BenchApp Blog
How to Get Sponsors for Your Sports Team: A Practical Guide
Sponsorships can significantly reduce player fees, fund better equipment, and give your team a more professional feel. Yet most recreational and youth sports…
Sponsorships can significantly reduce player fees, fund better equipment, and give your team a more professional feel. Yet most recreational and youth sports teams never pursue sponsorships because they assume it’s only for elite or professional teams.
The truth is that local businesses are often eager to sponsor community sports teams — they just need to be asked. Here’s how to find, approach, and secure sponsors for your team.
Understand What Sponsors Want
Before you approach anyone, put yourself in the sponsor’s shoes. A local business isn’t sponsoring your team out of pure generosity — they’re looking for value in return. The most common things sponsors want are visibility in the local community, association with healthy and positive activities, access to a specific demographic (especially parents for youth teams), and a way to demonstrate community involvement.
When you understand what the sponsor gets out of the deal, you can craft a pitch that speaks to their interests rather than just asking for money.
Identify Potential Sponsors
Start with businesses that have a natural connection to your team or sport. Sports equipment stores, physiotherapy clinics, restaurants and bars near your venue, and fitness-related businesses are all obvious targets. But don’t limit yourself — any local business that wants community visibility is a potential sponsor.
Make a list of twenty potential sponsors before you start reaching out. That might sound like a lot, but not everyone will say yes, and having options keeps the process moving even when you get turned down.
Look at who sponsors other teams in your league for inspiration. If a business is already sponsoring sports teams, they clearly see the value — your job is to show them why your team is worth adding to their portfolio.
Create a Sponsorship Package
Don’t walk into a meeting asking for vague “support.” Create a clear sponsorship package that outlines exactly what the sponsor gets and what it costs.
A basic sponsorship package might include the team name on jerseys, the sponsor’s logo on your team page in your management app, social media mentions throughout the season, and a banner at your home venue.
Consider offering tiered packages — a lower tier for businesses with smaller budgets (maybe just a logo on the team page and social media mentions) and a higher tier for businesses willing to invest more (jersey sponsorship, naming rights, event sponsorship).
Include specific numbers where you can: how many players and families will see the logo, how many games are played per season, what your social media reach is. Concrete details make the investment feel tangible.
Make the Ask
The most effective sponsorship pitches are personal and local. Cold emails to corporate offices rarely work. Instead, walk into the business, introduce yourself, and explain what you’re looking for.
Keep your pitch short and focused. Explain who your team is, what the sponsorship includes, what it costs, and why it’s a good opportunity for their business. Bring a one-page sponsorship document they can review later, and leave your contact information.
Follow up within a week if you haven’t heard back. Persistence pays off — many sponsors say yes on the second or third conversation, not the first.
Deliver on Your Promises
Once you secure a sponsor, deliver everything you promised — and then some. If you said you’d post about them on social media, do it consistently. If they’re on your jerseys, make sure they get photos of the team wearing them. Send them updates during the season and invite them to games or events.
At the end of the season, share a summary of what their sponsorship supported. How many games were played? How many players benefited? What did the team accomplish? This makes it much easier to renew the sponsorship next year.
Track Your Sponsorship Revenue
Include sponsorship income in your team’s financial tracking alongside player fees and other income. BenchApp’s finance tools let you record sponsorship payments and see how they offset your total costs. When players can see that sponsorship revenue reduced their fees by $50 per person, they’ll appreciate the effort you put into securing it.
The Bottom Line
Sponsorships are an underutilized resource for recreational and youth sports teams. Local businesses want to support their community — you just need to make it easy for them by offering clear value, making a personal pitch, and delivering on your commitments.
Even a single small sponsorship can make a meaningful difference to your team’s budget. Start by identifying twenty potential sponsors, create a simple package, and make the ask. You’ll be surprised how many say yes.