Club teams currently have sponsors, but those are not usually enough to cover membership costs to the point of actually making a difference to those who want to play. The teams that have enough sponsors to lower their membership costs are usually located in high income neighborhoods which is not really the point of my business. One can argue that these teams should be able to get their own sponsors, but jobs at those club teams do not usually pay much so management has no time to pursue other sponsors.
I would fulfill the role of helping cut membership costs in three ways:
- Work as a middle man to bring major sponsors to work with smaller clubs based in lower-income neighborhoods.
- Gather equipment from sporting goods stores as a direct sponsorship method to give the clubs materials to provide the players. This would mean that players no longer have to spend money purchasing equipment and would then have more capital to spend on membership payments.
- Get in touch with local and incoming international companies to organize more tournaments situated in or out of lower-income neighborhoods. These tournaments would need to be fully sponsored so that the clubs do not have to pay any fees which would then lead to lower membership costs for the players.
My business would essentially be a non-profit because the operating CEO and employees would be paid based on how the finances are organized beforehand. This capital would need to be gathered through a middle man fee paid to the business on the basis of it working to establish the tournaments, setting up the contracts, and giving the equipment to the clubs.
When I used to play club soccer, I remember how expensive the fees were. Those only included the entrance to the team and the tournaments but did not cover travel, room and board, and food. I always felt that this limited certain individuals who could not afford it. I feel that there would be plenty of people to sponsor your idea, you would just have to get involved in the right crowd. You would also have to advertise effectively so that way sponsors and non-sponsors were aware of your platform.
ReplyDeleteHi Coffy!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea. Sport teams should be available to every one, not just the ones who can afford it. I liked your idea with including the sports equipment in with the membership, as that's often the thing that keeps most people from pursuing any type of team sport. These extreme membership fees can really squander someone's potential athleticism, which is unfortunate. You seem to have a very clear vision of what you want to do with this idea, and I think that's wonderful. Good job!