Local Brand Marketing: Sponsoring a Team in Your Community

Posted By Lissa Eckert — October 6, 2025

Lissa has been helping customers create their perfect custom swag at Custom Ink since 2014 and loves to share her insights, tips, and tricks.

If you’re looking for a meaningful way to promote your business and connect with your audience, sponsoring a local team is a great place to start. And when it’s time to outfit your sponsored team, browse custom jerseys and apparel that proudly showcase your brand in the community.

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Key Takeaways

Sponsoring a local team is a cost-effective marketing strategy that significantly boosts brand visibility, builds positive community relationships, and generates valuable word-of-mouth.
Businesses can easily find teams to sponsor through local community channels and streamline the uniform design process, making it a manageable marketing investment.
Custom Ink simplifies outfitting sponsored teams with custom jerseys and apparel, offering an easy-to-use design lab and dedicated support from sales representatives.

The Benefits of Sponsorship

Consider it an investment, like any marketing channel or initiative. One of the greatest advantages to sponsoring a local team is the positive word-of-mouth it will generate for your company. People in the community will see your company’s name when they cheer on their family and friends from the stands, and team and league members will mention you regularly while discussing the season. Everyone will be sure to appreciate your participation in the community, which is likely to result in an increase in business.

“My company sponsored the BIAS Bombers Cricket team in the Atlanta Cricket League. The Custom Ink shirts work perfect for our team – combining the look of traditional cricket athletic wear with the American style athletic clothing. This is the second year in a row we have order shirts from Custom Ink. The quality is unmatched and the turn around time is fantastic!”

How to Find a Team to Sponsor

Check the local Reddit discussion forums and Nextdoor to find teams looking for sponsors and post there to let the community know you’re interested in supporting local teams.
Post a flyer in your place of business.
Call your local parks and recreation department to find out about leagues and programs.
Call league commissioners and ask to be put in touch with teams who are searching for sponsors.
Stop into a weekend game and get to know the players and the teams.

Good Deed, Great Marketing—and Cost Effective!

Keep in mind that each sport has levels ranging from casual recreational leagues to more competitive and organized leagues. Uniform requirements vary from league to league, but most teams in recreational leagues tend to order t-shirts or jersey shirts only. Find a team that works for your budget and your interests. If there’s a popular recreational softball league in your area, you can make a team very happy by sponsoring them with t-shirts, and you’ll only have to invest a few hundred dollars. Contact our sales reps to discuss price quotes on various products.

Who Creates the Design for the Shirts if I decide to Sponsor a Team?

That’s between you and the team captain, but of course we can help! Most teams prefer to design their own shirts, but they will generally respect your wishes regarding the size and placement of your logo and company name. We have an easy-to-use design lab that allows you and your team to create designs and email them around, so you can easily iron out the design details with the team captain via email before placing the order.

“Our team name is the Phightin’ Phlapjacks. Our sponsor was IHOP so we all put breakfast names on the back of our shirts like Hotcakes, Babycakes, and Sticky Buns. This team picture is after our last softball game of the season in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Working with CustomInk was so easy and fun! We will be using them for next year’s shirts! Thank you!”

What About the Order Details and Logistics?

The team captain is generally responsible for obtaining the shirt sizes and quantities from everyone on the team, and for providing you with any and all information regarding personalized names/numbers, if this is a design feature the team wishes to incorporate into their uniforms. Placing the order is a breeze—our sales reps are available 7 days a week to help.