Why sponsorship in the Championship should not be overlooked- Brandon Furse

June 21, 2012

Most traditional sponsorship strategies are based on milking as much media exposure as possible and Championship clubs cannot offer the same value in that regard as clubs feeding from English football’s top table, the Premiership.
But what can second-tier clubs offer that makes them a serious contender that brands should not overlook?
Nottingham Forest are a perfect example. Twice winners of the European Cup, they have a fan base that rivals most mid-table Premiership clubs; boast a rich history and an iconic logo and brand image that make the club recognisable around the world.
Forest can’t compete on a media value footing but what they can offer is real value to any brand seeking to develop their image.
Although Championship clubs consistently deliver over £1million worth of media value to their sponsors and are viewed by over 2,000,000 people during televised games, they have had to develop wider reaching community programmes and use their online content to their advantage.
While the media gorge on what the Premier League has to offer, clubs outside the top flight are not afforded the same intensity of coverage.
Instead, their fans turn to their clubs for the latest news and the inside track.
Clubs outside the Premier League are utilising social media and digital marketing to help provide content for the media.
Forest’s award-winning website www.nottinghamforest.co.uk regularly receives over 370,000 unique visitors per month reading some 4,300,000 pages – a staggering level of activity.
Community programmes have evolved from the days of turning up to a school and taking over a P.E. lesson.
This evolution is no more evident than in the Championship and Forest now have a community programme that reaches over 150,000 children through 700 schools.
These programmes aren’t just about children having fun, they have to such an extent that all corners of the community benefit – from senior citizen dinner dances to using football as a motivation for crime prevention.
Corporate social responsibility is now becoming part of most big organisation’s core strategy and football clubs are the perfect vehicle for brands to participate in already developed, meaningful programmes.
The Championship is now the fourth highest attended in European football and any brand seeking exposure, not only in media value but online and through community programmes, should consider Championship clubs as serious contenders for very cost effective sponsorship opportunities.

Most traditional sponsorship strategies are based on milking as much media exposure as possible and Championship clubs cannot offer the same value in that regard as clubs feeding from English football’s top table, the Premiership.

But what can second-tier clubs offer that makes them a serious contender that brands should not overlook?

Nottingham Forest are a perfect example. Twice winners of the European Cup, they have a fan base that rivals most mid-table Premiership clubs; boast a rich history and an iconic logo and brand image that make the club recognisable around the world.

Forest can’t compete on a media value footing but what they can offer is real value to any brand seeking to develop their image.

Although Championship clubs consistently deliver over £1million worth of media value to their sponsors and are viewed by over 2,000,000 people during televised games, they have had to develop wider reaching community programmes and use their online content to their advantage.

While the media gorge on what the Premier League has to offer, clubs outside the top flight are not afforded the same intensity of coverage.

Instead, their fans turn to their clubs for the latest news and the inside track.

Clubs outside the Premier League are utilising social media and digital marketing to help provide content for the media.

Forest’s award-winning website www.nottinghamforest.co.uk regularly receives over 370,000 unique visitors per month reading some 4,300,000 pages – a staggering level of activity.

Community programmes have evolved from the days of turning up to a school and taking over a P.E. lesson.

This evolution is no more evident than in the Championship and Forest now have a community programme that reaches over 150,000 children through 700 schools.

These programmes aren’t just about children having fun, they have to such an extent that all corners of the community benefit – from senior citizen dinner dances to using football as a motivation for crime prevention.

Corporate social responsibility is now becoming part of most big organisation’s core strategy and football clubs are the perfect vehicle for brands to participate in already developed, meaningful programmes.

The Championship is now the fourth highest attended in European football and any brand seeking exposure, not only in media value but online and through community programmes, should consider Championship clubs as serious contenders for very cost effective sponsorship opportunities.

About Brandon Furse:

Brandon Furse is the Operations Manager of Nottingham Forrest Football Club. An Honours graduate, with a background in IT Marketing, he joined the club in 2001 as Database Marketing Manager, where his first responsibility was to modernise the club’s use and handling of customer data. He is now responsible for all Business to Consumer commercial activity at the club as well as Marketing, Website, Digital Media, PR and Special Projects.

Brandon currently resides in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire with his partner and child. The couple are expecting another in August. 

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