It is the voted-on opinion of CBP that sponsorships are of limited use to bike polo as we play it now. The tournaments we plan are celebrations of community, and that community supports itself at those tournaments. Food, drink, places to overnight, respecting a ho-made trophy as a prize, etc.
That said, we aren't against, and are actually looking at a handful of very polo specific manufactured items for prizes or give aways. Headbadges, printed wheel guards, sets of mallets/balls, etc. T-shirts are out. I've got a drawer full of bike event t-shirts
Two things in response to the 3rd's hosted by Milwaukee, who pursued many sponsors, both local and national.
1. Some of it was great and appropriate and some of it was crap you had to make up excuses for to give it away to a crowd. At least you tried. It's not a direction I would've gone, and the whole scene is better off for having conducted the experiment.
2. Money: As these things get bigger, they will need municipal approval, or at least some insurance against municipal interference. That kind of legitimacy is for sale at a high price. The projected fees and insurance to hold the NACCC tourney in a Chicago city park are around 6 grand. $2,000 from PBR would help. Otherwise, one of the strategies we're considering is trying to sell at a profit all the junk we make for ourselves now: Mallets, patches, triangle guards, headbadges, etc.
Any ideas/suggestions/responses?
$$$
A few personal responses-not voted on or to be held as the thoughts or opinions of all of MBPC-
I have and want to continue to enjoy traveling to polo tourneys all over the country. traveling costs money, gas, car rental, food, tournament entry fees, spare tubes /tires/ wheels/mallets to bring along all cost money. I think going to the tourney in ottawa ran the 3 of us a total of about 7-800 dollars.
I am not rich and with the 2008 Polo season shaping up to be a long and traveled one with tourneys already planned or being planned in Toronto, NYC, Ottawa, Madison, and Chicago it will get hella expensive to go to all of these as well as work enough in between them to support going to the next one as well as paying bills here at home.
I fully agreee that Polo is a great community and once i get to the tourney that community ,may be able to put me up for the night get me some din din and maybe some free beer but this community does not pay for me to get there nor do they pay for the equipment i compete on, which often gets trashed.
On the municpalities note-
1.i think Christian, our PBR rep, gave you guys the info for the chicago PBR rep. I would suggest using it and trying to get Pabst to help out with the NACCC event financially.
2.legitimate places to play have begun to arise with the growth of the sport. It was different when we had 8 guys in the parking garage than when we now have over 20- 2 nights a week. When searching for a spot to hold the 3rds i contacted CPS parking because they have a large mostly unused lot in the summer festival off season. The events coordinater at CPS informed me that to hold an event on their grounds you need to have a $1,000,000 insurance policy to cover your group. Obviously we do not have that.
Playing in County parks and such is a possibility but still Bike polo is not as sanctioned as soccer or football in park. Leading to possibility of being kicked out of or not allowed to play on grass or cement, mainly because the sport is not viewed as legitimate by the higher ups. basically my point being here that paying for a place to play legitimatly is expensive and sometimes even with the funding may be unable to get approved.
as far as crap making up to give away
HEY WHO DOESN'T WANT SOME FREE PBR CRAP?
and the other stuff came from left over stuff from the Chemuaequon fat tire fest that the Crandal's had put on few weeks earlier.
Yes this is all a learning experiance for everyone and i think as long as we continue to discuss and organize we are heading in the right direction.
-jake