athlete sponsorship

I would think someone like that would be happy with free gear- shoes, clothes, etc and maybe expenses to races or even pay their rent- think how much that would mean to them and it could be very little out of pocket for you.

Then- have local media pick up on it- radio/tv stations, newspapers- local elite athlete and all.

If it works out and he/she improves and starts making money take it from there.

It has potential to provide strong visibility for your business if you're in an area with a strong road racing community.

A good local 'elite' athlete would gladly wear your company name on his singlet for a sponsorship. The main things the athlete is looking for are shoes, travel and lodging expenses, and race entries. I think they would do it if all you offered was 6 or so pairs of shoes. If you also offered to fully or partially pay entry fees (although their fees should be waived if they're really good), flights, and hotels, a promising runner will jump all over this opportunity.

I know a lot of fast runners who aren't 'good enough' or fast enough for a shoe company sponsorship and would love to see people like you help them out. Great idea!

Appreciate the replies thus far. What do you think is a reasonable dollar amount for gear/travel/expenses say per year? I wouldn't want to be responsible for purchasing those items myself (I don't have an inside track to a manufacturer or anything and I wouldn't want the responsibility to manage it). I'd rather just give them some money with the expectation that they would use it for certain things.

A reasonable dollar amount would be up to you. I would think $2-3000 at least and you should definitely let the athlete do the purchasing. If I was in your position, I think I would reimburse the runner instead of just giving them cash. Offer X amount for shoes and offer another amount for travel. They buy shoes, airline ticket, hotel, whatever, give you the receipt, and then you cut them a check. Personally, I would do it this way instead of giving them $2k up front and letting them blow it anyway they want.

This. We need more of this line of thinking in our sport. I'm sure you're not that first to entertain the thought of giving an athlete a small sponsorship, but we need businesses to actually get involved. I can see this form of advertising actually happening in this day and age when running participation levels (and road race entrants) are at an all time high.

More runners and people watching = more exposure.

Even if you weren't looking for an enormous return on your investment, the idea should prove fruitful.

amiee wrote:

Appreciate the replies thus far. What do you think is a reasonable dollar amount for gear/travel/expenses say per year? I wouldn't want to be responsible for purchasing those items myself (I don't have an inside track to a manufacturer or anything and I wouldn't want the responsibility to manage it). I'd rather just give them some money with the expectation that they would use it for certain things.

Typical is $5000 a year for travel, $5000 a year for training equipment. There's also similar amounts for physio therapy and coaching.

When my kid was seen at every race winning easily. I thought it would be nice if I didn't have to pay for every race. Kids really stand out if they can win local races. People really don't expect them to beat adults. But is is an violation to pay some kids entry and give them clothes to wear?

The person that threw $5k/per for different aspects is right on. It's not cheap to do it right. Shoes and gear is easily $5k when you consider trainers, flats spikes, kit, etc. Travel to meets is pricey; you can drop a grand on one significant trip, such as a major invite or national championship. An altitude stint or expenses for Europe could easily run close to $5k alone. This is before, PT/physio/massage and general cost of living.

Obviously every little bit helps, but it would be hard to say that an athlete would be overpaid even if s/he were making $20-25k a year.

Any unattached runner is going take whatever amount you want to give them, but realistically its gonna take between 5,000 and 10,000 to do it properly with the more the better.

You could start sponsoring athletes at 5,000 a year and then if they improve or you have a positive response you could add additonal funds.

"Any unattached runner is going to take whatever amount you want to give them" -- STOP.

There you have it. Find an amenable athlete, work out a support plan, adjust as necessary. You should also benchmark to see if this athlete's sponsorship adds $5,000 to $10,000 to your bottom line. Try and make the athlete feel like a partner.

Thanks again for the replies. Lots of good ideas here (especially the reimbursement ideas). Seems like there's some consistency towards a few thousand to ten thousand per year being the appropriate amount. That's about what I had in mind myself. I realize they're going to take whatever (I've been there, albeit not quite at that level) but I want it to be a significant amount that really helps them out.

Anyone know of any possible issues with USATF to be aware of? The affiliations I see in the results are nearly all shoe companies, universities, or running clubs. Is there some barrier to entry for a low level corporate sponsor?

My business isn't such that we'd likely get a measurable return from this. We're an national business in a niche market serving large corporations/government.

You might also then be able to get some "lesser" runners- even decently local people to wear the singlet for free- just give it to them- you'll have a "team" and more of a presence from front to back at local races.

The original poster is a great person and I agree they should give out some jerseys to local semi elites just for the fun of it. What area is the original poster from to start getting ideas for possible athletes they would be looking for.

I am personally a semi-elite runner and find it very motivating to see the original posters message.

Track and field needs more people like you.

I've got a small team of post-collegiate guys and girls that I have been able to arrange shoes/gear for but have full-time personal employment. If you would be interested in partnering up to help with race entries/travel expenses it could make for a great combo. I'd be willing to help advertise your business as well with online content, etc.

If you're interested, drop me an email:

jekyllman_21@yahoo.com

amiee,

I am wondering if you followed through with your sponsorship offer or if you are still looking for an athlete to possibly sponsor.

I would definetaly be interested but am wondering what times you would be looking for?

Nick Symmonds has some ideas that seem to go down the OP's road. He has a secondary sponsor Maleluca that gives him $ for his endorsement. OP may want to contact him and possibly the company as well.

His site:

http://nicksymmonds.com/

His rant:

http://www.flotrack.org/blog/38650-Im-Tired-of-USATF-and-IAAF-Crippling-Our-Sport

Their site:

http://www.melaleuca.com/