LIFESTYLE

Sponsorship and Kit Deals – Top Tips

Kit deals in cricket are pretty straightforward. 'Kit' as in clothing is provided by the club and will bear the logo of their sponsor.

'Kit' in this document refers to equipment, and this is provided on several levels of 'sponsorship' depending on your ability and level of competence i.e. it would be unusual for a full-time professional cricketer not to have all his kit provided free of charge.

Generally only England, England Academy and very good county players will be paid money on top of the kit provision.

Most players at county academy level will have a subsidised arrangement - i.e. 50% off all kit or better.

Suppliers in cricket will know most cricketers at all levels because it is a small game and everybody chats to each other. However, sometimes the best method of getting kit sponsorship is for a respected person (e.g. coach or professional player) to put a word in on someone's behalf!

It sounds simple and it can be. The key to sponsorship is to be realistic and think cleverly about how you go about it and, most importantly, what the person / team being sponsored can give back to the sponsor.

Be Realistic

• What kind of deal do they want? Is it clothing or footwear or bats / balls etc that you want?
  There are lots of different target manufacturers you could approach, rather than one main supplier.
• How impressed will the major 'kit' companies be with an 'outstanding' U15 player etc?
  Nike is unlikely to be interested but your specialist cricket kit manufacturers might. Speak to the marketing people at your club and find out what kit deal the senior players have, as there may be ways to extend the clubs current deal to include you.

Be Clever

• Whenever someone says 'let’s get kit' people immediately think of approaching kit providers and cricket specialists. However, if the county can attract money / resources in another area they could put the new found money / saved money towards the cost of kit.
• Attracting Money: Ask companies in the local community to support the academy with (X) amount, in return for a logo on the clothing, board at the ground, ad in programme / website etc.
• Saving Money: What are big outlays for the club? If it were travel, could they link up to get free or discounted travel from a local firm, to then plough saved money into kit etc. Could it be heating the indoor school? Talk to the suppliers to get discounted rates etc.

Other ways to be clever include:

• Approach local sports shops to find out if any of them are able to support you with cost price kit / free kit etc in return for ‘x, y or z’.
• Contact the major manufacturers, England suppliers, county kit providers etc. and ask them for any thoughts about how to get kit sponsorship etc. what would they look for? At worst you may get some advice, at best they might give you a deal.
• Use the pros - If you happen to have a 'legend or former legend' maybe approach them to endorse the academy or players etc. as they may be able to provide a quote on the talent within the academy to go into a letter or provide a formal letter of support.
• Remember: non-branded kit is cheaper - UK Sport / Sport England and EIS all provide kit to athletes and staff, but it isn't branded - i.e. a white t-shirt, not a Nike t-shirt, as this may be a cheaper way to get a sponsor on board.
• Remember: the club, coaches and parents combined will have a huge network, so by working together you are more likely to find someone with spare cash who is willing to sponsor players financially or provide kit.

Most Important: What can the academy /county / individual give back?

• The biggest thing from sponsorship is what the person giving gets in return. Sponsorship at whatever level is not just a one way deal – you should aim to develop a good relationship with your sponsor(s).
• As mentioned above, be creative with ideas of how the sponsorship / kit deal can benefit the person or company providing the sponsorship. Obvious examples include allowing them space to advertise their business at the ground, on the website and on the kit. Other ideas might include a couple of games against the sponsor’s local club, some VIP tickets to key matches, the players working for the sponsor in the off-season for free, allowing the sponsor to use function rooms at the club for business meetings for free, advertising the company in the local media etc. Remember: the sponsor will want to get something in return.

Thinking of approaching a person or company for sponsorship?

If so, go to the UK Sport website page for more information:

Also look at the sponsorship covering letter and cricket CV template.