Sponsorship insight
What should a soccer club sponsorship deck include?
By Rafael Cid, Director of Sports Marketing.
Published . Last updated .
Eight things: who you are, how many people you reach, who they are, what you sell, what it costs, which categories are open, proof that past placements ran, and how to buy. Most decks fail on the second and the fifth.
The checklist
| Section | What to show |
|---|---|
| 1. The club | Name, city, league and division, year founded, home field |
| 2. Reach | Counted average attendance, home matches per season, followers and average post reach per platform, youth teams, email or WhatsApp list |
| 3. The fans | Neighborhoods, language, age ranges, families |
| 4. Inventory | Each right as a separate line: jersey positions, banners, public address reads, matchday naming, social posts, tables, clinics |
| 5. Prices | A season price next to every line |
| 6. Categories | Which business categories are open and which are taken |
| 7. Proof | Dated photos of past sponsor placements at matches |
| 8. How to buy | Season dates, payment terms, one contact |
Why do reach and prices matter most?
Because they are what a buyer needs to say yes without a meeting. In sponsor surveys, access to audience data ranks among the most valued benefits a property can offer, and the Sponsorship Collective describes a deck without audience data as asking someone to pay without telling them what they get. Prices do the same job from the other side: a deck without them starts a negotiation, and small local deals rarely survive one.
What mistakes lose sponsors?
Asking for support instead of selling reach. Gold, silver and bronze tiers that do not say what is delivered. Estimated attendance that a sponsor can disprove by coming to one match. Old photos. No mention of which competitors already sponsor the club.
What language should the deck be in?
Match the buyer. A brand manager at a regional company will read English. The owner of a local business in your community may prefer Spanish. A short deck in English with a one-page summary in Spanish covers both.
What format works?
A PDF of ten pages or fewer, plus the same information on a web page a buyer can find. Decks get lost in inboxes. A listing does not. A club represented by Hispanic Retail Media (HRM) has a page carrying the same eight points: the club, its reach, its open inventory with prices and its open categories, with no listing fee.
Questions
How long should a sponsorship deck be?
Ten pages or fewer. A buyer should find reach, inventory and prices in the first three.
Should a club put prices in its sponsorship deck?
Yes. A season price next to each right lets a local business decide without a negotiation.
What audience data does a sponsor expect?
Counted attendance, home matches per season, social followers and reach, and a description of who the fans are.
Do sponsors need proof that a placement ran?
Yes. A dated photo of the placement at a match is the simplest proof and the basis for a renewal.
Looking for a club to sponsor? See open inventoryRun a club? List your inventory
Let HRM sell what did not sell.
30 minutes, no preparation needed. Rafael Cid joins the call.
Axel Olivella
Business Development Director, HRM