System guide
Sponsor management for sports clubs
Sponsor management is what happens between signatures: follow-up, deliverables, match days and renewal. Here is an annual plan for sponsorship work – and how a system makes it possible to stick to.
What is good sponsor management?
Most clubs are good at closing a deal once they are sitting across from the sponsor. It is afterwards that things slip: the sign goes up three matches late, the tickets are never sent, and the sponsor only hears from the club when the invoice arrives – and when it is time to renew.
Good sponsor management is a routine, not a one-off effort. It requires someone to know what has to happen when, and that it is not just one person.
Sound familiar?
- The sponsor only hears from the club when it is time to pay
- Deliverables get forgotten on busy match days
- The thank-you for the season is never sent
- Renegotiation starts after the agreement has already expired
The four phases of the sponsorship year
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Before the season
Packages and prices in place, expiring agreements renegotiated, new sponsors in the pipeline.
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Start of the season
Agreements signed, deliverables planned for the matches, first invoices sent.
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During the season
Match days with signs, announcements and hospitality. Network meetings. A call that isn't about money.
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After the season
Documentation of what the sponsor got. A thank-you for the season. Renegotiation with the numbers in hand.
How Sportmanager does it
The sponsor's page shows the whole season: what they have bought, what has been delivered, what has been invoiced and what you have sent them. Deliverables are tied to specific matches, tasks have an owner, and the agreement comes up for renegotiation in good time.
- Deliverables match by match – with a photo once they are done
- Tasks with deadlines, linked to the sponsor
- Network meetings with invitations and sign-ups
- Sponsors that need attention, gathered under Insights
What you get
Questions about sponsor management
Can we see what the sponsor has received?
Yes. Each deliverable is documented once it is done, and the sponsor's page shows how much of the agreement they have used during the season.
Who in the club uses the system?
Usually the sponsorship manager, the treasurer and the chair – and on match day, the people who put up signs and scan tickets. Roles control who sees what.
How does invoicing connect to the agreement?
Invoices are created from the agreement and sent to your accounting system. Payments are pulled back, so you can see what has been paid on the sponsor's page.
Is it only for big clubs?
No. The routine is the same with 10 or 200 sponsors – the difference is whether you can keep it in your head. Most clubs start losing renewals somewhere between 20 and 30.
Read also
Ready for sponsor management you can keep up?
Create your club, or book a demo where we put your sponsorship year into the system.