Sponsorship

[child of science]

Now once again the aged old question of how do i get sponsorship is being yelled across the paintball world. Sadly the same answer is being given you need to show that you can win and that you have the skill to get the holy grail. Sadly new teams find it hard to get experience when they have no money to pay with so they can play, and the the circle continues. Yet i think i may have figured out a simple answer (well no simple but an answer no the less). Why dont the main sponsors (DYE,JT,Smartparts,WDP etc) hold tournements in which if you want sponsorship you play for a contract. Im sure if this has already been tried then i will be told but as ive only been playing a year i wouldnt know. But i think it might work if you kept the normal divisons (novice am pro) this way the sponsors will know they have a team which will show off the product well and this way they save time cause they dont have to spend time on opening the constant mail being sent in. Plus this will show how good paintball is because its not only supported by the organisers but the people who make the products. This surely will draw people in to the sport creating more play which means more product needed which will mean more money for the businesses and eventually world peace....ok maybe not but at least paintball will be able to expand due to the influx in teams being able to get deals instead of being drown out.
Finally a question people always say that we need more outside investment. But who are those people who will sponsor from the outside. I mean you can say vodaphone orange panasonic and carling but why would they until we can give them a reason to sponsor us they will not hopefully the answer to this will be televised paintball which will hopefully come from the super 7s or X ball

 

[Mark]

Already exists as the tournaments we currently have...you perform well and then you approach the companies...plus the PSP/NPPL is already sponsored by the major players (industry wise) so your point would be what? a new tournament, have you seen the tournament calender (its crazy enough)....outside of the major circuit there are tournys where the 1st prize is entry into one of the big tournaments (so you get double exposure).

X-ball is the attempt at getting outside people interested but until that begins we won't know what is going to happen.

 

[Graham-DV8]

I only read the top 5 lines but from what your saying it sounds like a cheap one of those music things that are all over the TV.

 

[Mark]

Originally posted by Bunker Monkey, UK
I only read the top 5 lines but from what your saying it sounds like a cheap one of those music things that are all over the TV.

click the wrong button?

 

[child of science]

Mark may I call you mark

True to tourney calender is very very full but for the small teams starting out who cant travel to other countries or for that matter other part of the united kingdom then this would be a big foot hole into the paintball world. And for people trying to get in to the paintball scene there calender isnt that full so that wouldnt be a problem and yes if you do win some tourneys you get noticed and get sponsorship but if you cant afford to enter or even get there then they cant get the exsposure

 

[Mikey D]

and therefore what would be the point of sponsoring you. if you cant even make any tournaments, what are the sponsors gonna get from sponsoring you. they get no exposure, and are wasting their money. its one big never ending circle.

 

[child of science]

sadly true

All i was trying to do was figure out someway to make it easy for young enthusiastic player to get into the sport and have a chance. Mainly because i was a lucky one ive been playing a year and ive managed to get on a team who are established and have lasted and are now going serious and soon should be entering some manger tournies. But as you fine gentlemen have demonstrated there is no quick way of getting to the top

 

[Mark]

Well it does say Mark, in more than one place on my posts , so I guess its ok to use that name then.

Ok UK wise things are a bit grim, with the exception of the north...not extra tournys just the ones that have always been about are still there !! (ok couple of new ones have popped up but not loads) the south has lost pretty much all the tournys it had a few years ago. Hopefully all gonna change very soon ....a motorway based league

But either way if you can't afford to play who in their right mind is gonna give you anything, we have had threads on this subject several times and the result is that sponsorship is rarely what the teams say it is..."help" is generally the level that the sponsorship reaches. The major players are not going to be interested in local tournament results (plus to be fair in this country we don't have (other than WDP and Belsales and Smart Parts) any major players here, lots of distributers..but no players) Catch 22 it maybe but thats the way it is. sure we all thought this game was fun and then we played a bit more and then we all found it wasn't a cheap thing to do...lots of people stop playing for those very reasons, I know a great many really good players and they do rock but will never get the deals that you are talking about because they can't (money) get onto the tournaments to be seen. plus you will need a team of commited people to all play and keep playing not an easy thing to find.

 

[Beaker]

child of science

I'm afriad paintball is a business and and big smokin' fat one at that. Once you realise this and treat the "hobby" of paintball as such then that's when you will find yourself successful in aquiring sponsors.

it's all about building relationships. If you are just starting out then adopt a field, play there regularly, after a while approach the owner about giving you guys a price break on paint to play out of their site, after a while you'll likely find that one things leads to another.

If you are asking for free playing then forget it now, it wont happen unless you are either VERY good and have proved yourself so against the best, not just the punters down the site. Or you have to have the friends in the industry that give you those breaks and you will only get them by serving your time and getting known.

Sorry mate, it's the harsh reality, it's business

As for the tournament, it would just spread their (the companies) resources thinner, and if you think about it, if there was big sponsorships on offer, all you'd get is the "big" teams entering who would travel to such events which would kick the butts of the exact teams you're trying to get to enter to win.

Good idea, but flawed I'm afriad.

 

[Robinator]

i find...

the best thng to do is sit back and let them come to you, worst thing you can do is go nagging if you have nothing to back it up with... try to commit to a site or shop so that you become well accuainted... if they like you as people then they are far more likely to sponser you! get as many connections as possible... if at a tourny talk to people... you might just find they have that golden connection. who knows? all i know is that our team is yet to play a single tournament together and we already have 2 sponsors with another in the works... amazed? i certainly am!!! i think that the main reason for this is that we have put our name out and spread the word, that we are young, fit, eager, willing to train and want to win!

just my 2p, hope this helps
robin

p.s i would like to thank my sponsors: Ground Control PBG and A-team paintball...