Getting some serious sponsors for the Union Ajijic club?

In my past life, I was the Manager of a youth soccer club.  My main job was finding sponsors and getting money and then keeping the sponsors involved and happy.  We had a winning club like Union Ajijic and without false modesty I can say we were pretty successful at getting sponsors.

While the "pass the hat" approach is very democratic, it is also very uncertain. It would be great if we could line up some serious sponsor.

We don't have a lot of potential big donors here but we do have some plus a fair number of the medium sized kinds.

I've been doing some preliminary prospecting along these lines but I really don't know what kind of budget we need to meet on an ongoing basis for things like uniforms, equipment, travel and supplies.

Anyway, if some of you would like to explore a serious hunt for significant sponsor or sponsors, I'd be happy to host a brainstorming session at my place or we can meet at an amenable local pub, toss down some beers and kick this around.

PM me with ideas/contact information.

What we need is steady money. A few of us give so much each month to the team. More of these would help.

Z

Mainecoons wrote:
I've been doing some preliminary prospecting along these lines but I really don't know what kind of budget we need to meet on an ongoing basis for things like uniforms, equipment, travel and supplies.

Getting a budget has been a problem since the beginning.
Phil and I started this process last summer, and it was like trying to nail jello to the wall.
The Patronato tends to keep information to itself. When we ask how much things will cost, the answer is "how much do you have?".
Uniform costs, and equipment costs can pale in comparison to transportation.
Transportation costs vary according to the league you play in, and there are many choices of leagues with an assortment of pros and cons.
We have a winning team at the level you have seen on Sunday afternoons, but the next level down is not so strong.
The younger kids are the ones that will replace the older ones, and we may not be as competitive.
The Patronata's main objective is to rebuild futbol in Ajijic, but they do not have a plan for how to do this.
In the 18 months since this effort began, we have gone from the bottom to the top, but not because we planned to do so.
A LOT of luck, and great coaching has made the past 6 months a pleasure.
But I fear for the future without some type of plan.   

Please allow me give you some history, since 1960 Union Ajijic has have many leaders, many really helped, while other just saw the opportunity to gain financial profit. Just like many other cases in Ajijic, town folks are gun shy when it comes to handing over money. Many people just don't have the money to give. If the Patronato does not have a plan, it's probably because no one really knows what to do. And on the other side, people have come in like you guys helped for a while then bailed on the players. It is a very noble thing, but what has to be created in a sustainable process that can keep on functioning even if people leave. This I think is something to look into. Just my 2 cents.....Just so you know, I lived in Ajijic from 1960 until 1978 and still go there twice a a year.

Well, you do have to have a budget if you want to enlist major sponsors. That's the key to a sustainable process. Sponsors like this require a structure and strict accountability for the spending of money.

What/who exactly is this Patronato?

The Patronato, as we understand it, is a group (5?) of elected? and paid individuals who are responsible for the maintenance and scheduling of the futbol fields.
My understanding is that, at the beginning of 2013, they started a futbol school for Ajijic.
There was no charge for any kids who wanted to join, and they were funded by donations.

Phil joined them as a coach, and introduced the school to the expat community in an effort to bolster funding and create a spirit of co-operation between the two communities.
I introduced the school to IL and collected the funds to get uniforms for the big kids.
We had a good time that summer, winning all our games, and a group of IL members became frequent attendees at the games.

We have been able to raise funds to replace old worn out equipment, and provide a supply of balls.
I know how much these items cost, but not how long they last.

When we joined this league, there was much discussion about the costs, and both Phil and I felt that we should join a more local league to avoid excessive transportation costs.

That is a brief history of my involvement with the school.
I intend to continue working with the school when I return.  

What is the benefits for the potential sponsors?

Yes you have to look for sponsers who will benefit. Maybe sport equipment something that can be sold to the kids or their parents or fans
Many times I would ask our distributors to support this cause or that one, once in a while a philantropist would take on the cause but the vast majority of thetime, sponsers were people who could benefit from the advertising. FIrst question was" what is in it for me".

Thanks, Zen.

Obviously, serious Sponsors want their names prominent. The PV team had the name of a construction company on their jerseys. Local financial houses, big tiendas, that sort of thing would expect and could benefit from the visibility. What we might do is require a certain level of funding, including buying the uniforms, to be the named sponsor on the Jerseys. We could also reward smaller sponsors with banners hung on the fence across from the seating.

Since the league my D.C. team played in did not allow sponsor name on jerseys, we went the banner route for them.

First and foremost, we need to know what things cost in each category.

As I noted, I'd be happy to host a brain storming session on this providing someone who is really knowledgeable about this team, how it operates and what costs are, could attend. Otherwise, the rest of us are just guessing.

I don't know why I thought of it - but what about the "Goodyear" store by Sorianas. I think they have two locations now. They would benefit locally, and maybe corporate "Goodyear" has some sponsorship $$$ too. Not too bad to wear a tire logo on a jersey - I can think of lot worse!

FYI, there are many teams in Chapala and one in SAT.
The one in SAT is sponsored by the Freemasons.
There is also one other team in Ajijic.   

There is a man in Ajijic who has a company which makes ...tada..... soccer balls.

Ask around and track him down.

It's always no until you ask.

I think before we ask anyone anything we need to determine what a team's annual budget is, including the cost of new uniforms (with logo's), shoes, pads, projected transport costs, equipment costs, field costs and any other misc. expenses.

I absolutely agree. Among other things, that will tell us how many sponsors we need and how we allocate parts of the budget to them.

FYI, the cost of one bus trip to Guad is the same as it costs to get uniforms (shirt, shorts and socks) for a whole team.
The questions of what league we play in, the number of teams we will field, and where we will have to travel to are the biggest questions to be answered.
Answer those, and I believe I have sufficient information to develop a budget.
I have kept detailed records for the past year.