What can a club sell to sponsors?

Before you ask anyone for money, you need to know what you are offering. Sponsors are buying a way to be seen by your people. If you cannot say where their name goes, how often it is seen and by whom, the ask turns into a favour. Favours are small and they do not renew.

The fix is a written list of every spot a sponsor could own. We call it an asset inventory. It is the first thing in our sponsorship pack, and you can start one today with a pen and a walk around the club.

Walk the club, then walk the week

Do this with two or three people from the committee. Walk the ground on a game day if you can, then talk through a normal week. Write down everything a name or logo could go on, and every moment people gather. Do not judge yet. Just list.

The usual places to look

Kit and apparel

• Front of the playing jersey, back, sleeves and shorts
• Training tops, hoodies, jackets and bags
• Junior and age grade kit, which often runs separately from the senior side
• Coach, manager and volunteer gear

Ground and venue

• Fence banners, scoreboard, goal pads and dugouts
• Clubrooms, the bar, the canteen and the changing rooms
• The car park entrance and any sign on the road

Digital

• Your website, your social pages and your team sheet graphics
• Your newsletter or member email
• A live stream or match video, if you run one

Events and moments

• Prizegiving, club day, junior tournaments and fundraisers
• Player of the day, try of the week and similar awards
• Naming rights for a team, a grade, a trophy or a whole season

People and community

• Your members and their whānau, who are customers for local businesses
• Volunteer days and community work the club already does
• Members who could take up a staff offer, if the sponsor wants one

Not a club? It still works

Governing unions and associations do not own player jerseys, so apparel spots move onto referee and match official kit, the live stream, ground signage, the match ball and tournament naming. Schools often have sports uniforms, the school newsletter, the hall and annual events. Churches and trusts have events, newsletters and community programmes. The method is the same: list what you have, then decide what you are willing to offer.

How to write each spot down

A list of names is a start. To be useful, each line needs a few facts. Use a spreadsheet with these columns:

1. The spot. For example, front of senior jersey.
2. Type. Kit, signage, digital, event or naming.
3. Who sees it. Players, families, visiting teams, online followers. Use your own counts, like your member numbers or your page followers. Do not guess big.
4. How often. Every home game, once a season, every week online.
5. How long it lasts. One season, the life of the kit, one event.
6. Status. Open, offered or sold, and to whom.
7. Any limits. Rules from your code or venue, alcohol or gambling limits for junior teams, size limits on kit.

Status matters more than it looks. It stops two committee members offering the same spot to two businesses, which is an easy way to lose both.

Things clubs often miss

• Junior grades. Parents of juniors are often the most engaged audience you have.
• Your social posts. A regular team sheet or results graphic is seen every week.
• Thank you moments. A named award at prizegiving costs you nothing and means a lot to a small business.
• In kind support. A business that gives food, travel or printing is a sponsor. Put them on the list too.

What to keep back

You do not have to sell everything. Some spots might belong to a long time supporter, and some might not fit your values. Mark those as not for sale. A clear list makes it easier to say no as well as yes.

What to do next

Once the list is done, you are ready to put prices on it. That is the rate card, and our rate card guide walks through it. If you want to see how ready your club is overall, the free check takes about five minutes.