LYSA Advertising & Corporate Sponsorship Policy
Lane Youth Soccer Association (LYSA) provides a fun, competitive youth soccer experience for ALL children of Lane County ages 4 to 19 with teams located in many communities. Skill development and a love for the
game is taught within a co-ed, fun environment by trained volunteer coaches and referees.
As a sponsor your monetary support will help provide financial aid for families in need, help develop our facilities and sustain our continuous need for field gear. Sponsors have seen excellent success with
advertising opportunities at our soccer fields, with business names on team jerseys and banners, our website and social media promotions. The opportunity to reach out to hundreds of families within our organization
has proven to be very productive for our sponsors. Ongoing operation and growth of future programs at LYSA relies on our mutual relationship with our sponsors.
By participating in the Team Sponsorship Program, you:
Help create opportunities for more children to participate in youth sports.
Help keep the cost of youth sports programs low.
Help keep children happy, healthy and active.
Promote your business in the community.
LYSA currently enrolls about 1,500 players each year. Every game day, your business name and logo have
the potential of being viewed by over 2,000 adult spectators in a fun, inclusive environment. Our website receives over 23,000 unique views per year. Our families will know you are sponsoring a community activity they value.
LYSA welcomes the opportunity to work with businesses who share our commitment to all youth players.
If you are interested in sponsorship, please contact the league Commissioner, Joel Andersen, at coach@laneyouthsoccer.org.
All contributions are tax deductible and the full amount of your sponsorship directly supports LYSA in Lane County. LYSA is a volunteer driven, non-profit LLC (Tax ID# (EIN) 46-5717365; Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code).
Sponsorship
Lane Youth Soccer Association (LYSA) welcomes corporate sponsorship and advertising when such sponsorship and/or advertising promotes the club's mission, is consistent with the club’s purposes, and is otherwise in the best interests of the community. The club does not endorse directly or by implication any products, services or ideas advertised except those provided directly by the club.
Sponsorship of LYSA does not permit the Sponsor to have any rights or responsibilities in the operation of LYSA, or any team. Nor does the Sponsor have any rights or responsibilities in the selection of managers, coaches, or players for any team. Nothing herein shall make LYSA and the Sponsor partners or a joint venture. The Sponsor and LYSA are independent contractors with respect to one another, and neither shall have any authority to represent or bind the other in any manner or to any extent whatsoever, except as specified herein.
Individual Team Sponsorships Uses
One-half of sponsorship funds will be donated to the LYSA Scholarship Fund. One-half of sponsorship funds must be made equally available to all team members of sponsored team. Individual teams may use up to one-half of total sponsorship funds for:
- player uniforms,
- player gear,
- field gear,
- team banners/field signage,
- team gatherings (i.e., end of season party, etc.),
- tournament registrations,
- travel expenses for tournaments and/or other non-league events,
- items not listed but granted prior permission by the Commissioner.
The purchase of player uniforms, player gear, field gear and banners will be made only through LYSA and its established vendors. Player jerseys must not be primarily similar in color to LYSA club red and blue jerseys. The jerseys need to appear significantly different on the soccer field from LYSA club jerseys so that referees may easily discern between teams. Shorts and socks must be the basic black used for LYSA standard uniform kits.
Sponsorships are assumed to be for the duration of minimum one season, maximum two seasons (one fall/spring year). Therefore, sponsored player uniforms and other branded items may be used for a maximum of two seasons.
Branding
Branding of player uniforms will be allowed in descending size and prominence and placement as follows:
- LYSA logo – jersey front; no other added graphics are allowed on front of jersey
- Player number – jersey back
- Team name (if used) – jersey back
- Sponsor name/logo – jersey back or sleeve
All other branded items must have LYSA logo in no less than second place prominence and size.
Player Names
- Players may not be required to have their name imprinted. For various reasons (privacy, plan to use jersey for others next season, etc.), some may not want to print their jerseys.
- Players should not be charged for the imprint.
- The name printed should be the players’ surname and not nicknames or inappropriate names.
- The name should be printed above the number on the back of jerseys.
Purpose of Policy
As a youth sports organization, LYSA seeks to provide an educational environment in which teaching and learning can occur relatively free from the pervasive messages of the broader commercial society. This advertising and corporate sponsorship policy is designed to guide decision-making for club personnel (coaches, program directors, etc.) seeking supplemental revenue to support a team or club program. The policy is also designed to be mindful of the club’s status as a nonprofit organization under the law.
Corporate Sponsorship
Individual teams and program directors must adhere to this policy when engaging in corporate sponsorships. The Commissioner reserves the right to review and reject corporate sponsorship agreements that any volunteers are entertaining. To the extent that corporate sponsorships are charitable contributions by IRS definition, volunteers must provide a receipt at the time of contribution, indicating that no goods or services were given in exchange for the contribution.
