Sponsor

Though this blog has always been about speaking about motivation, I have examined different options available to myself in and around getting to the level I wanted and hence I’ve started to look for a personal sponsor for myself to help cover the cost of my ITC. Below is a letter that I have and will be sending to businesses in and around the UK in the hopes that someone would be able to sponsor me in a time when all advertising/sponsor budgets are tight.

Last year I made the conscious decision of trying to make it to the pro's before I exceed my shelf life as an athlete. Since making this commitment, I have spent significant time training and honing my skills to compete for a roster spot with one of the many professional teams in the UK and the rest of the world. I came close, with securing a try out with the Isle of Wight Raiders (had to cancel due to an injury), Basingstoke Bison, as well as attracting interest from number of teams from the Australian and Dutch leagues.

Despite these early indicators for success and my ability to compete for a spot, there is always one final hurdle that prevents me signing. As a foreign player, I would have to pay for my International Transfer Card (ITC) in order to be eligible to play for the British league teams, which is why I'm getting in touch. What I am looking to do is to find personal sponsor from the business world that would be able to help me out with my quest to achieve my dream of playing professional hockey again. The cost of an ITC ranges between £700-800 and in the current economic climate many teams are hesitant to make such an investment, unless the player comes with credentials from North American leagues, such as the AHL, ECHL or even the NHL.

As this is only a preliminary query to find out whether there is interest within your company or within your client base, here is what I can offer you: Logos and corporate visibility on my blog, logos and visibility on my twitter page which has just been launched and has been attracting approximately 2-3 new followers per day. I would also be happy to endorse your company through wearing your branded t-shirts to the gym, which is located in the Chineham Business Park, housing many technology companies such as Motorola, Ericsson, Infotrends and many others.

All of the companies at the Business Park have an corporate agreement with Fitness First in Chineham and many of the employees regularly work out at the gym, which would provide good exposure for your/your clients' brand.

The main sponsorship benefit that I am striving for is to, depending on a team that I can reach an agreement with, is to have you as my personal sponsor, which could entail your logos on my jersey as well as announcements during the game, when I score a goal, assist or have to spend time in the sin bin (though I'm a fairly clean player). However I must stress that this is purely dependant on the team I sign with and can be discussed further once I have signed the agreement.

Currently the teams I will be going after for next season include: Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Slough Jets, Swindon Wildcats, Telford Tigers, Haringey Greyhounds, Isle of Wight Raiders, Bristol Pitbulls.

All I am looking for at the moment is to find out whether there is any scope of us working together in achieving my dream. Any formal agreements can be made closer to 2010-2011 ice hockey season starts and I have found a team.

I understand that times are tough at the moment, but I'd be interested to hear if there was any budget for sponsorship.