SUNWEST SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

General Information

Participation in Junior Club volleyball for women aged 12-18 has become increasingly popular in the United States.  At the two end of the year tournaments held in the United States, the Davis Volleyball Festival and the United States Junior Olympics, approximately 20,000 players participate with the numbers growing each year.  As a point in fact, the Davis Volleyball Festival is the single largest annual event in the world in terms of athletic participation.  This trend is expected to grow with the growth of the sport at the collegiate level; with the enforcement of Title IX, the number of scholarships available to women entering college has grown significantly in the past few years, thus making volleyball an increasingly popular choice for young women and their families.

Corporate sponsorship is not new to volleyball.  Across the world, corporations have sponsored volleyball teams at all levels.  Companies such as Nike and Paul Mitchell have had long-term affiliations with the sport.  Here in the United States, we are also beginning to see corporate sponsors beginning to focus on women’s Club Volleyball.  The best example of a successful partnership is seen with Yahoo! and the Club Yahoo! volleyball team in Northern California.  Yahoo sponsored all four teams in the club, allowing the girls to participate in club volleyball without having to pay the typically high participation fees associated with club volleyball. 

Philanthropic Considerations

 Athletics have always been considered a healthy and positive outlet for children of all ages.  Support of programs such as Sunwest Volleyball Club that foster the growth of women’s junior athletics is good for the community and good for the sponsor’s corporate culture. 

There is no doubt that junior women’s club volleyball is increasingly competitive as a result of its increased popularity and the opportunities for scholarships.  By supporting Sunwest Volleyball Club, you are creating opportunities for young women to realize their potential not only athletically, but also scholastically as their success often leads to partial or full collegiate scholarships.  In some cases in fact, your sponsorship could allow a player, without the means to afford the sometimes-high cost of club volleyball, to participate. 

Benefits to Both Parties

To have a healthy relationship between both parties, a win-win situation must be created.  When examining the potential sponsorship relationship, it appears that the potential exists.

From the Sunwest perspective, a corporate sponsorship creates many opportunities.  With a sponsor, the ability to reduce the costs of club volleyball would eliminate the barrier of cost for many kids.  In addition, it also allows the club to focus on its core competency: teaching kids how to grow as athletes and maximize their potential.

From the sponsor’s perspective, it is an opportunity to give back to the community and foster the growth of junior women’s athletics. In terms of outreach, the club can effectively market the image and brand of the sponsor by going into the community and performing public service.  While there are no guarantees of media coverage, there will certainly be goodwill generated within the community.

Structure of Sponsorships

 The following tiered sponsorship levels have been developed.  

Corporate Sponsor

·        Sponsor pays operating costs for multiple teams in the club (approximately nine teams).  Travel costs will be borne by individual players.

·        Sponsor has naming rights for the club (replacing “Sunwest”)

·        Sponsor’s logo will be prominent on the jerseys of the every team.

·        Club will actively market and promote the sponsor’s product in partnership with our sponsor.

·        Players will be required to perform community service under the banner of the sponsor’s name.

Corporate Patron

·        Sponsor pays operating costs for a single, specific team in the club.  Travel costs for that team will be borne by the individual players.

·        Sponsor’s name will be attached to the specific team and the Sponsor’s logo will be appear prominently on the jerseys of that team.

·        Club will market and promote the sponsor’s product.

Corporate Friend

·        Sponsor pays coaching costs for a single, specific team in the club.

·        Sponsor’s logo will appear on the jerseys of the team.

·        Club will market and promote the sponsor’s product, limiting it to the materials distributed and maintained by the club.

Corporate Philanthropist

·        A sponsorship of any amount to help support and promote Sunwest Volleyball Club and its coaches and players.

·        This sponsorship may or may not include promotion of the sponsor.  Some sponsors may wish to remain anonymous.

Sunwest is a non-profit (501)(C)(3) organization, and participation is tax deductible under Federal Internal Revenue Code. Tax ID is available upon request.

In Conclusion 

We strongly believe that a partnership with Sunwest Volleyball Club will prove to be a successful and mutually beneficial endeavor.  For our sponsors, this is an opportunity to expand your community involvement in San Diego while making an important contribution in the lives of young women.  Our sponsors will also have the opportunity to be a significant part of the year-end Davis Volleyball Festival, the largest annual sporting event in the world.

We invite your thoughts and comments and are eager to work in partnership with you to develop a program that will support your company’s philanthropic goals in the most effective way possible.

If you would Like To Become a Sponsor:

Aaron Smith
Director of Operations
P.O. Box 928023
San Diego, CA 92192-8023
(858) 550-0441
E-Mail: asmith@sunwest.org