For immediate release
5 March 2007
Sporting great Mark Ella backs grass roots sport fundraising initiative
Australians love nothing more than their sport, whether playing it, watching it or working on the sidelines. Of the more than 10,000 elite, local or amateur sporting clubs across the country, all experience similar challenges when it comes to securing financial support year on year.
SportCard is a response to the fundraising challenge faced by sporting clubs nationally - a grass roots fundraising programme designed for anyone involved in sport. The brainchild of Ian Lowe, sports dad and 20-year marketing veteran, SportCard will revolutionise the way sporting clubs raise funds and how companies choose to sponsor Australian sport.
“Any sporting parent appreciates just how much time and energy goes into fundraising efforts, year in, year out to ensure our children have the resources and facilities they need,” Ian Lowe said. “As a sports dad familiar with the ritual weekend fundraising barbeque, raffles and unhealthy chocolate drives, I felt there had to be a better way for sports clubs across the country to generate these essential funds,” Ian said.
The SportCard initiative empowers local sporting clubs whether it is rugby, netball, soccer or lawn bowls, with a mechanism through which to easily raise funds by turning a portion of the average household spend, such as petrol, into real dollar returns for the nominated club.
“With Australia’s overwhelming passion for sport, SportCard is an opportunity for corporate Australia to make a real and measurable contribution to sport at a grass roots club level while at the same time making a difference to their bottom line,” Ian said.
Though elite sport sponsorship is a popular choice for many companies, there is a growing trend toward grassroots sport sponsorship and according to Ian Lowe, this does not signal a shift away from elite sport sponsorship, but rather a balance between elite and community level sponsorships.
The sporting greats agree. Mark Ella, Rugby Union legend and former Wallaby Captain applauds the SportCard initiative as a common sense approach to ensuring kids get the resources needed to develop and grow in their chosen sport.
“Sport was ingrained in my childhood and I spent most of my time outdoors competing with other children. Moving into club sport provided me with a solid grounding in teamwork and self-development and provided my local community with a focus,” Mark said.
“The extra funding gained through SportCard will give registered clubs the necessary infrastructure to conduct their sports effectively because the basics are often forgotten but as always come at a cost. It will also allow many honorary workers to focus on the sport rather than time consuming fundraising activities.”
“Most sporting clubs operate on a very small budget and have difficulties staying in the black,” Mark said. “I urge consumers, clubs and retailers to get on board with the programme to help develop our future sporting heroes,” he said.
With SportCard everyone is a winner – the consumer, community, amateur sport and business. Unlike other ‘loyalty’ programmes, SportCard is not based on rewards points for members, it is based on genuine discounts and financial support for their club. Every time a SportCard member shops with a partner or purchases products that are part of the programme, a proportion of the sale is directed to the registered club of their choice.
This means direct funding to help the club grow, develop talented players, maintain sporting facilities, purchase uniforms, fund travel for competitions and more. Members are eligible to benefit from special pricing and offers from partners including Harvey Norman as well as fuel offers from SportCard. In return, SportCard partners benefit with new and loyal customers with a commitment to club sport.
Harvey Norman has a long standing commitment to the great Australian sporting tradition, represented at a national level by corporate sponsorship and at community via individual team sponsorships at store level.
“Partnering with SportCard will make a difference where it counts - at a club sport level,” John Slack-Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Harvey Norman said. “We encourage other like-minded, sport loving, community oriented brands to get on board with the SportCard initiative.”
The programme is not limited to club members, anyone can get involved – parents, grandparents and friends. Basic membership is free and offers members access to select promotional offers and competitions with a percentage of their purchases going to their sport club.
For a small membership fee of $5 when joining through a club or $10 when joining individually, SportCard members can enjoy the benefits of full membership - shopping with SportCard whilst supporting their sport club of choice.
Members are issued with a SportCard for identifying their membership to retail partners and, if registering separately may also choose to purchase a Caltex Starcard from SportCard to buy fuel. Partnered retailers track purchases and consumers enter details of their purchases via the SportCard website and a proportion of the total purchase is directed to the nominated club.
Until May 31, SportCard is offering sport clubs the opportunity to win $5,000.
If your brand or product is a good fit for a potential SportCard partnership, visit the SportCard website and complete the online enquiry form.
For more information or to get involved in this innovative new fundraising initiative please visit www.sportcard.com.au or call 02 8847 1479.
-ENDS-
Media, for further information, images or to arrange an interview please contact:
Katherine Cammuso or Laura Rodrigues
McGregors International
Tel. 02 9967 9399 or 0410 609 443
Email: katherine@mcgregors.com.au or laura@mcgregors.com.au
