{"id":238027,"date":"2022-03-09T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/front-main-minor-sponsor-definition\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:03:19","slug":"front-main-minor-sponsor-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/front-main-minor-sponsor-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"Main Sponsor, Front Sponsor and Minor Sponsor: a definition maze"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main Sponsor<\/strong>,\u00a0Top Sponsor<\/strong>,\u00a0Title Sponsor<\/strong>, Naming Sponsor<\/strong>, Official Sponsor<\/strong>,\u00a0Front Sponsor, and<\/strong>\u00a0Minor Sponsor<\/strong>: these are all types of sponsorship<\/strong> that fill up the Internet (and the newspapers) but often risk leading astray first-time novices in the world of sports sponsorships or the most curious fans.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s clear all doubts by having a look at the definition of these terms, which are not that mysterious after all. The names of the different sponsorship types<\/a> or\u00a0levels<\/strong>, to be more precise, are left to the imagination of those who prepare the\u00a0sponsorship packages<\/strong> (the set of rights that the sponsor buys from a sports team or a club).<\/p>\n

Types of Sponsorship: Something to fit everyone\u2019s tastes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The above-mentioned list of names may be supplemented with others, such as Gold sponsor<\/strong>,\u00a0Silver sponsor, <\/strong>Bronze sponsor, and Platinum sponsor\u2014recently,<\/strong>\u00a0I even happened to read Key Sponsor<\/strong>\u2014in addition to Technical Sponsor or Technical Partner, Series \u2019Sponsor, which is quite popular, and many more.<\/p>\n

Practically, each type of sponsorship package is given the name that the package maker likes best ….. But what does a package contain? This is definitely a more interesting aspect to investigate. Let\u2019s take the example of title sponsors.<\/p>\n

Meaning of Title Sponsor and baseline rights included in the sponsorship package<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A title sponsor<\/b>\u00a0is the main sponsor, the most important one.<\/strong>\u00a0This sponsor gives the team its name and colors<\/strong> (e.g., Monster Energy Yamaha Team or Honda HRC Castrol Team), and, as is obvious, it is the one enjoying the greatest visibility.<\/p>\n

This kind of sponsor has the privilege of filling most of the space on the fairing\u2014between 60% and 70% of the square centimeters available (motorbikes<\/strong>are one of many applications, including football jerseys<\/strong>\u00a0and other team sports,<\/strong>\u00a0and generally any other medium used by the different sports disciplines).<\/p>\n

The percentages above are also valid for all other supports used by the team:\u00a0<\/strong>clothing, hospitality facilities, means of transport, letterhead, overalls, website, and so on and so forth.<\/p>\n

In addition to higher visibility, the title sponsor<\/b> also acquires a larger number of rights or, in any case, more extensive rights than any other partner. For instance, title sponsors have more hospitality tickets than other partners; the rider\/driver will be available for them, or team staff will be attending their events on more occasions; they will have more days of use of the show car\/bike for their trade shows in addition to having a larger number of merchandising items and gadgets to give out, and so on and so forth.
\nThe team, in its turn, has the key role of providing for a fair balance among the invested budget, official name, and benefits included in the packages.<\/p>\n

Marketing rights: the gist of the deal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Regardless of the level of investment and the resulting qualification, all types of sponsorship<\/strong> basically buy one simple thing: marketing rights. In other words, they acquire the right to use the name, reputation, and image of the sponsored entity\/person in any and all communication activities, prior authorization by the team.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that this is the most important right in all sponsorship packages,<\/strong> and it offers the sponsor the opportunity to say \u201cI am in it\u201d using various means. This right has very positive side effects. Sponsors appearing on a jersey or a fairing are dragged into any communication campaign that the other team sponsors may undertake. If the team you are sponsoring has partners with significant budgets, you may end up being involved in TV, billboard, and press campaigns to a far greater extent than you had expected at the beginning of the season. If this makes you sleepless because you are concerned that your brand may be shadowed by others, please be informed that sponsorship agreements<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0normally include a clause by which the sponsors are prevented from shadowing the other existing brands when they use the image of the team in communication.<\/p>\n

Minor sponsor: Should this term be crossed out?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The term \u201cminor sponsor\u201d <\/strong>is the quite popular, yet awful term<\/strong> used to indicate smaller sponsors. Smaller sponsors are extremely helpful to the teams, and they contribute to making their management more secure. The spreading of risk is essential, and no team can afford to put their destiny in the hands of two or three partners only. Crises of any type whatsoever, including those that are not necessarily connected to the company performance, may endanger the sponsorship program to such an extent that it is terminated with potentially fatal repercussions on the team, who may lose most of the resources required to carry on their professional sporting activity.<\/p>\n

Official partner<\/strong>\u00a0is the best definition, in my view. This is not merely the most elegant term, but it is also the most accurate one. The significance of a sponsor should not be measured exclusively by the size of the financial agreement signed by the parties. Any partner, each with its own history, is an important contributor.<\/p>\n

Definition of sponsors in MotoGP<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Almost all MotoGP<\/strong>\u00a0teams have a title sponsor<\/strong> after which the team is named. The name is used in all team communications to the outer world and in all official sports communications, from press releases to presentations, from graphs presented on the TV to naming sponsorships in sector magazines.<\/p>\n

Below is the list of the MotoGP teams in 2022:<\/p>\n