Building relationships with local business is key to making sure you can develop a long lasting sustainable sports league. It’s important because you get money that helps purchase jerseys, field time, equipment, all of the things that are basic requirements for a league. Beyond that though you get participants, volunteers, spectators, in short the community buy-in that is vital for making something enjoyable and long lasting. A lot of this will come naturally from through the connections people have with the league but you will need to get comfortable with reaching out to local businesses and being able to lay-out the benefits that they will get for helping sponsor your league or team.
Step 1. Figure out your Needs
Take some time to plan out and budget out everything that you need for a successful season. You can even break this down into needs and wants.
Hard Goods – uniforms, equipment, trophies, transportation, snack bars, etc.
Volunteers and Referees – break down the time commitments and professional help you will need, make sure to factor in tournaments.
Field/Space/Arena rental – schedule out you time requirements account for things like rain-outs
This will help you build a sponsorship package or packages that makes it easier for a business to see the value and say yes.
Step 2. Think About Your Approach
Build a list of potential candidates or types of candidates. Make it easy for them to say yes, most of the time they want to anyway you just need to give them a good reason.
| Type of Business | Why They Might Care | Example Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| Sporting goods stores | Participants will be more likely to pick up things they need for the league there. | “By seeing your store at every game and practice they will be reminded of who supports them and support you in turn” |
| Restaurants & cafés | Want foot traffic from parents and players | “What better way to remind them where they can go to celebrate a victory” |
| Health & fitness centers | They can directly market to their target audience, people interested in fitness | “Your logo will remind them where they can go to practice and train” |
| Local banks/credit unions | Build good will with the community | “Families and spectators are going to remember who made their great memories possible” |
| Auto shops & dealerships | Their logo in everyone’s photos | “Everyone will see their brand in the photos people took at games and posted to social media” |
While you walk or drive around your town start making a list of places to approach, if you have a mailing list this can be a great place to let people know that there are advertising opportunities available. Put yourself in their shoes and think about their reason for why to join.
Step 3. Outreach
Take your research from above and start testing it. Reaching out in person is ideal but a short email or letter can work well too. Here’s a sample of what you can say:
Subject: Sponsor your local football club!
Hi Dave,
I'm _____ and I help organize the Apple Valley Sunday football league that brings together over 100 kids, parents and family members from our neighborhood every week. We’re looking for community partners to help us cover costs for field rentals and jerseys. I thought of you and think that your business GBR would be a perfect fit.
In return, we’re happy to display your logo on our team jerseys, put up a banner at our field for the entire season and put up a link to your website on our Facebook page.
I know you are a big supporter of this community and I think this would be a great way of showcasing that. Your Logo will be in all the photos that people post and a good reminder of what local business support does for a community.
Would you be open to a quick chat next week to discuss how we can work together?
Thank You So Much!
Best,
______
[Phone] | [Email]Doesn’t need to be fancy or long, just something that gets the job done.
Step 4. Follow Up, No Response Doesn’t Always Mean No
Follow back in a week or so if you haven’t heard back. People are busy and things can slip through the cracks.
Step 5. Make it Worth Their While!
When a sponsor says yes, put their name out there immediately-
Take a photo of the sponsor’s logo on the jersey and post it with a thank‑you caption on Facebook or Instagram.
Get a Jersey or Display that they can put up in their office.
Invite them to a game and make a point of shouting them out in-front of everyone so they can see the appreciation that people have for them.
Recognition builds a relationship that can last season after season.
Step 6. Keep Track and Report Results
Make sure you are writing down all the important info to pass on or just repeat next year.
Business name, contact, amount pledged and what they receive in return.
A brief impact note (e.g., “$500 helped us purchase 30 new baseballs, allowing every player to have a glove”).
At the end of the season, send a thank you along with something about their impact- “Thanks to your support, the league grew from 8 to 12 teams” We couldn’t have done it without you and there is a lot of folks out their that are glad we have your business in town!
Step 7. Turn One Sponsor Into Many
Every business owner knows other business owners, you want them to think of you when someone asks them what they can do to help grow their business in the community. Remember to take care of the business owners and they will take care of you.
That’s it. Doesn’t need to be complicated. Like so much stuff in life it’s just about putting out the effort and you will find some people to help support you. Don’t forget to involve the help of those in the league and around it. You most likely have a source of people happy to jump in and sponsor or recommend someone!
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