The Greatest Tool in an Athletic Director’s Toolbox: How SponsorPlace Is Transforming Youth Sports Sponsorships
The Podcast Recap: SponsorPlace on The Educational AD with Jake von Scherrer, CMAA
Recently, Karl Mawhinney joined Jake von Scherrer, CMAA, on The Educational AD podcast to talk about one of the biggest challenges in youth sports sponsorship—and how we’re solving it with SponsorPlace, the ultimate digital marketplace for school sponsorships.
The episode was an insightful discussion about the real-world struggles high school athletic directors face when it comes to sponsorships—and how SponsorPlace was built specifically to make their lives easier.
Reaching Out to 150 High Schools: What We Learned
Before building SponsorPlace, we reached out to over 150 high schools across the country to better understand the landscape of youth sports sponsorship. The responses revealed three recurring themes that inspired our platform’s creation.
1. “We Don’t Know What Sponsorships to Offer—Help!”
Many athletic directors admitted that while they wanted to attract community sponsors, they simply didn’t know where to start. Should they offer banners on the field? Digital placements? Scoreboard logos? Social media shoutouts?
The options were overwhelming, and many schools didn’t have a structured system in place. This uncertainty led to missed opportunities and left potential sponsor dollars on the table.
2. “We Have Sponsorships… But We Don’t Know How to Price or Negotiate Them.”
Other schools told us they already had sponsorship options available—but had no idea how to value or price them.
Without a clear structure or market benchmarks, these schools struggled to confidently approach local businesses or negotiate fair deals. Some underpriced their sponsorships out of fear of asking too much, while others overpriced and scared away potential sponsors.
In both cases, the result was the same: lost revenue and frustration on both sides.
3. “We’re Doing It All, But It’s Taking Way Too Much Time.”
Even well-established athletic directors and booster clubs with robust sponsorship programs faced a major roadblock—time.
Between managing teams, planning events, and handling countless administrative tasks, many ADs simply didn’t have the hours to spare for:
Reaching out to local businesses
Networking with sponsors
Managing sales and negotiations
Tracking checks and payments
It’s too much.
Introducing SponsorPlace: The Digital Marketplace for High School Sponsorships
Enter SponsorPlace
We built SponsorPlace as a FREE digital platform designed to connect high schools and sponsors in one simple, secure space. It’s more than just a marketplace—it’s a time-saving, revenue-generating solution built specifically for athletic departments, booster clubs, and schools in general.
With SponsorPlace, schools can:
List available sponsorship opportunities (banners, digital ads, event placements, and more)
Communicate directly with interested local and national businesses
Collect payments digitally, all in one place
For sponsors, the platform removes entry barriers by allowing them to support entire schools—not just one team or club—without needing to contact seven different booster organizations.
It’s a win-win: athletic directors save time, and sponsors gain access to organized, visible, and easy-to-execute opportunities.
And the best part? It’s completely free for schools.
Why Every Athletic Director Needs SponsorPlace
If you’re a high school athletic director who’s ever felt overwhelmed by sponsorships—or if your booster club struggles to manage multiple sponsors across teams—SponsorPlace was built for you.
Here’s what makes it the most powerful tool in your athletic department’s toolbox:
Saves time: No more chasing checks or juggling multiple sponsor conversations.
Streamlines communication: Sponsors connect directly through the platform.
Maximizes revenue: Standardized pricing and transparent listings attract more sponsors.
Empowers communities: Makes it easier for businesses to support local schools and students.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Youth Sports Sponsorship
SponsorPlace is redefining how partnerships are formed and managed, making youth sports sponsorship more accessible, transparent, and efficient for everyone involved. Looking to the future, Karl stated, “Our goal is to aggregate sponsorships across districts so that we can help them drive more revenue with national brands.” The sky really is the limit!
So, whether you’re a small-town school or a large district, SponsorPlace empowers you to connect with sponsors who believe in your mission—and helps you do it in a fraction of the time.
Ready to simplify your sponsorships and grow your athletic program?
Visit SponsorPlace.com today and discover why it’s the smartest addition to every athletic director’s toolbox.