: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:16 am
So the RFL want to see an improvement on the current situation. Does bringing in player sponsorship count? If so it shouldn't be too hard to show an improvement when you can currently open up their very own "game on" magazine at the Leigh match page and look at our list of player sponsors, then flick through all the other games in our division and not find any other clubs with less sponsored players.
At this stage in the season nobody in their right mind will be phoning up to sponsor a player at the full season rate so anything we bring in now is a bonus, and the main hope would be that if you bring in sponsors now and treat them right you might get to keep a few on for next season as well.
IMHO first we should be offering packages pro-rata to cover the remaining games & throw in a couple of appropriate incentives (tickets, meals etc) if necessary. And if that doesn't get them in, contact all our existing and former sponsors, together with small local businesses that might not normally be able to afford full season-long sponsorship, and sell the sponsorship like a raffle. Every business pays £100 and gets a few program ads guaranteed. But a chosen few (ie however many are left unsponsored) will be selected for free player sponsorship for the remaining games. Let's face it, if we make even just a few £100's would be better than receiving nothing and letting the sponsorships sit empty for the rest of the season.