Host a Fitness Class Soccer players and coaches know how to keep fit, it comes with the turf, so why not share how they do it? Host a fitness class fundraiser on your pitch, or alternatively in a gymnasium. Establish a small donation amount for participation and advertise your event as a way to become ‘as fit as a soccer player’, using photos of top US soccer players such as Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan. You don’t need masses of equipment, just a few soccer balls to demonstrate some drills and a bit of time to teach your class. Set up simple stands to sell concessions on the day like water, isotonic drinks and some snacks to secure some additional revenue. ‘Rent-An-Athlete’ Event This is always a successful fundraiser, as it offers two separate ways to fundraise. A ‘Rent-An-Athlete’ event allows your players to either raise funds for their chance to spend the day with a celebrity talent, where the athlete can coach, teach or just spend some time with them. Remember to record the day in pictures and on video, so that you can share it on social media and create a buzz around the team's brush with celebrity. For a more profitable type of soccer fundraiser, offer your team up as the athletes to rent. Ask people to place bids for the chance of renting one of your players for the day, to help them with groceries, do some manual labour, or even take on the school run! Offer Sponsorships for Your Soccer Team Sponsorships are the most reliable method for maintaining a consistent flow of revenue when it comes to sports fundraising. To begin, you’ll want to find the right sponsorship for your team. Set aside some time to research local businesses and decide which would make good sponsors for your team. Establish your costs and determine the different kinds of sponsorship you are able to accommodate, such as company logos on your team’s kit or acknowledgment in flyers handed out during games. You can then reach out to the businesses on your shortlist with a professional partnership proposal, offering different tiers of benefits for a range of sponsorship options. Share Your Facilities When not in use by the team, soccer pitches are large empty fields, which makes them a great asset to your fundraising efforts, with massive potential for profit. Have a team meeting to brainstorm which other local youth sports teams or professionals may wish to use your space. American football clubs, athletics teams and even gyms may wish to hire the space from you for a night to coach a specialty session. You can supply some equipment for them too, like cones or training jerseys! Sell Branded Soccer Merch With soccer jerseys back in fashion for the younger generations, it’s a great time to get your team’s merchandise into the mix. Branding your own equipment is surprisingly low cost, with many online platforms able to do this in a short period of time and with relative ease. Create merchandise in a variety of formats - from coffee mugs and water bottles to sports equipment and branded shirts - to appeal to a wider range of customers. Remember to sell your products online, to provide an on-going revenue stream and ask volunteers to staff merch stalls at your games to sell to the match day crowds. Cookie Dough Fundraisers Cookie Dough fundraisers have become hugely popular in recent years, and are an incredible source of revenue. For this type of fundraiser, you find a cookie dough company to partner and ask them for a stack of brochures that detail the range of cookie dough they have available. Establish wholesale prices for the range with the cookie dough company and then get the team to hand out the brochures to friends and family, letting them know that if they would like to purchase some cookie dough they can do so directly from your team. All your customers pay the price advertised in the brochure and your team takes the difference between the wholesale and retail prices as contributions to your cause. You can make up to 55% profit if you partner with the right company, so it’s important to do some research! Discount Card Fundraisers A discount card fundraiser is an easy fundraising idea for your soccer team that requires almost no equipment, just a bit of planning. You can start by approaching businesses in your area and asking them to offer reduced prices for anyone holding one of your discount cards. This is an attractive prospect for many businesses, as it is an incredibly low-cost form of advertising for them, so approach as many as you can. Once you have a workable list of business participants, you can start selling discount cards to friends and family for a set price. Discount cards are smart fundraisers for sports, as they give you ties to local businesses, which could work as sponsors later down the line! Dodgeball Tournament Dodgeball is one of the most entertaining sports to watch, just make sure you get the right equipment, as throwing soccer balls at the opposing team may leave a mark (even in a friendly competition)! Once you have gathered the equipment and found space, this is a relatively easy fundraising event to host, with great potential for profit. Let multiple youth sports teams play each other, as well as having your own soccer team play against the public. This way you can host the tournament for a long time, allowing you to sell concessions to the spectators and waiting players. Set a prize for the winners and you’re ready! Host a Kick-a-Thon Shootout Stretch those legs and get your players warmed up, this is a soccer fundraising activity that goes the distance. A Kick-a-Thon shootout works by getting sponsorship from friends, family and supporters for your team’s players to take on the goalkeeper for as long as they are physically able. Make sure to invite all your sponsors to attend and watch your soccer team showcase their talents. Given that this fundraiser goes on for as much time as your players are willing to put in, it’s another great opportunity to sell concessions, food, drinks and even merchandise. Crossbar Challenge The Crossbar Challenge is a very popular online trend, especially with youth sports teams, so it’s one your team should definitely consider getting involved in. Simple but surprisingly exciting, this soccer fundraiser challenges players to test their skill for precision kicking by deliberately hitting the crossbar of the goal with a soccer ball. Record your team’s attempts for viral video potential, but also make a day out of it by inviting members of the public to compete and showcase their talents as well. Once you’ve secured enough interest in this event, you’ve got the makings of a very successful fundraiser.