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to support Asshesolidtssponsorship againfordlisseason. she’shearing omerlongdmesponqorslfinting meymaybe 4* ha waswmng. Mmshemadecallstolocal businessesforsponshorshipforthe assodafion’shouseleamampand selectteamslastyear,manydedined to tenewflleiralfiliation. It’s not Those rejections caught her off- Recession hits sports teams in cheque book Sponsorship key to surival for many youth athletics associations BY MIKE HAYAKAWA Staff Writer sanexecufivedilector wiflzmeNewmalketBase- ballAssociation,Donna .‘Il'empefiguredsomeflling Other minor sports organiza- tions gearing up for the spring and summer campaigns are feeling the pinch, too. Or at least preparing for it. “For us, it’s a little too early to tell yet," said Dirk Drieberg. “This year, I’ve had feedback fromaround40peroentofthe sponsors I've contacted and they saiditoouldbeatoughyear." she said. “We've already had some spon« som go out of business. The amount of disposable dollars is down.'" donotlikebaseballorsports oems have stifled the economy and afiected how much is doled out Last year, it was the car dealer- ships that were hesitant to throw sponsorship towand the association. “The Unionvilleâ€"Milliken Soccer Club is always on the lookout for sponsorship to ensure the qual- ity of our programs remains high," Richard Herold, club president, said Estab- “S’wd A in 1976 As a result. the association is adjusting its sponsorship budget. Mr. Drieberg said. Like their baseball brethren, soc- cer organizations will not know the hillimpactforatleastafewmonths Sponsors are an invaluable part of the team because they pay operating fees for the teams and subsidize cash-snapped parents who want to get their children into sports. Sponsorshipshadbeenguming alongwithregisu'afionforhouse leagueandreppmgmmsatdoseto preroentinthepastfewyears. “Giventheeoonomicdimate, givenit’saperoeptionofnegaflvity offineeoonomywe’replanm‘ngfora reductioninsponsorship."hesaid. City ofVaughan Baseball and Sofi- ball Assodation president “We definitely didn’t want to increase our registration rates," Mrs. Hempe said. The Aurora Youth Soccer Club, which continues to experience a growth in registration, has experi- enced a 3 to 5-per-oent sponsorship reduction. One former sponsor isn’t renew- ing because of financial circum- stances. The association, which includes about 80 rep, house league and select teams, talked about increas~ ing registration fees, but decided to boost sponsorship rates, instead. The amount being asked for can affect sponsorships, too. The Newmarket Baseball Associa- tion was placed in a quandary when Newmaflcet’ increased field rental fees for the 2009 season. “The local clubs in Markham, 'Ihomhill and Unionville all have districts for membership allocated by the York Region Soccer Associa- tion. the district administrative body of soccer clubs," he said. Noting sponsorship of the Unionvilleâ€"Milliken Soccer Club has increased in recent years, Mr. Herold feels the competition for sponsors within the sport isn't that Competi- “We have a good relationship and support system in place for sponsors and thatis an important part of the success,” she said. “There’s no doubt you compete with other sports. Some groups say they only sponsor a specific sport. But there are some companies, like in our instance Greenpark Homes, that supports baseball and soccer during the summer. They see a lot of benefits in sponsoring both," he said. “Sponsorship is a partnership.” “Everyone that committed has paid. There’s been no negativity at this stage." They even have sponsors 'waiting inthewings “At times, we've even had people who sponsor a couple of teams," he added. Parents do most of the work in "Most commonly, a business will contribute and have its names put on a jersey and is featured on our website under the sponsorship Mr. Hemld said. Clubs are going after the same dollars. incorporated as a non-profit com- pany, the Otganization solicits spon- sorship in several ways Competitive teams raise their own money, but we teams are dif- ferent. The loss has been offset by spon- sorship gmwth during the past five years, club partnerships co-ondina- tor Laurie Mueller, said. “We will be monitonng this and for every sponsor that does not renew, we will offer another oppor- tunity to someone Stoufiville Sunâ€"Tribung I 8494ng [mg], 2009 “I believe most sports oxganizaâ€" tions are going to have to think creâ€" ’ ativeiy, and den've alternate “out of , the box” revenue streams to make up for the lack of sponsorship dolâ€" lars,” he said. “It is logical to assume this would cut across all sports, and not be only our experience." “Further, as sponsors become increasingly more prudent about the sponsorship monies they have available for such purpose, if any. it is not enough to simply brand their product. “Our experience is that corporate sponsorship is increasingly looking for direct, measurable return upon their sponsorship dollars,” he said. “For a significant number of corpo- rate sponsors, it no longer is viable, unfortunately, to simply contribute sponsorship funding as a commu- nity service. While the York South'Silver Knights youth basketball organiza- tion does not have corporate spon- sors. it has received donations of basketballs, track suits and bags from a few “gracious parents” to assist in their rep and house league programs run out of Markham and Richmond Hill. president Raoul Baumgarmer said. That means more than having names emblazoned on uniforms or travel bags and receiving the end-ofâ€" the-season team picture on a plaque thanking them for their patronage. In Wtchurch-Stoufi‘ville, people tend to know each other and band together, Humphreys said. That helps ' Next season could pose a dif- ferent story if the financial woes of world persist, he said. Organizations acknowledge they must find a way of giving something viable in retum, especially during a recession. Parents do most of the work in finding sponsors, he said. who is in a difielent finanCial cir- cumstance," Ron Weese, club presi- dent, said. Youth already in full swing. such as minor hockey, weren't as affected by the economic crisis since their sponsorships were in place since last spring “We're fortunate in that we haven’t had any such issues," said Mike Humphreys, Whitchurch- Stouflville Minor Hockey Association president.