Soccer continues to grow in popularity. Like most youth sports leagues, you need fundraising ideas to make the costs reasonable for the average family. Two or three kids in the same household with an interest in soccer are a more significant reason to have alternative funding options.
In addition to helping families, a soccer fundraiser can help your team get the necessary equipment for the program and boost team morale.
Coming up with unique soccer fundraising ideas is crucial when other organizations compete for the same dollars. To prepare for the fundraiser, host a few brainstorming sessions, and assign a team to do research and ensure it's a good fit for your organization.
Social media is a great way to share information with the community. Get everyone excited and ready to support the players. Here are 15 high school soccer fundraising ideas that the team is sure to love.
1. Soccer Scarves: Traditional Fundraising Ideas
High school soccer is a sport played during the fall. Soccer scarves are a popular way to protect fans from the brisk winds and cold nights. Teams have the opportunity to design unique scarves fans will love to wear to games.
Soccer scarves can get customized in team colors and include the team's school name and mascot. There are multiple types of scarves, including a lightweight fabric for summer soccer leagues.
Fans stand behind their favorite teams by wearing team jerseys, hats, and other items. Encourage students to stand behind their team by wearing scarves at every game.
2. Dine-and-Donate
This funding idea is a way for students, faculty, family, and the community to rally behind their favorite soccer team. Create a night where supporters can show their team spirit when getting a great meal. Find a local restaurant or popular chain interested in giving back to the community.
On a particular night or for a week, anyone dining at the restaurant and wearing team gear gets a discount.
Negotiate with the establishment, the discount amount, and what constitutes team gear. It would help if you also considered creating a discount card for people to present to the cashier.
3. Create Ad Revenue
Generate ad revenue as a fundraiser idea for your high school soccer team. Many sports organizations print programs for their events. The programs include player information and spotlight features.
You can solicit business ads from local companies to cover the cost of the program and raise money for the team. Choose businesses that see parents and students as their target audience.
Sometimes, major companies include community engagement ads in their annual budgets. The money is reserved for employees to submit requests from local organizations they support.
4. Unique Brand Tees
Everyone loves T-shirts. They're inexpensive and easy to customize with the school mascot and slogan. Like soccer scarves, fan t-shirts encourage team spirit and school pride.
Have students wear their t-shirts on soccer game days and for pep rallies. Parents and families can get in on the fun by purchasing t-shirts to support the soccer program.
To make the team fundraising event a bigger success, host an artwork contest and allow the students to choose the best design. Supporting the talents of students who may not be on the team makes it more than another fundraising opportunity.
5. Team Color Donut Sale
Local and franchise donut shops offer team fundraising programs. Team members take orders for boxes of donuts and distribute them on a designated day.
Since soccer seasons are in the cooler fall months, your high school soccer team can pair the donut sale with a cup of hot chocolate. This way, you can earn additional revenue from the sale of the beverage.
Spice up your donut sales by selling donuts covered in icing or sprinkles representing your school colors.
6. Business Banner Drive
Vinyl banners are a popular form of advertising for many local businesses. Soccer games are played outdoors on the school football fields and enclosed by chain-link fences.
Instead of using barrier tarps to block spectators from viewing the game without paying the admission fee, use banner ads instead.
Solicit companies to sponsor the team for a season by investing in large banners covering a fencing section. Create a tier-pricing system to encourage businesses to buy premium spaces.
Advertising on fences with street-side views costs more. The company gets a double-wide banner and additional perks if your stadium faces a major thoroughfare.
7. Soccer Field Day Challenge
Your high school soccer team fundraising can get creative and include a lot of fun. Fundraising ideas can be as simple or extravagant as you like. Consider hosting a soccer field day challenge that allows your players to display their talents and also put on a demonstration for future players.
A field day challenge is an event where the games center around certain soccer moves. For example, you can have soccer drill challenges that include:
- Crossbar Challenge
- Driving Range Challenge
- Tennis Ball Challenge
In addition to those games, create an obstacle course and incorporate soccer drills that competitors must complete. Also, put on a small clinic for youngsters eight and younger.
Get a few food trucks and a local radio station to provide food and entertainment.
8. Paint Party and Auction
Soccer players can play ball and demonstrate their artistic capabilities with this soccer fundraising idea.
Paint party companies keep popping up on the market. Some of them offer the option of a studio party, or they will come to your location.
Inquire with companies in your area to see if they offer fundraising opportunities. The support for non-profits allows the organization to take home a percentage of the proceeds from the party.
Choose a soccer-themed painting and get as many fans and family to come and paint with a purpose. Use social media to spread the word about the event to increase participation.
9. Bail Out the Coach
Many large organizations host bail-out fundraisers. In most instances, the mayor of a city or the police chief gets taken to the local jail. They must stay there until enough donations get raised to cover the bail... fundraiser goal.
A bail-out soccer fundraiser is another idea that can benefit from social media influence. You'll need both your local and online community to get involved.
Options for prisoners include the team's coach or coaching staff, the school's principal, or your star player. Go all out and share video footage of them behind bars, making a plea for their release. Flip the script and have people make donations to keep them behind bars.
Make sure your detainees wear their soccer team t-shirts and custom scarves.
10. Celebrity Auction
Celebrity auctions can become an added feature for your high school soccer team's awards night. It's an exceptional idea if you have a major league soccer team in your area.
Reach out to the team to see if a few players would be interested in participating in the auction. Typically, the winner of the auction gets a night out with the celebrity. In this event, the player can offer VIP seats for a family of four, or the winner can participate in a team workout.
Have the MLS team throw in free jerseys or other branded prizes.
11. Chores for Cash
If your high school soccer players plan on attending college, they need to learn how to give back to the community. Fundraising ideas don't always need to focus on fun.
Chores for cash help the team and provide a service to people within the community. For a small donation, community members pay to have players mow their lawns, repaint house trim, or help with other small projects.
12. Amazing Mud Race
Mud races with a soccer twist are a fun twist to popular fundraising ideas. Have the community sponsor players to participate in a soccer-themed mud race.
The obstacle course includes soccer drills and power plays along the route to the finish line. The final task is to get the ball through the goal.
Use the event to gain awareness for the program and garner community support and sponsorships.
13. Great Color Run
Color runs are messy, fun, and popular fundraising ideas. It's a simple concept where participants pay to get doused in a powdered paint concoction. The event can take place on the school's track using the school's colors.
The race is often 5K but can have a shorter distance. Along the track have designated individuals to perform the color tosses.
Consider doing the race before a highly anticipated soccer match-up against a popular opponent.
Game On: It's Time to Raise Funds for Your Soccer Team
We hope these soccer fundraising ideas have you excited. Getting your organization money for a well-rounded program is crucial to your success.
How you market the ideas to the team members, sponsors, and others, will determine the outcome. At the end of each event, thank everyone who made the fundraiser a huge success.
Are you looking to learn more about soccer scarves and how to create a successful fundraiser? Click here for more information on custom scarves for your team and supporters.