Start thinking about the type of sports team sponsorship you want right now! Remember, companies look for a sponsored athlete that can promote their business in return. Make sure you’re actively promoting yourself or your club before looking for sponsors.

Choose the Right Athlete Sponsor, Finding Companies Wanting to Sponsor Athletes

When you go for a sports sponsorship, you are serving two different audiences moving forward. From now on, you’ll have to keep your audience as well as your sponsors happy. Sponsors want a positive ROI. They want airtime and they want to speak and engage with your audience. Remember that more companies sponsor athletes that know how to work with people well.

You will also need to make sure the content your sponsors are delivering is valuable for your audience, or you might lose some of your sports audience. This is definitely something you should think about as well. If you have difficulties doing this yourself, you can always use sponsorship agencies.

Reach Out for Potential Sponsors

The hardest part of getting a sports club sponsorship is reaching out to potential sponsors. Marketing yourself or your club is tough. But the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get the sponsorship you’re looking for. If you’re yet to have a list of potential sponsors, now’s the right time to look for them!

Check out company websites and look for contacts from their sponsorship marketing or PR departments. If you’re unable to look for them online, reach out to their customer service! This step is much easier for smaller businesses as their owners are more likely accessible.

Assigning someone to this position is a great idea as it allows a sponsored athlete to focus on their game while still being able to look for sponsors! Just because you became a sponsored athlete, it doesn’t mean that you can slack off on your games.

You need to offer great value to the companies that offer you a sponsorship opportunity. This means that you need to develop a good relationship with their target market through efforts like athletic events. And the only way that you could get the support of the general audience is by training more and keeping your head in the game!

In case you already have a business in mind, explain to the prospective sponsor why you’re the best choice. Share your passion for their brand and discuss how they can help your club alleviate your needs!

Athletic Sponsor Deals Begin with Marketing

The bigger following you have on social media, the more opportunities you’ll attract. Start growing your reputation today. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.

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