5 Simple Tips for Marketing Your Grassroots Club

Marketing and grassroots sport are two things that do not necessarily always work hand in hand. But if you want to grow the profile of your club, boost membership or sell more merchandise then it’s something you’ll need to think about.

Thanks to technology and social media, marketing your club is easier than ever and is far from rocket science. But, it won’t do itself. To get you started, we’ve come up with 5 simple tips to get your club’s marketing off the ground. These tips apply to most grassroots sports clubs. From Football to Cricket, Rugby to Hockey.

The beauty of social media is that it’s free, anyone can do it and there are literally billions of people on there waiting to hear what you have to say. Oh, and it’s free. Did we say that? The vast majority of clubs have a presence on at least Facebook and Twitter these days (you don’t? Get it sorted!) But that doesn’t mean that they are using it properly or enough.

It’s important to keep your current members engaged in order to attract eyes from elsewhere. Match reports, live scores, upcoming fixtures etc. are your bread and butter. The way to take it to the next level is simply to have fun with it. Be original and be funny. This will prompt your followers to like, retweet, share or whatever. Grassroots sport is full of funny and engaging stories. Tell them through social media. Before long people will start to notice and if you do it well, be a part of your club.

Think of social media as a free marketing tool. Need more players? Post about it on social media and ask your members to share. Want to boost the sales of club gear? Do the same.

It’s also important to be active and responsive. Make sure your DMs/PMs or whatever you want to call them are open at all times. You don’t want to receive a message from a potential star striker or opening batsman about joining your club, only to ignore it for 2 weeks and have them join your rivals!

Oh you haven’t got a free online club shop with us? Well get one sorted and come back here to find out how to make the most of it. You can find more information by clicking here or email [email protected]. Go on, get a move on!

For the rest of you who already have a club shop with us, you’ll already be well aware of the benefits that it can bring. Consistent branding, cuts the hassle out of kit orders and for some, extra revenue. But we’re here to talk about how to make the most of it.

Possibly the most important yet simplest tip we can provide is to make sure your online club shop is as accessible as possible. It’s no use having one if none of your players, let alone anyone else, can find it.

Post links to it regularly. Make it your pinned tweet. Stick it in your bio. Make it as clear and easy as possible. Got a website? Be sure to have a link to your club shop clearly visible from your home page.

Remember that the people purchasing from the club shop might not necessarily be the players/members themselves. For example, a partner looking to get a beanie with the club badge on for their loved one for Christmas might not know straight away where to look. So don’t make it hard for them.

Which brings us on to the final point. Make the most of Christmas! If you’ve got a club shop then the festive period is a key selling period so big with promotion during this time of year. Remember to consider delivery times too to avoid disappointment. The earlier you start promoting the better!

We’ve already talked about getting current member and players to help spread the word on social media. Same applies offline too. Think of them as your local sales representatives.

Got a few players who are a bit gobby and love the sound of their own voice? Well put that to some good use. Make the most of the big characters at your club to help recruit new players and supporters, flog club merchandise, promote upcoming events and generally attract interest to the club.

Grassroots sport is all about community. You’ll soon find that local people are more than happy to get behind your club. But they can’t do that if they know nothing about it.

Branding is very important. Especially to youngsters (and even potential sponsors). You’d be surprised how many kids will base part of their decision on who to support or who to play for on things like whether they like their kit or club logo.

The modern trend for club badges is for simplicity of design and minimal number of colours. Think about Juventus’ recent rebrand. In an attempt to grow their global brand they simplified their logo to basically a stylish upper case J.

Now we know we aren’t talking about Juventus levels here. But there’s no reason you can’t have a nice club badge. You might be happy with yours. If you are, good for you. But many grassroots clubs are still using the same badge they’ve used for 40 years. Traditional logos tend to be old-fashioned and over-complicated. Not exactly what you want if you’re looking to attract new young blood to the club. Plus, a nice badge can improve the look of your kit and merchandise significantly.

Club identity is incredibly important. And a rebrand doesn’t have to mean losing it completely. Keep the main elements of the logo whilst getting rid of some of the noise. Reduce the number of colours and hey presto. You’ve got a cleaner, simpler and more attractive club logo.

Think of your website as your online club house. The main hub of all of your club’s online activity. You wouldn’t let your club house fall into ruin and be unfit for purpose, so the same should apply to your website.

Too many club websites are left completely neglected and unloved. Fixture lists from three seasons ago, broken links, low quality imagery and out of date home ground locations do not exactly scream “forward thinking club”.

Your website is often the first place someone will land when considering getting involved with your club. So make sure it leaves a good impression. It might be the difference between a new player signing up or heading elsewhere. It’s also the first port of call for any local media who might want to work with the club or be looking for match reports.

Make sure links to social media and your club shop are clear and obvious. It also goes without saying that you should include contact information and make sure it’s easy to find.

You might want to include player/coach profiles and statistics. Keeping player statistics up to date will give the site a personal touch and keep your players coming back for more as they will make up the majority of your traffic.

Who are GiveToLocal? Well let us tell you. The organisation was set up as a way of bringing communities closer to their local clubs through a sponsorship and donation model, which benefits all of those involved. The ultimate aim of this is to help create a more sustainable future for grassroots sport.

GiveToLocal connects clubs to businesses who can sponsor them for as little as £8 per month. This gives clubs an additional source of income and businesses a simple and affordable way to engage with and support their community. Not only that, it provides businesses with access to more potential customers, in the form of the club’s donors.