How to Sell Naming Rights at Your Grassroots Club: A Guide for Committees

What Are Naming Rights and Why Do They Sell?

For many grassroots and non-league clubs, naming rights are an untapped asset. This isn’t just for modern stadiums with thousands of seats. Whether it’s the main stand, the clubhouse, the community pitch, or the newly refurbished changing rooms, local businesses will pay to have their name attached to a physical part of your club.

Naming rights work because they offer a business something tangible and permanent. Unlike a one-off matchday programme advert or a digital social media shoutout, a stand or a clubhouse is a physical fixture in the community. Every time a match report is written, a fixture is announced, or a fan talks about where they’re meeting before the game, that business is mentioned. It embeds their brand into local life.

It’s a reliable, recurring revenue stream. Typically, naming rights are agreed on a multi-year deal—usually three to five years—which gives your club financial security and the business a prolonged period of exposure.

Finding the Right Asset to Sell

You don’t need a stadium to sell naming rights. Look around your facility and identify the assets that matter to your members and visitors.

• The Ground: The most valuable asset. If your ground is known locally, renaming it (e.g., "The [Sponsor Name] Arena") carries weight.
• Stands and Terraces: Even a modest covered terrace can be sponsored.
• The Clubhouse or Bar: A hub of activity on matchdays and during the week.
• Specific Pitches: For clubs with multiple pitches (like rugby, hockey, or large football setups), naming the main pitch or the all-weather training surface is highly sellable.
• The Community Room or Hall: Spaces hired out to local groups during the week offer exposure beyond your sports members.

When valuing these, consider the footfall. How many people walk past that stand? How many community groups use the clubhouse? The value is in the visibility and the association with community sport.

Pitching to Local Businesses

When pitching naming rights, focus on the community connection. National brands rarely buy grassroots naming rights; your target market is successful local and regional businesses. Think builders’ merchants, local solicitors, regional car dealerships, or independent estate agents.

Your pitch needs to show them the value they receive:

• Visibility: Footfall on matchdays, training nights, and community events.
• Media Mentions: Local press, club social media channels, and league websites will use the sponsored name.
• Community Association: The goodwill generated by visibly supporting a local sports club.

Don't just send an email. Naming rights are a premium asset and require a conversation. Invite the business owner down to the club on a matchday. Show them the stand or the pitch. Let them feel the atmosphere and see the community they will be supporting.

Pricing and the Contract

Pricing is subjective and depends entirely on your club's size, location, and footfall. A Step 5 non-league football club will charge significantly more for stadium naming rights than a local village cricket club will charge for naming their pavilion.

Research what similar clubs in your area or league are charging. Start higher than you expect to get; it’s a negotiation.

Always put the agreement in writing. The contract should clearly state:

• The Duration: Three years is standard.
• The Payment Terms: Is it paid annually or a lump sum up front?
• The Signage: Who pays for the physical signs to be made and installed? (Usually, the club covers this from the sponsorship fee, but specify it).
• Exclusivity: Does this deal stop competitors from advertising elsewhere in the ground?

Diversifying Your Revenue

Naming rights are fantastic for lump-sum, multi-year security. But grassroots clubs need a mix of income streams to thrive.

While you are negotiating those bigger deals, ensure you have reliable, week-to-week revenue coming in from your supporters. A digital 50/50 draw or a club lottery is one of the most effective ways to do this. It gives supporters who perhaps can't afford a large sponsorship a way to regularly contribute to the club, while having the chance to win a cash prize themselves.

The platform fee is 5% + VAT. Card processing is at cost (1.5% + 20p per transaction). What is left splits 50/50 between the winner and the good cause. There is nothing to pay up front.

Next step: Walk around your facility this weekend and list three physical assets you could sell the naming rights to. Then, read our guide on how to set up your digital fundraising at playfundwin.com.