How to Get Sponsors for a Youth Sports Team

This guide is for the club volunteer, board member or booster parent who has been told to “go get some sponsors” for a youth sports team. The short version: make a list of businesses that already have a reason to care about your club, decide exactly what a sponsor gets, offer three clear levels, ask in person, and then follow through so they say yes again next year. Below: each step, a sample email, a tier table and a tracking checklist.

Build a Short List Before You Ask Anyone

Cold-calling every business in town wastes your evenings. Start with people who already have a connection to your players.

Where to look first

• Parents’ employers and parent-owned businesses. Ask families on your registration form: “Does your workplace sponsor local teams?” A parent can walk your request to the right person.
• Businesses near your fields. The pizza place, coffee shop and hardware store see your families every game day.
• Places your club already pays. The trophy shop, printer and equipment supplier already know you.
• Service businesses that want local families. Dentists, real estate agents, insurance agents and banks.
• Last year’s sponsors. They are the first calls, not the last.

Write down a contact name for each, not just the business.

Decide What a Sponsor Actually Gets

Owners say yes faster when they can picture what they are paying for. Offer only what your volunteers can deliver every time.

• Field or gym banner. Agree on who makes it, where it hangs and for how long.
• Logo on jerseys or warm-ups. Settle it before your uniform order deadline, and check your league’s rules on logos first.
• Logo on your club website, linked to their site.
• Social media posts, such as a thank-you post and mentions in game-day graphics.
• Game-day shout-out from the announcer at home games.
• A framed team photo to hang in their shop.

Get your board to approve the list. The Huddle’s guide on how to run a youth sports board meeting covers how to put it to a vote.

Make Three Sponsorship Tiers

Three levels give a business an easy choice: a small, medium or big yes. The prices below are only an example. Set your own based on your town, club size and costs.

• Make sure the price covers your cost, such as jersey printing.
• Limit the top tier, for example to four sponsors.
• Accept goods and services too, and write down their value.

Make the Ask: In Person Beats Email

An email is easy to ignore. A parent at the counter with a one-page sheet is not. When you can, send a parent who already shops or works there.

1. Bring a one-page sheet: club name, players and teams, the tiers, a contact and how to pay.
2. Ask who decides on community sponsorships, and when they are in.
3. Keep it short. Who you are, what the money pays for, which tier fits them.
4. Ask when to check back.
5. Send the email below as the written follow-up.

Sample sponsorship email

Subject: [Club Name] spring season sponsorship

Hi [Name],

Thanks for talking with me today. I volunteer with [Club Name], a youth [sport] club with [number] players in [town].

Sponsors help us pay for [field rental, uniforms, scholarships]. Our three options:

Team Supporter, $[amount]: logo on our website sponsors page, a thank-you post on our social pages and a framed team photo.
Field Sponsor, $[amount]: all of the above, plus a banner at [field] and a shout-out at home games.
Club Partner, $[amount]: all of the above, plus your logo on our [jerseys or warm-ups].

Logos are due by [date] for the jersey order. Reply here or call me at [phone]. I will check back on [day].

Thank you for thinking about it.
[Your name], [role], [Club Name]

Follow Through So They Renew

A sponsor who never hears from you again is unlikely to come back.

• Say thank you within a week, by email or a card from the coach.
• Deliver what you promised, on time. Banner up before the first home game.
• Send proof of exposure midseason: a banner photo, a website screenshot and links to posts.
• Send a wrap-up: a team photo and what the money paid for.
• Set a renewal reminder well before next season’s jersey deadline.

Add sponsor thank-yous to your wrap-up tasks, like those in the Huddle’s end of season checklist for youth football clubs.

Sponsor tracking checklist

One row per sponsor in a spreadsheet:

• Business name, contact name, phone and email
• Who on the club asked them, and the date
• Tier chosen and amount (or the goods and services given, with value)
• Paid: yes or no, date and method
• Logo file received in the right format
• Banner ordered and hung
• Logo on website: date added
• Jersey or warm-up logo: included in the uniform order
• Social posts: dates and links
• Thank-you sent: date
• Written acknowledgment or receipt sent, if needed
• Proof of exposure sent: date
• Renewal reminder date for next season

The Tax Question: Gift or Advertising?

