Sponsorship plays a crucial role in the success and sustainability of sports clubs. The financial support provided by sponsors can contribute towards covering a club’s expenses such as jerseys, gym equipment, facility maintenance and upgrades, travel costs, coaching staff salaries, and more.

Successful sports club sponsorships often result from building strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

So let us take a look at how your club can attract sponsors and provide them with value! Here’s what we’ll cover: 

1. Choosing who to approach 

2. Talk about your club 

3. Showcase Your Sponsors on the ClubZap App

4. Utilise Your County/Elite Players 

5. Use Experts Within Your Club to Add Value 

6. Network within the Community and engage with Local Businesses 

7. Highlight Benefits Sponsors will Receive 

8. Treat them well 
   

1. Choosing Who to Approach

First things first, choose carefully who you approach to sponsor your club. It’s important to research and develop knowledge of all the potential sponsors. Choose a sponsor with positive customer reviews that you feel fits the ethos and values of your club and won’t damage its name. Possibly look for sponsors with an interest in sports, health or simply the development of the community.

Most sponsors will get involved because they want to support their club and local community rather than for purely commercial reasons. Local business owners who have a connection to the club or may have relatives currently playing could be the most interested in contributing to the club. So maybe it’s best to approach local businesses first before you start targeting multinational corporations!

If your club is looking for several sponsors, be sure to avoid those that may directly compete with each other in the same market. Finally, seek financially stable sponsors who may be interested in a long-term relationship rather than a short-term one. Here are a few steps you can take to make it happen: 

– Identify potential sponsors:   

Not all sponsors are created equal – and the best partnerships come from alignment! Look for local businesses, regional companies or larger brands that share your values or want to connect with your club’s community. Think about gyms, sporting good stores, local cafes, construction companies or even credit unions!  

To help sponsors understand your value, create a short club profile or sponsorship pack. In this collateral, include details such: 

• Number of active members 
• Audience demographics e.g. age groups, key players etc 
• Geographic reach and local influence 
• A calendar of upcoming events and activities 

This gives potential sponsor a clear picture of who they’ll reach by supporting your sport club – and how it benefits their brand! 

– Craft a sponsorship letter that gets attention

First impression matter. Your outreach letter or email should be short, clear and community focused. Start by outlining: 

• Who you’re representing
• What you’re organising (summer camp, junior league or annual fundraiser) 
• What kind of support you’re looking for (financial, product, services) 

Make sure to highlight how their support will directly impact the community – whether it’s helping to fund new gear for U14 team or making an inclusive event happen. 

Include a one pager with key info of  

• Your club name & contact details 
• Event/program name 
• Sponsorship tiers (if applicable) 
• Website/social media links so they can see your club and audience engagement in action  

– Personalise the Communication:  

Nobody like a copy and paste sponsorship pitch. Make your outreach personal by addressing your email or letter to a named contact – ideally someone in marketing, community engagement, local partnerships or an owner for smaller businesses. 

And if you want to take things up a notch? Use tools like Better Proposals or Proposify allow you to send interactive, visually polished proposals that stand out from standard PDFs. They’re a great way to make your club look professional while still staying approachable. 



2. Talk About Your Club

It’s important for any sponsor to know the history of your club and what it does. Tell them valuable club information such as its history, achievements, number of members and supporters and the club’s role in the community and how the sponsorship can be part of this contribution.

It’s important to put together a presentation outlining the different sponsorship packages available to accommodate various budgets. The presentation should include the club’s goals and objectives while also listing out all the different benefits that will be attached to the sponsorship and in turn what you will need from them.

Remember you may be competing with other local clubs looking for support, so it is important that you really sell your club’s idea to the sponsor.



3. Showcase Your Sponsors on the ClubZap App

With a digital platform like ClubZap, you now have clear indicators of how many times a sponsor’s name and logo are seen. This creates an incentive for a sponsor to come on board with your club because in most cases the target audience for a sponsor are the people in a club. With ClubZap, clubs can now provide engagement metrics from their digital platforms back to their sponsors.

Provided you are an administrator for your club, you can manage sponsors and adverts in the ClubZap app. There are 4 advertising slots available at the top of your ClubZap website for promoting events, membership and your sponsors. Each club can see monthly app opens on their dashboard so if they have a sponsor on the top of their newsfeed, the app will be able to tell how many times a brand has been seen. This is also similar in the news article section of our app.



Clubs can also promote sponsors on the ClubZap app, providing value for the sponsor, club, and its members. See below how Ballyboden GAA promoted its sponsor, Sports Surgery Clinic.



The sponsor’s logo can also be presented at the foot of your ClubZap website with an interactive link to their website or social media page.



See here more information on how to manage sponsors and adverts on your ClubZap website and app.

