The worst thing you can say to a sponsor is “see you next year!”. This statement is an acknowledgement that the sponsor’s contribution is as a donation and they will get little if anything in return. The sponsor may see there is no value for them and choose not to sponsor the following year.

Once a partnership is agreed to, it’s essential that you continue to work with the sponsor to ensure deliverables are met. This can be an extension of the Sponsorship Spreadsheet which should include information about each deal and key deliverables. This document needs to be referred to frequently. Its also very important to call or touch base with sponsors throughout the season to ensure they are happy and ask for any feedback.

The more engaged a sponsor is in your club, the more likely they will come back the following year. It’s important you make the sponsor feel part of your club. The following examples can help achieve this:

• Provide club apparel to wear when they come to game days
• Invite the sponsor and their family to key club events
• Offer reduced player registration fees for the sponsor
• Host events especially for sponsors
• Send a personalised message from the players thanking sponsors
• Provide a signed jumper or football for them to display in their business