To be considered a contribution, a corporate sponsorship payment must include all the following characteristics:
- A payment received from a business or commercial enterprise
- A printed or other acknowledgment of the business or commercial enterprise from the club (e.g., included on a sports scoreboard, banner, or other display)
- It is required that all volunteers and teams use the LYSA standard acknowledgement letter
- This acknowledgement letter will not contain:
- The club’s endorsement of the business entity or its products or services, or any qualitative or quantitative language about the business entity’s products or services (e.g., statements or information about the quality or prices of products or services), or any information other than business name, logo, address, telephone and/or Internet address
- The payment received may not be from a vendor as part of an exclusive provider arrangement between the club and that vendor.
If all above characteristics are not met, then the payment is considered advertising revenue according to tax laws and regulations (see tax implications below).
Advertising and Corporate Sponsorship
To ensure the club’s compliance with applicable tax laws and regulations, the Commissioner is required under this policy to notify the LYSA Treasurer about advertising activity if any of the following conditions exist:
- A publication is issued more frequently than once per year and it contains advertising,
- A substantial part of any sports volunteer job is devoted to selling advertising,
- The club enters an exclusive provider contract with a vendor and the vendor will make one or more payments to the club.
Revenues received are to be classified as advertising revenues, if the transaction has any of the following characteristics:
- An endorsement by the club of the business or commercial enterprise or its products or services.
- Qualitative or quantitative language about the business or commercial enterprises’ products or services.
- An exclusive provider arrangement exists between the club and a vendor, and the vendor makes a payment to the club.
Advertising revenues earned by the club may be subject to State of Oregon tax and should be classified as miscellaneous service revenue. Net income from advertising revenue (e.g., advertising revenue less related
expenses) is currently subject to federal unrelated business income tax (UBIT) if any of the following conditions exists:
- The publication is issued more frequently than once per year.
- A substantial portion of any employee’s job is devoted to selling advertising.
- The revenues generated are from a payment(s) where an exclusive provider arrangement exists between the vendor and the club.
Responsibilities
LYSA Commissioner is responsible for approving or disapproving advertising and corporate sponsorship. The Commissioner will review (at their discretion) corporate sponsorship with individual teams or programs to determine whether the sponsorship meets or fails this policy.
Definitions/descriptions/abbreviations
"Advertising” means offering space in a print publication, web page or social media, on uniforms, gear, field banners/signage or any other materials unique to an individual team, to another party for the purpose of promoting or marketing any trade or business, or any service, facility or product. Advertising includes messages containing qualitative or comparative language, price information or other indications of savings or value, an endorsement, or an inducement to purchase, sell, or use any company, service, facility or product.
“Corporate sponsorship” means accepting a contribution in monetary and/or non-monetary goods or services from a business or commercial enterprise in exchange for acknowledgement of that business by an individual team or program in any of the forms listed above as “advertising”.
Conditional Acceptance of Sponsorships
Monetary sponsorships will only be accepted under the following conditions:
- Cash or cash equivalents are paid directly to Lane Youth Soccer Association administrator or director after Commissioner approval.
- All individual team sponsorships will be split evenly between the team and LYSA Scholarship Fund.
- All individual team or program sponsorships will be reviewed by the Commissioner and approved or disapproved.
- Sponsorships are assumed to be for the duration of minimum one season, maximum two seasons (one year).
Conditional Use of Sponsorships
Monetary sponsorship funds will be distributed under the following conditions:
- Specific use of individual team sponsorships will be reviewed by the Commissioner and approved or disapproved.
- The Commissioner or the Treasurer at the Commissioner's direction will distribute all funds.
Sponsorship Levels |
Player $225 |
League $500 |
Coach $1,000 |
Team Gear $2,000 |
Full Team $6,000 |
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Sponsor a single player for a season (pays for registration and uniform). |
Media Exposure Sponsorship |
Provides complete coach field gear/ball bag for one team to use throughout the season |
Provides uniform kits for one team and complete Coach field gear/ball bag. |
Full team expense. Includes player registration fee, uniform kits and coach field gear bag/ball bag. |
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1. Name/logo on Sponsor page on LYSA website. Link to business home page. |
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2. Name/logo LYSA FaceBook page. Link to business home page. |
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3. Logo included in all social media use and field sponsor list. |
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4. Banner with corporate name/logo hung by fields at Petersen Park |
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5. Featured on our LYSA Monthly Facebook sponsor appreciation/shoutout post |
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6. Name/logo on team's game & practice uniforms |
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7. Framed team photo & thank you card from sponsored team |
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8. Name/logo on team field banner posted behind team bench on gameday. |
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9. Choice of LYSA merch. 5 caps with logo or 5 league soccer scarves. |
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