4. Utilise Your County/Elite Players

Using local stars/role models from your club can be an effective strategy in announcing and promoting your club sponsor. These stars will tend to have a strong connection to the local community and have a positive image which can help to build credibility for your sponsor. Utilising these stars through a launch or announcement can be a great way to show your sponsor that your club acknowledges and appreciates their contribution to the club.

Be sure to promote the launch through your club’s social media channels and other local media like newspapers and radio stations. Also, conduct engaging videos and interviews with your local stars where they can illustrate how the new sponsorship will have a positive effect on the club and the local community. This will only create a positive brand image for the sponsor while having a more meaningful resonance with the sponsor’s target market. These interviews and videos can then be shared to your local star’s social media channels thus increasing reach and engagement for your sponsors.



5. Use Experts Within Your Club to Add Value

We are now living in a world where digital creation is at the fore with the advancements in technology, creative tools, and online platforms. The younger generation especially, has adapted to these digital technologies and acquired the skills to create engaging and expressive content across their personal and professional platforms.

Every club will most likely have members who are skilled in videography, photography, designing, etc. Be sure to utilise these members to add value to your club and its sponsorship. Creating high-quality promotional videos or images leverages the partnership between your club and sponsorship. The visually appealing content can also resonate with your members, encouraging them to interact with both parties.

6. Network within the Community and engage with Local Businesses

Even though you definitely should reach out to elite players and experts in your club, it’s also important to be part of a community-focused network; this network can play a crucial role in identifying local sponsorship opportunities by leveraging connections and backgrounds.  
 
Networking events offer opportunities to connect with local businesses (who often have a strong desire to support youth sports programs as they are deeply connected and invested in the community). These events are essential for establishing potential sponsorship relationships. 

7. Highlight Benefits Sponsors will Receive

Even though local businesses may support your club out of goodwill and because of your club’s attachment to the local community, it’s still important to outline the benefits they will receive from their sponsorship. Benefits can be through logo placement on jerseys, advertising boards at the club, access to tickets to club events and other promotional benefits.

Also, make sure to utilise your club’s social media and website in showcasing the sponsors by regularly featuring their logo, highlighting the support they give to the club and sharing updates on the partnership.

Finally, emphasise how supporting your club will enhance the sponsor’s brand image and recognition, and reach a broader audience based in the community. Sponsoring a local sports club can also contribute to positive public relations and showcase the business’s ambition to support local initiatives!



8. Treat Them Well

Once you have secured a sponsorship, it is important to treat them well. A well-treated sponsor is more likely to be a committed and supportive partner in the long run.

Provide them with tickets to matches or invitations to special events and always acknowledge their contributions. This can be done through various media, such as newsletters, social media and the club website.

Also, it is important to give sponsors regular updates on how their money is being spent while making sure to provide them with reports based on exposure, engagement, and any other relevant metrics.

It’s also important to keep sponsors informed about the club’s activities, achievements, and upcoming events. Regular communication helps strengthen the relationship and keeps sponsors engaged. Express your appreciation for their support and demonstrate the impact their sponsorship has had on the success of the club.



Overall, the benefits to sponsors in sports clubs extend beyond mere financial support, providing opportunities for enhanced visibility, targeted marketing, community engagement, and positive public relations. Successful sponsorships are often those that benefit both the sports club and the sponsoring business.

Ready to embark on getting a club sponsor? Talk to our ClubZap team and find out how we can help 

FAQs

1. What is the difference between sponsorship, donations and fundraising for my sports club? 

While all three help generate vital income for your club, they work in different ways:  

• Sponsorship is a business relationship. A company provides financial or product support in exchange for visibility (e.g. logo on jerseys, signage at events, mentions in club communications). It’s a two-way value exchange. 
• Donations are more informal. These are usually one-off contributions from individuals or businesses with no expectation of return. Think of it as a show of goodwill or community support. 
• Fundraising involves organised efforts to raise money through events or ongoing campaigns – like raffles, quiz nights, or club lottos. This is often driven by club members and volunteers to support specific needs. 

Check out how clubs are now running successful digital fundraising campaigns through ClubZap, including Club Lottos, 50/50 draws, and more.

2. What do sponsors look for in a Sports Club? 

Sponsors typically want to support clubs that offer strong community engagement, share similar values and can offer meaningful exposure for their brand. Here’s what they’re looking for: 

• A loyal and local audience – parents, families, and supporters they can reach 
• Professional communication – clear sponsorship packages or proposals 
• Visibility opportunities – like signage, social media shoutouts, website features, or kit branding 
• Positive community impact – youth development, inclusivity, or wellbeing programs 
• Long-term potential – clubs that are well organised and active year-round 

The more clearly you can show how your club will promote their business and align with their values, the more likely they are to say yes.