Sponsorship of National Sports Organizations in Ghana Identification of Selection Criteria and Sponsorship Objectives

Abstract

Sponsorship of National Sports Organizations in Ghana: Identification of Selection Criteria and Sponsorship Objectives

Dominic Kankam Global Sports Management Department of Physical Education Graduate School Seoul National University

The amount of financial support Governments provide for respective National Sports Organizations (NSOs) has dwindled tremendously in recent years (Berrett & Slack, 2001), and Ghana is not an exception. This has necessitated NSOs to resort to the private sector for sponsorship for self preservation (Berrett & Slack, 2001). Coinciding with this phenomenon, is the increased request for corporate sponsorship from other sectors (Copeland et al., 1996) thus, NSOs find themselves in a highly competitive market in their quest to secure limited funding from finite group of prospective sponsors (Macmillan, 1983). However, NSOs have not been successful in their attempts at corporate sponsorship due to the lack of sophistication in their sponsorship approaches (Copeland, 1991, p. 11). A compounding factor is that many NSOs are not aware of the marketable assets (to sell to sponsors), and also lack insight regarding how corporations select and evaluate sponsorship proposals (Copeland et al,. 1996

IEG, 2013). The purpose of this research was to investigate the most important selection criteria NSO sponsors use in selecting NSO sponsorship opportunities and the most important objectives they aim to achieve through their sponsorship. The result of which would help NSOs identify their marketable values and develop their sponsorship proposals strategically to suit the needs of prospective sponsors. Using Ghana as context, a survey was conducted among corporations actively involved in the sponsorship of NSOs. The results revealed that the sponsors prioritized National Media Coverage, Cost Effectiveness, and Opportunity to be Title Sponsor above all the other selection criteria. For sponsorship objectives, the respondents mostly aimed to Increase Public awareness, Enhance Company Image, and Involve in community.

Keywords : National Sports Organizations, Sponsorship Selection Criteria, Sponsorship Objectives Student Number: 2015-22353