Introduction
Sports are some of the social activities which keep various communities integrated and closely linked. Consequently, it is essential to promote sports, which can readily be accepted by society members and contribute to their success. The sport adopted for this community recreational program is soccer, which has existed for several centuries and is prominent in the world’s greatest stadiums. The sport also continues to draw fans and sponsors from different parts of the world. Most importantly, the game is accepted and equally loved in different areas, including the smallest communities. Even more so, promoting this sport in a local community would be readily accepted and sponsored by well-wishers. There are several benefits of creating this recreational soccer program. These include bettering participants’ health and well-being while also adding to their self-worth and advancing the development of the community as a whole. Thus, this promotional plan for selling sponsorships for community recreational sports programs is meant to make the game widely accepted in the local community. The promotion will enable different groups to create teams that can participate in friendly matches and tournaments to enhance inter-community relationships and talents among the players.
Significance of Promoting the Community Program
Promoting a recreational sports league is critical, as it results in various positive outcomes. For instance, recreational programs are successful because of strategic advertisement approaches adopted by event managers. Effective advertising can lead to additional income for programs, allowing different teams ways to finance their expenses. Moreover, they result in better playing venues for the teams, hence improving the players’ performance. In this fashion, the recreational team’s success can depend on the deals they make with financiers and the impact which such collaborations have on the funding organizations or individuals. Furthermore, recreational league sponsors have greater advantages when they support tournaments, especially those attracting bigger crowds.
While it is critical to look for sports sponsorship, not all are good for perpetual growth. The brand, which sponsors a game, can positively influence its development or contribute to its fall (Tsordia, Papadimitriou, & Parganas, 2018). Hence, one cannot ignore their influences on the teams and the tournament which they sponsor. This being said, it is critical to work with financiers who can understand their part in the sponsorship.
Sales and Promotions Plan
An efficient marketing plan is essential to realize the goal of program managers. Several ways can be used to market a recreational program based on the desired outcome. In soccer, the strategies employed include adopting branded jerseys, which advertise the sponsoring company (Chanavat, Desbordes, & Lorgnier, 2017). In this case, the promotional plan for selling sponsorships for community recreational sports programs will involve utilizing different strategies, including partnering with local organizations, using company-branded T-shirts and shorts, and other products such as water and energy drinks.
T-shirts and shorts can be used by specific sponsors of the teams, thus, enabling them to sell their products to the target market while providing the needed finances to run the league. Since multiple teams will form the league, different organizations will be approached to sponsor the teams and their games. Moreover, local advertising will be used to further market the league to potential sponsors. Such adverts will also enable sponsors to promote their products in the market, henceforth enhancing the partnerships.
Operating a first-rate recreational program depends on constant communication with participants, parents, community members, support staff, and the public in general. Besides the obvious advertising tools such as media, flyers, brochures, and phone conversations, there has to be a solid trust structure built to provide potential sponsors a level of confidence and comfort. Therefore, creating a far-reaching positive effect geared towards working together in a mutual tandem will enhance profitability and success for all the project stakeholders. This approach will assist in the ultimate goal, of building a relationship in sports sponsorship that can solidify a lasting commitment leading to the program’s longevity (Paiewonsky, 1999).
Supporting Arguments
The U.S. The Small Community Recreational Soccer Program will employ five main strategies to sell sponsorship and build mutually beneficial relationships of trust with potential financiers. First, managers need to consider that both large and medium and small businesses may be willing to fund recreational soccer teams. For most companies, this is a good investment to get closer to the local community. Moreover, altruistic intentions are the most common motivation.
