Grass Roots Sports Sponsorship: six components of a game-changing campaign

It’s no surprise that huge money exchanges hands for elite sports sponsorships. The ability to connect with large passionate audiences via the world’s best teams, events and athletes is a compelling proposition for brands and businesses. You only have to look at the buzz around Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami to get the idea.

But it’s short-sighted to think that elite level activation is enough on its own. True engagement with fans also requires investment at the grass roots level. At a time when oil money is rewriting the rules of professional sport and events like Wimbledon have become the playground of Hollywood stars and Royal families, elite events are at risk of becoming detached from reality. Today, as the divide between rich and poor grows, the ability to touch communities directly has never been more important for brands.

The good news for brands is that most sports rights holder recognise the risk of becoming alienated from their broader fan-base. Look across the major sporting disciplines and you’ll typically find programmes and activities designed to reach out to the many millions who are unlikely to ever visit an elite event in person.

In this article, we look at a few recent examples of successful grass roots sponsorships – picking out some of the key themes that separate the best from the rest.

The power of creativity: One of the best performers at the UK Sponsorship Awards in recent years was a grass roots campaign - eBay & EFL’s Small Businesses United, entered by MediaCom Sport & Entertainment. Described as ‘the world’s first micro-sponsorship programme’, Small Businesses United allowed UK SMBs to sponsor their local football teams, all funded by eBay, and amplified their activity via a partnership with the EFL. The campaign won several awards at UKSA 2022 because it hit all the right notes – relevance, authenticity and creativity. The message to other brands is that grass roots can be a dynamic and distinctive platform - capable of driving a kind of audience engagement that is not possible around elite events.

The role of participation: Grass roots sponsorship’s superpower is that it makes people feel involved and valued. One of the most successful examples of participatory grass roots in recent years was O2 Touch, which introduced more than 30,000 people to rugby union before closing down in 2021 (after almost a decade). Created via a partnership with the RFU, the programme allocated funding to rugby clubs, enabling them to host training and games, and to advertise their activities locally. McDonalds (discussed below) is another leading brand that has recognised the value that can be unlocked by reaching out to communities through participation.

Meeting a need: Having acquired the rights to an elite sponsorship, it’s easy for brands to go through the motions with grass roots activity – putting together a box ticking exercise that doesn’t really move the needle in terms of community impact. The best examples of grass roots, however, are those that address a need. Papa John’s Community Fund is a good example. A UKSA finalist, this campaign helped 5,000 amateur football teams facing extinction because of Covid-19. Working with the EFL and SPFL, Papa John’s supported a wide range of community initiatives, offering a financial lifeline, engaging fans and keeping communities connected to their clubs.

Commitment to diversity: Elite sports often struggle with diversity – because they have to deal with the hands they are dealt. Football, for example, has to grapple with racism on the terraces and the lack of black managers at the top level. Tennis and golf, despite obvious exceptions, struggle to bring young black talent through to the elite level. English cricket is just coming off the back of a damning report that highlighted “widespread and deep-rooted” racism, sexism and elitism. The beauty of grass roots is that it is an opportunity for brands and rights holders to address injustices. This year at UKSA 2023, the emphasis was primarily on addressing the gender imbalance in sport with winning campaigns such as ‘It all starts with a chance’. Sponsored by Barclays and entered by M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, this partnership with the FA saw 90,000 girls join the UK’s biggest ever football session. Another partnership which demonstrated the power of grass roots to drive change was EE Football. Sponsored by EE and entered by Cake Group, this partnership with football’s Home Nations set out to supercharge overlooked areas of the game: para & disability, women’s and grass roots. Every campaign was designed to impact on the audience it was intended for; be that agency, belonging, education or inclusion.

Talent involvement: One of the advantages of working with a major rights holder is that it’s possible to involve high-profile talent with grass roots programmes. Not only does this generate excitement at a community level, it’s also catnip to the media – giving brands the opportunity to amplify the impact of their investment. As Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, for example, mobile network Vodafone is working alongside Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association to develop a new competition for grass roots players. As part of this activity, British tennis icons Tim Henman and Laura Robson have been brought into inspire the next generation of players. Vodafone has also sought to build out its grass roots activity by working with current stars. In 2022, the company unveiled 19-year-old tennis sensation Emma Raducanu as its grass roots tennis ambassador. As part of her role, Raducanu has become the face of Vodafone’s grass roots tennis initiatives, with plans to use Vodafone connectivity to expand access to tennis for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Long-term commitment & legacy: Grass roots programmes always have more impact if they are supported over an extended period – because they take on added legitimacy with longevity. McDonald’s, for example, has had a major impact on soccer through its Fun Football programme. Active for more than 20 years, this has provided millions of hours of free football for children across the UK, as well as training for over 20,000 football coaches. McDonald’s relationship with the English FA ended in 2022, but the brand continues to work with the Welsh, Irish and Scottish FAs – and has extended Fun Football until at least 2026. With sessions now available in winter, the programme is a text book example of how to make grass roots work.

Above all – authenticityWorking with a major rights holder has its advantages, but the truth is that authenticity is arguably the most important attribute that brands can bring to grass roots. At UKSA 2023, the winning campaign was ‘Building a partnership with purpose’, an alliance between Skateboard GB & Habito. Created to engage with diverse audiences and communities, the partners developed ‘grass roots skatespaces’ supporting urban regeneration and providing community facilities. The impact of the Grass roots Skatespaces projects was wide reaching and inspiring. It transformed derelict wasteland and unused dangerous sites into welcoming hubs for skateboarders and wider local communities. In the process, Habito was able to generate authentic positive brand affinity with its target Gen Z and millennial audiences.

As with eBay the year before, this campaign stood out because it showcased the extraordinary power that grass roots can have to change lives locally. While grass roots may not attract the eye-watering sums of money currently being ploughed into elite sport, it has the power to transform brand performance if embraced with energy.

Want to enter the UK Sponsorship Awards? UKSA 2024 opens for entries in September and has a dedicated category for Grass Roots Sports Sponsorship. Visit the UKSA website - www.sponsorship-awards.co.uk -  for more details or contact Rosemary Sarginson - rosie@sponsorship-awards.co.uk