Sponsorship Kit

Western Mass Pioneers PO Box 457 Ludlow, MA 01056 Tel: (413) 583-4814 Fax: (413) 547-6225 [email protected] Commitment to Our Sponsors Our commitment to valued sponsors like yourself, is to continue to seek and present multiple marketing mediums in which you may present your business products and/or services. Thousands of Western Mass Pioneers fans gather in more than once a week. Studies show that a brand needs to be flashed before clients a minimum of 5-7 times before a client actually recognizes the brand and starts paying attention! Make thousands of prospects within your target audience recognize your brand multiple times every week and grow your business!

Since 1997, the Western Mass Pioneers have played their hearts out in Lusitano Stadium. In over 13 years, we’ve developed our team into perennial contenders, along with a Junior program and sprouting campaigns, such as soccer camps. Our goal is to share the love of the game with everyone we meet, and to build a passion for the sport we have dedicated our lives to. Thank you for being a supporter of our team. For each game we play, we are building a legacy. We aim to contend for the championship each year, and hope you will continue to be there to cheer us on.

We sincerely appreciate your support, The Western Mass Pioneers Family Whoho we are WHO ARE THE WESTERN MASS PIONEERS? The Western Mass Pioneers Soccer Club was founded in 1997 and entered into USL D-3 league action for the 1998 season. The founders of the club wanted to take advantage of the sport’s local popularity among the region’s youth, and leverage the national scale growth developed just after the 1994 World Cup held in the U.S. The formation of gave the organization the kick start it needed! From the start, the Pioneers franchise has been a hit, gaining recognition as one of the top drawing clubs in the league. In just its second season, nearly 5,500 people watched the team win the National Championship over South Jersey at Ludlow’s Lusitano Stadium. Home games, which are normally scheduled on weekends beginning in May, regularly draw 1,000 fans from all over the Pioneer Valley. Since its inception, the Pioneers club has not only enjoyed consistent success by earning home playo games at Lusitano Stadium, but it has also welcomed MLS teams like the Chicago Fire and to further increase the fan base. International clubs Sporting of Portugal, FC Chaves and the Brazilian All Stars have played exhibition matches at the stadium. Another huge bonus for your advertising dollar -- TV highlights of nearly every home game are broadcast on each of the local news channels. WHY DO FANS COME TO OUR GAMES? Along with being the only franchise in the Western Mass area that operates in the Spring and throughout the Summer, we are the best value around for families. A family of four can enjoy the beautiful outdoor atmosphere of the stadium for about $30! And kids love coming to the games. Whether they are participating in half time activities, performing ball boy/girl duties, or getting autographs from the players – there is so much for them to enjoy. Parents love it because of the safe, family-friendly environment that also boasts reasonable concession pricing and ample free parking.

WHO PLAYS FOR THE PIONEERS? The great thing about the Pioneers is its insistence that players come directly from the Western Mass region and New England. Two thirds of our roster is home grown talent, while the remainder is made up of national and international players. Countries renowned for its soccer talent include Brazil, Argentina, and Germany. All have been represented on the Pioneers over the past 12 years! Players are selected by our veteran coaching sta after scheduled try outs are completed. We look at their talent and their resumes. Why? The club is seeking players that want to compete at the highest level in the very competitive minor leagues of soccer. The next level, MLS, is a goal all players hope to achieve. The MLS has players like , Brian McBride, and . These US National Team players have all performed in European Premier Leagues and the MLS. Many of these top-ranked players have performed here at the stadium. It’s not going unnoticed! Fox Sports has broadcast two of the team’s games nationally and local cable access will be showing games throughout the season. DEVELOP YOUR BRAND LIKE OTHER ELITE COMPANIES HAVE. You will nd no better way to kick-start or further develop your brand than by displaying your corporate logo or message with a sign at the stadium, game programs or even on the players’ jerseys. Join companies like Big Y, TD Bank, Dunkin Donuts, and AAA! Not only that, but every sponsor who buys more than $500 in advertising will receive a free link display on our brand new interactive website. Reach people at the game and on the web with your message. Also, your sign will be up at Lusitano Stadium for the entire year! Your advertising goes beyond the Pioneers games, they will also be displayed at numerous high school, college, and amateur soccer games and events held here! Stadium Packages

