How Sponsorships Fuel Youth Sports Programs: A Must-Read Guide
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Sponsorships can fuel youth sports programs for a variety of reasons: fighting rising costs, covering the burden of facilities, and so much more.
Youth sports participation is on the rise. Unfortunately, financial hurdles come with it and often stand in the way of our young athletes. This includes increasing costs everywhere you look: equipment, uniforms, registration fees, and travel. Luckily, youth sports sponsorships have emerged as an important source of funding to help battle rising costs.
Community and corporate sponsors play a huge role in helping the burdens faced by youth sports organizations. They help cover expenses related to facility rentals, equipment purchases, and even scholarship programs. This support leads directly to more kids participating, raising the overall quality of programs offered.
In this article, we’ll learn how sponsorships work on different levels of a youth sports program to promote a healthier, more inclusive environment.
Helping with the Rising Cost of Youth Sports
If you’re new to sponsorships or fundraising on the youth sports level, take a minute to think about the neverending list of expenses for families or organizations. Youth sports teams and organizations cover a list that includes, but is not limited to, coaching fees, facility maintenance, equipment, uniforms, registration fees, travel expenses, and so much more.
In a recent study from Project Play, it was revealed that families spend on average $883 annually for one child’s primary sport. That doesn’t even begin to cover costs incurred at the organization level, but reports suggest inflation, equipment, and better access to training are key areas driving rising costs post-pandemic. All three areas can be felt by sports organizations.
Luckily, youth sports sponsors (whether local or national brands) are willing to help out and provide the much-needed funding that ensures all these costs are covered. Below are a few, key areas in which sponsorships help with the rising cost of youth sports:
- Access to sports: Financial assistance enables a broader demographic of children to participate in organized sports
- Equipment and uniforms: Sponsorships can cover the cost of gear, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for families and organizations
- Facility costs: Contributions from sponsors help with the upkeep of sports venues or rental fees associated with facilities
- Travel: Youth teams often travel for competitions, which can be supported by sponsorship dollars
- Professional coaching: Funding often goes towards coaching fees, enhancing the quality and safety of sports activities
The power of sports in promoting mental and physical health is immense, and through sponsorships, youth at every competitive level can experience a positive impact without financial constraints.
Covering the Cost of Rentals and Facilities
Let’s dive a little deeper into facility costs. Why are these such a burden for youth sports organizations? Well, not all (most don’t!) programs own private facilities. More often than not, they must rent from their local city/town. Otherwise, they must strike deals with large private vendor sports complexes to host their programs. Either way, these rentals will cost money—and they don’t come cheaply.
If one youth baseball organization paid $50/hour for the rental of a community field, one night’s practice may only cost about $100-$200. Sure, not terrible. But, if you’re renting a field for every age level in your organization (4 groups) for 6 days a week, for a 4-month season, that adds up!
Sponsorships can play a pivotal role to fuel youth sports programs and in helping cover the cost of rentals and facilities. You can expect sponsorships to help with the following two aspects of facilities management:
- Facility maintenance: Paying for the upkeep and repairs of fields and courts will ensure a safe and professional environment for young athletes
- Rental fees: Sponsorship funds will secure access to high-quality venues for regular practice and competitive matches
Thanks to TeamSnap Sponsorship, a portion of sponsorship dollars can be related directly to facility rentals. While it’s an organization’s choice to spend sponsorship money how they choose, it’s cool to think about hanging a couple of branded outfield wall banners will help drive down the costs of the same field your club or league plays on.
Assisting with Youth Sports Families Struggling to Pay Fees
How about the financial constraints of the young athletes and their families? The sad fact is that not all athletes come from privileged backgrounds. Some struggle to pay registration costs for the upcoming season.
Some others may not have enough to enter tournaments. On top of that, if their organization also collects fees from players to help with coaching costs, facility maintenance, and equipment, the burden on these players and their families can be high.
Sponsorships from potential sponsors will provide crucial funding that supports these young athletes’ physical and mental health. How? Because they keep the athletes’ access to sports wide open with opportunities, either paying for their registration costs or funding scholarships.
Sponsorship dollars funded on TeamSnap Sponsorship can be used however an organization pleases. If they’re trying to create a new scholarship program or simply cut that season’s registration fees in half, they can do so! A look at this case study from the FRAM Soccer Club explains more about this lasting impact.
Youth Sports Sponsorship: Aiding in Tournament Fees or a Jump in Registration Numbers
Numbers matter. Joining a big tournament often requires paying fees. And now that we are in a post-Covid era, membership numbers have risen again. This is not bad, but it does add to the operational cost of a youth sports program or team.
Tournaments can mean preparing equipment, uniforms, and travel facilities. And the more players you have, the more that cost will rise. Sure, there may be bulk discounts for some (e.g., uniforms made in bulk may cost less), but it’s still not a guarantee.
That’s why sponsorships become even more critical in aiding the financial constraints of a youth sports team. High-value sponsorships can help fuel youth sports programs and cope with large tournament fees and increased membership counts. One popular solution among many youth sports teams is the TeamSnap Sponsorship’s HundredX program.
TeamSnap Sponsorship’s HundredX program makes it fun and easy to fundraise. It works by inviting players and their family members to fill out quick surveys collected by data company HundredX that will be converted into a cash fund for the team.
With over 500 leagues and clubs participating, organizations have raised more than $1.5 million through HundredX. And it works the same as TeamSnap Sponsorship: use the money however you see fit. That could mean lowering the costs of tournament entries, travel, registration fees, and more!
Monica Seabo works as a Client Success Specialist on the TeamSnap Sponsorship team, joining TeamSnap after years of experience working as a League Operations Manager with LeagueSide. She brings a wealth of knowledge working with both sponsors and leagues/clubs/organizations throughout a youth sports sponsorship. Before working in youth sports, Monica began her career as a Field Development Coordinator for a nonprofit in DC, organizing fundraising events, sourcing sponsorships to support our planning, coordinating volunteers to support our efforts, and more. In her free time, she loves to read and play video games because of the amazing ways both can tell a story and transport us to another world!