Sponsors will ask, “Is this tax deductible?” It depends, and an accountant should answer it, not the volunteer at the counter.

The IRS page on advertising or qualified sponsorship payments says a qualified sponsorship payment is one where the business expects no substantial return benefit other than the use or acknowledgment of its name, logo or product lines. Such a payment is not treated as unrelated business income for a tax-exempt group, and it can be money, property or services.

The difference:

• Acknowledgment can include a logo, a slogan without comparing or praising, the location, phone number, brand names and value-neutral product descriptions.
• Advertising includes qualitative or comparative language, price information, savings, endorsements or a push to buy.
• The IRS says a single message that contains both advertising and acknowledgment counts as advertising.

So “Thanks to Main Street Dental, 555-0100” reads like an acknowledgment. “Main Street Dental: the best braces in town, 20% off for players” reads like advertising. The IRS page also notes that payments tied to attendance levels or other measures of public exposure are not qualified sponsorship payments.

Separately, the IRS page on written acknowledgments says a donor needs a written acknowledgment from the charity to support a deduction for a contribution of $250 or more. Whether a payment is a gift or a business expense, and whether your club is a 501(c)(3), are questions for an accountant. Do not promise “tax deductible” on your sponsor sheet.

Common Questions

How much should a youth sports team charge for sponsorships?

There is no standard price. Set your tiers based on what you can deliver, what your costs are and what local businesses in your area can afford. Many clubs use three levels, such as an example small, medium and large tier, so a business can say yes at the amount that fits. Make sure the top tier covers any cost you take on, like printing logos on jerseys or making banners.

What businesses are most likely to sponsor a kids’ team?

Start with businesses that already know your families: parents’ employers, parent-owned businesses, shops and restaurants near your fields, and vendors your club already pays. Service businesses that want local customers, such as dentists, real estate agents, insurance agents and banks, are also good to ask. Last year’s sponsors should be the first call each season, since they already said yes once.

Is it better to email or ask sponsors in person?

In person usually works better. A parent who already shops at the business can ask the owner directly, hand over a one-page sheet and ask when to check back. Use email as the written follow-up with the tiers, deadlines and payment details, so the owner has everything in one place when they decide. Email alone is easy to forget.

Can a sponsor pay with products or services instead of cash?

Yes, and many clubs welcome it. The IRS page on qualified sponsorship payments says a payment can be money, property or services. A restaurant might cater the team party, or a print shop might print your flyers. Record what was given and its value in your tracking sheet, thank the business the same way you would a cash sponsor, and ask your treasurer how to record it.

Is a team sponsorship tax deductible for the business?

It depends, so do not promise it. The answer turns on whether your club is a tax-exempt charity, what the business gets in return and how the business chooses to record the payment. Recognition such as a logo is treated differently from advertising with prices or endorsements. Tell the sponsor to ask their own accountant, and have your treasurer check with yours.

Can we put prices or discounts in a sponsor’s message?

You can, but know what it means. According to the IRS, price information, savings, endorsements and comparative language make a message advertising rather than an acknowledgment, and a message that mixes both counts as advertising. That can change how the payment is treated for a tax-exempt club. Keep sponsor recognition to the name, logo, location and phone number unless your accountant says otherwise.

What should we send sponsors after the season?

Send a thank-you, a team photo and proof that you delivered what you promised: a photo of the banner, a screenshot of their logo on your website and links to social posts. Add a sentence on what their money paid for. Then set a renewal reminder well before next season’s jersey or registration deadline.

Who on the club should handle sponsors?

Pick one person as the sponsor coordinator, even if several parents do the asking. That person keeps the tracking sheet, collects logos, makes sure banners and website logos go up, and sends thank-yous. The treasurer handles payments and receipts. One owner keeps sponsors from falling through the cracks when volunteers change from season to season.

A spreadsheet and a few willing parents is enough to start. If you would rather let businesses pick a package, upload their logo and pay or request an invoice right on your club’s site, see how the sponsor portal in MCM360 Sports works. Sponsors also show on your team website, and you can make game-day posts with flyers.