The first strategy will be to reach out to the businesses and companies that sponsor professional soccer leagues and teams. Noteworthy, traditional sponsors of larger events often support youth teams. Besides, sponsors usually have separate charitable programs aimed at young players. Major sponsors are national foundations, national brands, and famous soccer teams. Each city has its favorite soccer team, which has already gained influence and can support recreational soccer programs as a sponsor. Big brands, local brands, and national foundations all need to build their reputation in local communities. The second strategy suggests focusing on companies that donate to youth and recreational sports or that supported sports in the old days. These are large companies such as Chevrolet, Nike, Verizon, Buffalo Wild Wings, Gap, and others. This approach requires careful market research but is likely to yield good results as the existing sports charity programs increase the chances of selling the sponsorship.
The third strategy assumes that the U.S. Small Community Recreational Soccer Program will approach sponsors with various sponsorship plans. For example, managers can create Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans based on donations from $ 100 to $ 2,500. Less substantial amounts might involve listing the company as a sponsor on the team’s website; more significant – may suggest placing the sponsor’s name on T-shirts and banners during championships. The U.S. Small Community Recreational Soccer Program may also invite sponsors to support community and charitable campaigns such as health awareness, animal welfare, or environmental protection. Another popular option is sponsoring individual players and paying for scholarships.
Representatives of the U.S. Small Community Recreational Soccer Programs can contact sponsors by sending letters, which will be more appropriate for attracting new sponsors from the cold base. Simultaneously, face-to-face meetings and phone calls will be more suited to maintain a relationship of trust with existing sponsors. It is noteworthy that the distribution of letters should include formal information, sponsorship plans, and describe the benefits of sponsorship, the program’s goals, and past success.
Many employers today have employee-oriented charity programs. For example, some companies make donation contributions if their employees donate to support programs or spend time volunteering for projects. In this way, companies are shortening the path to finding worthwhile programs that can be supported for community and business benefits. Therefore, the fourth strategy is to attract volunteers to work as trainers or perform other duties. Alternatively, managers can reach out to members of the recreational soccer program by conducting an ’employer survey.’
Finally, the fifth important strategy is to attract local organizations as sponsors of the program. Managers can start searching for relevant companies by looking at local sports venues, which will likely display local company banner ads. They can also visit local teams’ competitions and pay attention to the logos indicated on the participants’ shirts. Local businesses often become consistent and generous sponsors. Many companies sign agreements on long-term cooperation, making annual contributions. It is a way for local companies to strengthen ties with local communities. Many local businesses are personally involved in football leagues, as volunteers, or as parents of players. It is noteworthy that such organizations are also predominantly guided by altruistic motives.
Experts suggest alternative strategies for attracting and selling sponsorships for recreational soccer programs. For example, the program may partner with renowned charities such as the Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club to help local communities. For successful communication with sponsors, managers can make a list of organizations and note their preferences and proposals. Information for this database can be found on the Internet, using personal contacts and external sources of information. There should be a clear division of sponsorship plans that a football club can publish on its website home page so that potential sponsors knew what kind of return they get for their investment. Managers can also remind sponsors of the benefits of building trust with local communities and mention the tax-deduction factor for non-profit donations.
There are also additional ‘general strategies’ that can be highly beneficial. For example, a vertical integration strategy illustrates an approach where sponsorship searches are conducted among companies that fund professional athletes and teams. Further, the scattered attention strategy suggests that it makes sense not to focus on one sponsor but to seek support from different sides. The umbrella strategy entails creating a single platform that brings disparate sponsors and their programs together under one conceptual “roof.” The program can also use a community strategy that focuses on creating a single space for sponsors and program participants based on trust. Finally, if there are not enough potential sponsors, the program can leverage the platform strategy by starting its own company that sponsors sports events. Examples of such platforms include Red Bull, US Youth Soccer, and U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Challenges of Implementation
Although this Sports Sales and Promotions Plan offers highly effective strategies, some difficulties can arise in its implementation. The U.S. Small Community Recreational Soccer Program managers will need to consider some of the dangers that poorly designed sponsorships can entail. Scientists have long been studying the features of sports teams’ interaction with sponsors and benefactors and have identified a list of useful, practical, and dangerous trends.
