Enticing sponsorship from outside the sport.

[rob_evanson]

I would like to get my workplace and perhaps a few local companies to make small investments in our team. In a perfect world, I would say please sponsor my team and the response would be, okay, what you would like. But in reality is would be more like, would you sponsor a team you know nothing about competing in a sport that you know nothing about. With no idea what, if any, return your to get, in this financial climate. No thanks!

I’d like to try and present a proposal to local businesses in a structured and well thought out manner. My first area would be to try and gauge what numbers of attendance and what areas of business we would potentially be reaching during these events, so that I can present avenues of opportunity for said investor.

Initially we’re attending the CPPS and are planning to eventually attend a few Millennium events. This is where everyone on here comes into play. I need to know rough attendance of CPPS (probably a question for Rich) but also I need to know from people/teams on here where they travel from in the UK and if possible what kind of business they work for (I don’t need to know names) Any help on this would be appreciated.
I’m being realistic, I don’t expect an outside source to hand me a blank cheque, but for their logo on our shirt and our website a small donation for say a case of paint per tournament could be a possibility.

 

[ShimmerShot]

I travel from London

Although sponsorship is always useful, I don't think the companies will be able to see any returns. How would you represent them?

Via logos on your jersey? Unless if you're going to be putting the logos on the prime spots on the sleeves of your jersey or the very top shoulder sections, they wont ever be able to see you reping them as the centre part of the jersey if dead space, no-one see's it once your gun is up, with your pack on or just crawling/diving.

Banners? Paintball sites don't really offer the right place to put banners of external sponsors, especially if they only do local activities (pet care or small community outlets). You've then got to spend rather a tidy sum to get these banners printed properly, and then you've just got to hope its selling the right thing at the right place and time to the people at these events.

What kind of sponsorship deals are you aiming to get? If you approach them with 'I'm looking for £xxx.xx for my paintball team to compete in X, Y and Z' then you'd be hard pressed, (as you've already pointed out) unless if they're a total cash rich company, I don't think anyone will do it.
BUT if you find something that can be used inside the paintball world and show a need for that companies product then you stand an outstanding chance that they will help you in order to help themselves.

People have on this forum noted that Nike and I believe Puma have been approached to make a few products to break into the paintball world, but there just isn't enough support after the initial buy to keep people interested in continous buying of paintball products (I've had my undershirt and bandanna for 2 years now, and my armpads for 3). You've got to sell the business strategy to them in order to get anything from them. I think this will be very hard work but I wish you the best of luck.

IF you do get any serious outside help, congrats! Now the next obstacle is to keep them on board for the season after... something very few teams manage to do as the sponsors investment from their previous year will most likley have brought nothing fund wise through for them.

 

[Dobby]

You could also try a company such as Monster or Rockstar, as I know they both sponser paintball teams.

 

[Liam92]

You could also try a company such as Monster or Rockstar, as I know they both sponser paintball teams.

last sponsor i'd ever want, that stuff makes me sick if i exercise in any way haha.

but to answer your original question i travel from Glasgow, Scotland and i work for a gokarting and laser combat (ex paintball) company.

 

[Ali]

that stuff makes me sick if i exercise in any way haha.

well you're a faggot liam

 

[Dobby]

well you're a faggot liam

That's what Charie's been trying to tell us all!

 

[Liam92]

That's what Charie's been trying to tell us all!

it's a conspiracy

 

[glenn]

a lot of bigger companies will have a sponsorship budget, which basically they use as a tax dodge. For example my old rugby team had ABB as a sponsor who would never see a return from thier investment.

andi know the company i work for has a budget that they never spend basically as no one comes and asks for it.

 

[Spike]

Being someone who has many years of being responsible for sponsorship of paintball teams I can tell you it is going to be tough. It's hard enough to get paintball companies to support teams now and quite rightly in my opinion.

If you are a good salesman then you will probably seal a small deal. However repeating it after year 1 is the hardest part.

The trick to finding an outside sponsor is to target companies with a service you require. For instance you are suggesting you will attend millenniums. That means travel. So get to your local car rental firm and check out if they are interested in allowing you the use of a minibus for your long haul trips. They can sign write it and it will be a big mobile advert as it goes across europe.

Likewise people like Eurotunnel. or try P&O and other ferry companies.

Whilst it is unlikely that these companies will throw cash at you, they may give you a 10% discount but its still support and overall it makes your competing cheaper.

Someone hit the nail on the head earlier I think when they said you have to be able to show the company what they get in return for their money and even paint manufacturers are starting to realise that money spent must mean money back in somehow. You will see a lot of change in internal sponsorship soon where companies will be working purely on % of business schemes for 95% of teams out there. That I think is the fairest way in anycase - the more you spend with me the more I give you back as a bonus - a true loyalty scheme.

As for a tax dodge - that only works if they pay themselves that money as sponsorship or they are bringing themselves under a tax barrier by donating it to charity as it has 100% tax relief on it. Paying it to an outside person doesn't really give them anything than a loss.

 

[uther313]

We got a local pub to sponsor our team when we first started out. they paid for our teams jerseys for the season and all we had to do was put the pub name on the jersey which you have already suggested and also agree to meet in the pub for any team meeting or social gathering.