4’ x 8’ Field Sign Stand Strong with popular brands like Budweiser, Pepsi, Chicopee Savings, AAA, Domino’s Pizza, Heineken, and many well respected local firms. Many signs highlighted during sports highlights on TV News Broadcasts. Includes a link on our website. Located next to goals- $2,000 Located across from grandstand- $1,500 Located on grandstand side - $950

Light Up 20” x 26” Signage Block Our Original Signage is available in a limited quantity. - $ 1,800 Each Many of our long time sponsors which have been with us since 1997 are still proudly displayed on this light up signage. Currently, there are five slots available. Prices include sign setup and maintenance. Renewable yearly. $225 Package Additions

LOCAL BUSINESS SPECIAL Get your sign in Lusitano for $500! Bring in your sign (no larger than 4 x 8). They will be displayed on the bench side of the stadium! If you do not have a sign, we can make one for you. This includes a link on our web site, and the sign will be displayed all year! - $ 500

UNIFORM LOGO OR PATCH The Uniform is the crown jewel of sponsorship opportunities. Your business logo will be proudly displayed on our home and away jerseys!

Spaces available for the current season Men’s Uniform - Front of Jersey home and away- $ 10,000 Back of Jersey below player number home and away - $ 6,000 Small corporate patch on front of home and away jersey- $ 2,500

This package is only available in a minimum of two year deals, as the uniforms are replaced in multi year programs. Contact the Pioneers Office for details.

Ball Kids or Camp Tees Each and every game played at the Sta- dium needs ball boys. They are required to wear a bright color to differentiate them from the play- ers. We are offering for the first time for a spon- sor to be able to proudly display their business on the backs of tees which ball boys will be able to keep. As these will only be available to ball boys, they will proudly wear them in the stadium allowing for an exclusive form of advertisement. Printing on either full front or full back Tee Cost for Season Sponsorship - $1,000

All sponsorship packages include company logo and link to website. Package Additions

Stadium Announcements Throughout our game, our professional announcer can give your firm a mention, offer promotions for sales or specials you may be holding at your location, or offer incentives to our fans to visit your store, possibly offering our fans discounts with proof of game attendance. All these options will allow you to expand your customer base to include the thousands of fans that visit our stadium throughout the season. This package includes 10 tickets to the game you are having your announcements read at, and also includes one business card advertisement in our season program.

Package Value is $300 per game or $ 2,000 per season

Team Photo The Western Mass Pioneers will be printing 500 12” x 18” photos for the official Team Picture. You could piggyback your corporate logo by having it on each and every poster made. These will be given to children at games throughout the season. Poster costs would be included in this promotion. This sponsorship is perfect for a local retailer looking to broaden their exposure. Cost of Poster Sponsorhip $1,000

All sponsorship packages include stadium announcements. Customized Sponsorship Packages

REACH THOUSANDS OF FANS AT EVERY PIONEERS HOME GAME!

With the 2010 World Cup analysts are projecting that soccer in the will soon overtake the NHL in national popularity. Gaining sponsorship opportunities in one of the fastest growing sports in the country could be a great boost for your business. The growing popularity of the “beautiful game” will yield local news tie-ins and the Western Mass Pioneers will be the only regional presence to take advantage of this stunning development. The Pioneers are a proven franchise, having won a championship and continuously earning playoff berths since 1998. Join us for our upcoming season!

The Western Mass Pioneers are proud to have a strong marketing group within its management which will work with you to have a corporate display at the field, or allow you to display and demonstrate your products or services. If you sell a product or offer a service and you would like to reach over 3,000 potential customer in a two hour period, we can offer that to you.

Sponsors who have capitalized on this in the past are:

Dunkin Donuts Big Y Domino’s Pizza The Republican TD Bank Chicopee Savings Bank AAA Charter Communications