8 Winning Football Fundraising Ideas for Success

Overview

If you’re part of a high school or college football team, you know how important team fundraising can be to support your sports season. From equipment to travel expenses, there are many costs associated with playing the sport you love. Here are eight creative football fundraising ideas to help your team reach its financial goals.

1. Run a Football Camp or Flag Football Program

Hosting a football camp can be a great way to fundraise while also sharing your skills and passion for the sport with others. Invite younger players from your community to participate and charge an entry fee for each participant. You can also sell concessions and merchandise during the football games to increase your earnings. One of our favorite flag football programs is NextLevel. The Next Level Flag Football program is offered to participants from Kindergarten through 8th grade. The program seeks to foster an environment to teach and instruct the principles and techniques of flag football in a safe environment. Next Level’s founder Patrick Walsh, has expertise in Football by being Serra High School’s Head Football Coach. To hear about his journey with Next Level check out his podcast with eTeamSponsor’s CEO Sean Connors.

2. Organize a 5K Run

A 5K run is a popular fundraising event idea that can be tailored to a football theme. Consider hosting a “Football 5K” and invite participants to dress up in their favorite team’s colors. Charge an entry fee for each participant and offer prizes for the top performers.

3. Sell Custom Football Jerseys

Design and sell custom football jerseys with your team’s colors and logo. You can sell them online, at games, or through your school’s booster club. Consider partnering with a local printing company to produce high-quality jerseys that your supporters will love. A company with hundreds of custom design options that would be a good fit for your program’s fundraiser is Sports Gear Swag. You can use this idea to bring success to your football team for fundraising by getting the parents involved too to wear the jerseys to all the games. 

4. Crowdfunding / Digital Fundraising

Crowdfunding or digital team fundraising is a winning football fundraising idea to raise funds for your team or organization. Digital Platforms allow you to create a fundraising campaign and share it with your friends, and family, via email, text, and social media followers. You can set a fundraising goal and offer incentives for people who donate to your campaign. Since 2010 eTeamSponsor’s fundraising platform has helped schools raise $200 Million for their sports teams and activities. eTeamSponsor campaigns are easy to set up (30 minutes or less) and typically raise 2-4 times more than traditional fundraising methods and/or going alone. With eTeamSponsor’s crowdfunding platform typically 90% or more of the donations coming in will be from outside the football team’s zip code, which works great when combined with other local fundraising ideas.  

5. Host a Game Tournament

Organize a game tournament with a football twist. Invite attendees to play classic games such as cornhole, ladder ball, or ring toss, but add a football-themed twist to make them unique. This could be a great idea to execute before one of the big football games during the year. Charge an entry fee for each participant and sell concessions and merchandise throughout the event. One of our favorites is a cornhole tournament and raffling off the custom cornhole board at the end always entices the participants. Cornhole World Wide is our go-to site for all things custom cornhole boards and bags.

6. Sell Raffle Tickets

Raffles are a simple yet effective team fundraising idea to raise money for your high school or college football team. Reach out to local businesses and ask if they would be willing to donate prizes such as gift cards, sports equipment, or experiences. Sell raffle tickets to supporters, and announce the winners at a game or event.

7. Host a Football-themed Auction

A football-themed auction can be a successful and profitable fundraising idea for your sports team. Reach out to local businesses and individuals to donate items such as autographed footballs, game tickets, and sports memorabilia. Set up a display with all of the items and encourage attendees to bid on them throughout the event.

8. Organize a Tailgate Party

A tailgate party is a classic winning football team fundraising idea that can be a fun way to bring together your team’s supporters before a game. Charge an entry fee for each attendee and offer food and drinks, games, and activities to keep everyone entertained. You can also sell merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, and other football-themed items to increase your earnings.

There are many creative and effective ways to raise money for your football team. Whether you choose to host a football camp, sell custom jerseys, or organize a tailgate party, the key to success is to plan and promote your event to the community. With these eight football fundraising ideas, your team can reach its financial goals and continue to play the sport you love. We recommend combining a few of these methods with a digital fundraiser that can be going on passively over the course of the football season and can continue to generate funds.