Grassroots Football: Building a community

Session 4 of 4: Samsung Grassroots Football Academy

Learn to elevate your club with the best tips, tricks and pointers from the Grassroots Academy. Created in partnership with Sunday league winners and social media masters, Baiteze FC.

Reaching your community and pitching to sponsors is one of the most important ways to make your club a success. In this session you’ll find the top tips to make it happen.

1. Support starts at home

This might sound like an obvious thing, but it really does. Ask friends and family to support you, beyond turning up to your games. Get them to like, share and repost content. And get your teammates to do the same.

ACTION:

2. Build the banter

Don’t let rivalries stop you from liking and commenting on other teams in your league and local area. Spark (respectful) banter and show you’re part of a community that shows up for each other, online and at matches. The more you build community, the better for all.

3. Get fearless

The key to getting sponsorship deals is to be fearless. Start big!

ACTION: Create a list of your ideal sponsors and why. Then work your way down on who you want to approach.

Spend time creating a pitch that really sells who you are. Remember to include:

4. Your pitch

To know how much you need from a sponsorship deal, first you need to know your running costs.

Do you want to cover all game fees?
Do you need all your kit fees covered?
Does your club need a production budget?

ACTION: Once you know that you’re ready to reach out to sponsors. Use LinkedIn or email to ask for their time. Avoid personal socials if you can.

You might not hear back and that’s okay, this is a numbers game, so pick yourself up and move on whilst making sure to thank anyone you did reach for their time.

5. Get formal

Once you’ve secured a sponsorship you’ll need to enter a formal agreement. Whether you or the company create it, ensure it covers everything you need. At a minimum it should include:

Sponsorship dates, length of time, agreed deliverables, fees & payments, cancellation and any extras.

ACTION: Keep everything documented over email and keep a record of each meeting. Stay transparent and honest, but most importantly stay true to yourselves.

Finally

Remember this is a marathon not a sprint, building a club, brand and audience takes time, commitment and many mistakes. Don’t ignore the small wins and milestones along the way. Take time to reflect; celebrate your wins and look for lessons in the losses. Don't forget to enjoy the journey and trust the process and see your way to success.