Dreisbach et al. (2018) studied the mechanisms of influence of sponsorship campaigns on consumers. The scholars point out that altruistic motives are critical in determining the effectiveness of sponsorship campaigns among consumers. They note that campaigns promoting symbolic and social benefits are most effective in convincing consumers of sponsors’ altruistic motives (Dreisbach et al., 2018). Therefore, if the program partners with sponsors who promote financial advantages, they will be convinced to appeal to symbolic and social benefits when placing ads on the sports field or players’ shirts.
Dixon et al. (2018) speak of consumer perceptions of sponsored brands that advertise healthy and unhealthy foods. According to the researchers, advertising for unhealthy products did not “have a significant impact on awareness, attitudes, or preference for these brands” (Dixon et al., 2018, p. 1176). Simultaneously, advertisements for sponsored brands offering healthy foods had a significant impact on awareness among fans. However, advertising for healthy food brands did not affect the relationship or preferences of these brands. Therefore, these research findings suggest that people are more likely to see sponsored brands as noble messages associated with altruism or social practices. This factor is vital for building successful trusting and long-term relationships and will be considered when choosing sponsors. Otherwise, sponsors may not get the desired return on investment.
Other scholars have studied the influence of sponsors on isolated fans, which is an important factor in building a community. Mazodier et al. (2018) stated that building the real-time sponsor-fan relationship was driven by the powerful desire of “strong isolated fans” to join the team’s community, which increased the effectiveness of sponsorships (Mazodier et al., 2018, p. 28). Simultaneously, the attitude of “weak isolated fans” was the exact opposite – they perceived sponsors negatively and did not demonstrate a desire to join the community (Mazodier et al., 2018, p. 28). The above study data helps eliminate fears about negative attitudes towards sponsored brands among fans, proving positive attitudes. This information will be considered when developing a persuasive strategy to attract sponsors.
Further, Alonso Dos Santos et al. (2016) note that trust is a fundamental condition for the advertising performance of sponsors’ brands. Scientists emphasize that a sponsor’s image is formed by fans’ attitude to the team, trust, and identification (Alonso Dos Santos et al., 2016). This information emphasizes the importance of building community and creates a precondition for the self-promotion of the team as trustworthy among the fans. Rejón Guardia et al. (2018) confirm that “increasing trust and assessing a sense of belonging improve attitudes towards the team and sponsored brands” (p. 13). Moreover, fans’ attitude to the sponsor “has a direct and positive impact on the intention to make a purchase” (Rejón Guardia et al., 2018, p. 13). Therefore, scholars implicitly confirm the importance of building a community based on trust and the effectiveness of collaboration with local brands.
Parrish and Lam (2020) note that due to COVID-19, some football teams canceled their participation in the championships, which applies not only to professional but also to pre-professional participants. The reasons for this decision were fears about possible losses associated with the costs of participating in the championships, which may subsequently be canceled by third parties. In general, COVID-19 is a serious obstacle to holding sporting events, but it cannot be the reason for the complete suspension of activities in this area. Finally, Krzyzaniak (2018) notes that sponsors who make charitable contributions to support soccer teams form mighty ‘soft power,’ which can play a significant role in building trust in the community (Krzyzaniak, 2018). Scientists also note the effectiveness of state corporations as sponsors in Arab countries.
Conclusions and Solutions
Thus, a Sports Sales and Promotions Plan for selling sponsorships was presented. The plan explained five practical strategies for finding, attracting, and retaining sponsors. Besides, it provided a discussion of possible obstacles and ways to overcome them, taking into account recent scientific research. It is important to note that while the first steps in attracting sponsorship programs can be complicated, the sponsorship fund will undoubtedly grow over time. Many sponsors have a habit of renewing agreements in subsequent seasons. A well-functioning search and attraction system will help ensure a stable sponsorship base. Already having such a base, the most critical decision will be to develop relationships with existing sponsors and create a community built on trust.
References
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