Government, SDF driving self-sufficiency of sporting associations

KINGSTON:

National sporting bodies are being implored to become more inventive in generating funding to run their programmes.

Calling on associations to “think outside the box”, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, issued the challenge recently during a sales marketing sensitisation session hosted by the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) in partnership with Guardian Life, designed specifically for national sporting associations.

At the well-attended fora, vastly experienced industry professionals shared strategies to increase income streams through sales, sponsorship positioning techniques, marketing insights to attract partners, and strengthening commercial appeal.

Government, through the SDF, allocates subventions monthly to the national bodies charged with sports’ growth, and each organisation can rack up huge costs, especially when they have teams travelling to represent Jamaica.

Grange said donors have shown interest in contributing, more so when a product is marketable, and leaders must identify and highlight their selling points to attract partners.

“What I find interesting is that, in the world of sports, if the athlete goes out there and makes a name, wins a medal, breaks a record, and everybody interested knows that in identifying with the athlete (he or she) can be an ambassador for my product and that kind of thing. But when it comes to investing in the athlete, for that athlete’s development, it’s like pulling teeth,” she related.

“So now you’re going to have to find a way to generate interest in your sport and in your athletes, even before they win medals,” Grange added.

By way of example, she suggested the national swimming body could stage a fashion show by the poolside at Independence Park (National Stadium complex) and sell items, and use social media platforms TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to raise the profile of individuals and the association.

“It’s not that we’re not going to continue to give you the support, but I want you all to think out of the box and do some exciting things,” said Grange. “Sales and marketing are key skills that national sports associations need to focus on in order to grow their sport business ideas and increase and expand their visibility.”

The general idea, broadly espoused by marketers, included reciprocity, with sponsors looking to benefit from their association with a product because it contributes to national growth and is likely to generate widespread interest. The possibilities are even greater if the relationship translates into increased consumption of the sponsors’ goods or services.

‘More than a logo’

“Corporate partners today want more than a logo placement on a jersey or a banner,” said Oneil Clarke, vice president, life, health and pensions sales, Guardian Life.

“They want partnerships that are sustainable, strategic and aligned with their long-term business objectives. This is where strong governance, strategic planning and financial resilience become critical.”

Sales consultant Dave Lee pointed to the “spirit” of Jamaica Premier League football team Treasure Beach FC as a way associations could take a noteworthy quality of their programme and apply it to their marketing portfolio.

“They have to organise themselves as businesses and think along that line in terms of what it is that they are offering in terms of value, both from a measurable, quantitative perspective and also from a qualitative perspective, to corporate sponsors,” Lee explained.

“It has to be win, win, win for everybody. And so here is a huge opportunity for them to renew, revive and reinvent themselves and come again with a fresh perspective in terms of the mindset in terms of how is it that they capture the attention of the various corporate organisations, and to leverage it in such a way that it presents meaningful value for all of the stakeholders.”

Alan Beckford, General Manager of the SDF, says they are hoping for greater innovation.

“We at SDF want associations to realise they have a product to sell and you do have this product and we want to help you sell your product. So we’re having these presentations so that you can get ideas and be able to improve how you sell the product of sports,” he said.

“It’s the same as any other entertainment event, as sports is part of entertainment. And we’re hoping that, going forward, we’ll see more innovation from sporting associations and that will also help them to become more self-sufficient.”