Offering sponsorships, looking for sponsors, companies interested in sponsoring. These are just a few of the many searches made every day by teams and athletes seeking funding for their sports season or career. But be careful: finding sponsors requires thorough preparation even to be considered by companies.
How to find sponsors for athletes: a question preceded by other questions
How do you ask Red Bull for sponsorship? How do I get a GoPro sponsorship? How do I find sponsors for athletes? Those of us in sports marketing hear these questions — and their variants — thousands of times throughout our careers. An enormous number of athletes, professional and amateur alike, wanting to emulate their more celebrated peers or simply trying to find the budget to tackle the next season, turn to the web in search of easy answers and quick solutions.
However, sponsor search is an absolutely specific and far-from-easy craft that requires, at its foundation, equally methodical work. It is a particularly peculiar profession — and one that we do not practise, since we work with companies that need sponsorship consultancy, not the other way around.
We have already offered, in a previous article you can find at this link, some useful advice for those entering this world. Rather than repeat ourselves, we want to suggest a substantial shift in approach for those seeking sponsors. We believe that before asking “Which companies are willing to sponsor?” you must first ask: “What do you have to offer companies?“
Provocative as it may sound, the question is essential. You are seeking funds for your activities, but what can you give in return to potential investors? The answer lies across many marketing-related areas: visibility, value alignment, content creation opportunities, and potential B2B connections you can generate.
Sponsorship must be seen as a win-win instrument — one that brings benefits to both sides of the agreement. Above all, it must be seen as a tool capable of solving a brand’s commercial and communication needs. Writing to a major energy drink company asking for help funding a minor league season without offering any added value will almost certainly result in a rejection, or no response at all.
Far more effective is focusing on your USP — unique selling propositions (things only you can offer in the market) that provide a concrete advantage to the company. Remember: most of the time, it is not the athlete who finds the sponsor, but the sponsor who finds the athlete.
Looking for Sponsors
We do not find sponsors for athletes and sports teams. RTR Sports is not a sponsor search agency. Our work is to advise companies that use or intend to use sport as a marketing and communication tool. We are often contacted by sports teams or athletes who need funding — unfortunately we must decline, as this is not our function. We are not involved in athlete management (carried out by agents and managers) and we do not seek sponsorships for sports teams. But if you are a company wanting to explore the world of sports sponsorship, we would be happy to answer your questions — feel free to contact us at info@rtrsports.com (find out more about what sports sponsorship is and what it does).
Frequently asked questions about finding sponsors
Frequently Asked Questions
Does RTR Sports help athletes and teams find sponsors?
No. RTR Sports is a sports marketing consultancy that works for companies wishing to use sport as a communication tool — not for athletes or teams looking for funding. If you are a company and want to explore sports sponsorship opportunities, we are at your disposal.
How does sponsor search work for an athlete or team?
Finding sponsors requires preparatory work: you must identify what you can offer the sponsoring company — visibility, values, audience — before you even know who to approach. Sponsorship is a win-win: the athlete or team must present themselves as an asset to the brand, not simply as a funding applicant.
Which companies are willing to sponsor?
The most useful question is not ‘which companies sponsor?’ but ‘what do you have to offer companies?’. Before identifying potential sponsors, you must develop a clear value proposition — a USP that demonstrates the concrete benefits the company would gain: visibility, audience, content, B2B opportunities, and value alignment.
