What Are the Business Benefits of Sponsoring a Youth Sports Team?

For several years now, we’ve seen an economic divide in youth sports teams that was only worsened by the pandemic. The problem is that when it falls on players to fund their participation, many have to drop out due to a lack of family wealth.

How can we close the economic divide in youth sports? We can start investing in our local sports teams. Who better to do so than a small business owner?

Sponsoring a youth sports team may seem like an unlikely role for a small business owner to play. However, we’re here to tell you that investing in your community via youth sports has some serious business benefits.

What’s in it for you? Read on to find out why your business should sponsor a youth sports team.

Increase Community Engagement

As a small business owner, you know how important it is to engage with the community. Local businesses are run by our neighbors and part of the joy in shopping local is that we’re giving our hard-earned dollars to someone we know. Community engagement gives you the opportunity to share not just your products or services but your personality.

When you sponsor a youth sports team, your level of engagement is up to you. Maybe you show up to every game and sit front and center. Maybe you remind families that you’ll offer them a discount in exchange for proof of attendance.

No matter how involved you are, each sporting event that you sponsor is an opportunity to get to know your community.

Build Brand Recognition

In the digital age, building brand recognition can seem simultaneously easier and harder than ever before. While you have countless opportunities to get your brand out there, you’re trying to reach an audience that is bombarded with advertising day in and day out. The goal, then, is to share your branding in environments where the competition is a little less steep and your audience is more inclined to pay attention.

Youth sporting events present the perfect opportunity to do so. Branded signage, branded freebies, and even branded equipment will go a long way on the field or on the court. Not only is there less competition to contend with but attendees will recognize your branding in conjunction with something they care about: youth sports.

Access Innovative Marketing Opportunities

Let’s go back to all those ways that you can increase brand awareness. The key, here, is that sponsoring a youth sports team opens up new marketing opportunities that are worth trying out. Plus, the cost is often more affordable than you might think.

How does sponsoring a youth sports team work and what do you get in exchange? First, you pick your sponsorship package, which can range from $500 to upwards of $5,000. In exchange, you gain access to things like billboard space, branded gear, and tables to sell your products or build your customer list.

In other words, you’re paying the team for access to valuable marketing space. Given how effective experiential marketing has proven to be, this in-person advertising space could make a huge difference to your sales this year.

Create Loyal Relationships

What is the next step after brand recognition? Closing a sale.

What’s better than closing a sale? Building a relationship with a loyal repeat customer.

There are several ways to create customer loyalty. Some of them involve luck, others involve careful incentivization, and all of them involve quality products or services. However, nothing is going to create customer loyalty quite like investing in something as important as the children in your community.

Think of all those parents and teachers sitting on the sidelines during the big game. They see your branding every weekend and know that you’re a sponsor and that you’ve helped to make these games happen.

Next time they need a business like yours, who will they call? You or the business that didn’t invest in their kids? The answer is simple.

Give Back to the Community That Helped Build Your Business

The biggest benefit of becoming a sponsor for a youth sports team is giving back to the community that helped build your business. Sure, that investment buys advertisement space. More importantly, however, it makes a lot of dreams come true for kids who can’t pay the price to play the game.

Curious about some of the tangible differences your sponsorship can make? Let’s talk about some of the things that your money can buy.

New Equipment

Maybe the local soccer team is in need of some new jerseys or the local basketball team needs new shoes and a new net. No matter what, youth sports teams will need to update their equipment at least every few years. This makes playing sports more accessible and far safer for every player.

Consistent Transportation

One of the biggest reasons that we’re seeing an economic divide in youth sports today is the cost of transportation. If parents have to foot the bill for things like buses and hotels, a lot of kids won’t get to travel for out-of-town games. By sponsoring your local sports team, you can ensure that everyone can play–and maybe even make it to the national championships.

Exciting Bonuses

What about those exciting bonuses that make the kids feel appreciated and increase community involvement? Your sponsorship can also pay for things like live streaming services for schools that allow everyone to view the game, no matter where they live. Once the necessities are covered, youth sports teams can really start to thrive.

Invest in Youth Sports for Mutual Benefits

This just in: investing in youth sports comes with a ton of business benefits. Now that you know all about them, it’s time to find out which teams in your community could use the financial boost.

Marketing isn’t just about ads or promos. It’s about connecting with your audience. Take a look around for tons of examples of compelling storytelling that builds connections.