Non-Athletic Programs

By Dan Malone

A while back, I wrote a post on how partnerships with state high school associations should be geared more toward engaging the vast audience that is under the association umbrella and not just the traditional branding or signage at athletic events. This still remains very much the case. Going even further, I think it is worth mentioning the enormous engagement opportunity that associations can offer potential clients through their “non-athletic programs”.  These can include sportsmanship and scholarship programs, coaches and athletic trainer meetings, student leadership conferences and so on…essentially everything outside of the state playoffs and championship events for sanctioned sports.

The key with the “non-athletic” programs, and why Home Team Marketing is so adamant to include them in our sales efforts and materials, is that they offer an extremely targeted means of reaching a valuable component of associations. These programs may not necessarily have the attendance that a football or basketball state championship event might have; however, they offer access to key influencers such as the coaches, administrators or leaders within a school.

How exactly the client wants to be involved at these programs is something that should be worked out on a case-by-case basis with your association and HTM. I have seen successful client engagement at “non-athletic” events that has involved speaking opportunities along with product sampling and displays. Please be sure to let Home Team Marketing know if your association has any new plans or information on “non-athletic” programs and initiatives that potential clients could become involved with.

Let us know if there are any specific "non-athletic" events that you have experience with that you think are effective.