Olympic diver facing end of his career

One Olympic diver is facing potentially dropping out of full time training this year due to a lack of funding and budget reforms within his discipline.

Olympic diving medalist Waterfield has been faced with an ultimatum, to place in this years London 2012 or get a full time job and train in his own spare time.

He recently got dropped from his role as an athlete monitor for youth teams, as well as having his lottery funding reduced since undergoing shoulder surgery after the Beijing Olympics in 2008. With London 2012 just a matter of weeks away he could not risk failure by getting a job now and miss out on vital training.

So to see him through, his wife has taken up a second job as a carer in the evenings, as well as working in the NHS during the day. All this is so they can keep up with mortgage costs as well as providing for their two children, both under ten.

This poses the question then, why do some athletes in this years Olympics have overwhelming funding and support, whilst others are seemingly struggling to survive?

At the moment many channels are cashing in on the London 2012 games, they are using the faces of well known British athletes to help endorse their products with a return of publicity and money for those athletes. Some adverts on screens at the moment include the likes of Jessica Ennis, Usain Bolt and Waterfield's diving team mate, Tom Daley. They are all barely out of the papers and social media sites. So how come they are securing such lucrative investments and not mature professionals such as Waterfield....

Well the one thing that clearly stands out is age, Daley and Ennis are both young, fresh faced, attractive athletes. Whereas Waterfield is 30 and in the sporting world, basically set for retirement.

In a world where every year counts, it appears to be that companies lose interest in older sportsmen after a certain time. Unless you cashed in on your youth and talent and made a household name for yourself, once you get too old you will sadly go on the pile of other forgotten athletes....

Although, it is rather sad that we live in a world where no one can support our British Olympic hopefuls unless 'Olay' or 'Coca-cola' tell us to. It would be nice for someone in the media to give this guy a chance to show us he is still the amazing athlete who has won so many medals for this country.

Birchfield Harriers ask for help to sponsor athletes

Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham have made athlete sponsorship costs known to the public on their site, asking for help to ensure a handful of athletes receive some form of sponsorship.

The club don’t receive funding from UK Athletics or the National Lottery, but instead rely on membership fees and sponsors to run the club.

They have detailed the different ways in which you can sponsor the athletes in a shopping list format.

Costs have been made public on the site: Copyright Birchfield Harriers

“The cost of being a full time athlete does not come cheap”.

The club is currently sponsored by major company Nike amongst others, however with the lack of financial funding for its athletes the club have turned to the Internet in hope that others are willing to help their talent athletes.

Many of the athletes featured on the site receive no funding and are forced to finance their career through part-time jobs.

Those interested in sponsoring an athlete will be able to meet the athlete and watch them train at a sponsors event.

Not as expensive as majors, sponsorship costs are still steep ranging from the cost of kits to massages. 

Athletes who underperform lose sponsorship

What happens if athletes under perform? Well according to Brian Brady of the Independent 1,800 Olympic hopefuls were kicked off a funding program after falling below personal standards.

The World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) guarantees athletes up to £55,000 to cover training costs in the run-up to the London 2012 Games.

However the WCPP withdrew 1,800 athletes after they fell below their set personal performance standards.

Athletes pulled from the program have to now either gain private sponsorship or work part time to keep their Olympic dreams alive.

After having his annual £20,000 funding removed 4x400m runner Richard Buck said: "It's a huge disappointment. I had improved and won international medals". The athlete is now stacking shelves in Tesco to fund his training.

While some athletes lost funding through retirement, many have lost their funding because of injury or because they have been judged as underachieving.

Funding

Between 2009-2013 the funding given to help athlete training has sky rocketed to £264 million, however the increased budget has meant instead of being able to help more athletes fund their training, the demand for better training performances out ruled this.

Chart created with Chart go

The chart looks at the changes made to athlete training funds between the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games. 

However the budget given to fun 34 Olympic and Paralympic sports in the 2012 games is £50 million short of the amount originally considered. This means that 12 sports have been considered as medal "no hopers" and have received virtually no funding.

The Pros and Cons of sponsorship in local level Boxing

How sponsors can help athletes

UK Sport have issued a document titled "Get Sponsored" which targets athletes who are aiming to reach the World Class Pathway, and guides athletes through the sponsorship process.

How can sponsors help athletes?


Money is often an issue when it comes to sponsorship, however there are many different ways in which a sponsor can help support their athletes.

The table shows the different ways in which sponsors can help athletes, it leaves the question are these forms of help more crucial than a lump sum?

Athlete sponsorship - the legal side

Under the advertising compliance law, agency Reed Smith have released a guideline that sponsors can follow when it comes to marketing campaigns surrounding the London Games.

In 2006 the Government alongside the International Olympic Committee passed the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, which together with the Olympic Symbol Act of 1995, offers protection to the Games and their sponsors.

The British Olympic Association has informed the 560 UK athletes that they must sign a confidential rule book, titled the 'Team Members Agreement' failure to do so could result in disqualification from the Games.

The law surrounding athlete sponsorship is very complex and failure to comply with these rules can ultimately see athletes banned from performing in the Games. During the Olympic Games a team of 'branding police' will be checking venues to ensure that manufacturers logos are removed or hidden during the Games.

Kit

A strict clean venue policy has been enforced by the International Olympic Committee, which means that sponsored athletes are not permitted to wear branded sports kits which carry logos other than that of the official kit sponsor.

For example during the 2012 Games an athlete sponsored by Nike will not be allowed to wear their branded clothing, instead they must only wear Adidas whilst in the arena.

Athletes are banned from wearing any item that carries individual sponsored logos during the Olympic trials, events and pre or post race interviews.

If an athlete is found to be in breach of the IOC's rules, they can then ban athletes from participating in the 2012 Games.

Appearance

Athletes have been place under a strict code surrounding tattoos, haircuts, piercings or contact lenses. These must not issue commercial or political messages.

Any athlete who has existing tattoos that the board believe make political statements must be covered up.

Endorsements

Athletes have been placed under strict rules when it comes to mentioning brand names. Restrictions are in place to stop athletes being seen or mention sponsors such as Nike, Puma and Cola - as these are not official sponsors.

Under the rules of the competition, competing athletes are not permitted to endorse products during the period of the games.

However if an athlete is chosen to endorse products or services for a company, then these advertisements must be published either before or after the Games - and not during the Games.

Any competing athlete found to appear in adverts during the period of the Games may be banned from participating.

However this is one exception to this rule: well known former athletes. Those who are not competing are allowed to be featured during this time.

For example athletes like Dame Kelly Holmes.

Although no association should be made to the Games during these adverts otherwise this is an infringement of the London Olympic Association Rights.

Social Media


A social media and blogging policy has been created to help athletes understand the restrictions on blogging.


During the Games period (18 July - 15 August) athletes are not permitted to blog about sponsors or endorsed products, unless it's an official sponsor.

For example Usain Bolt will not be able to Tweet about drinking Pepsi (as Coca Cola is the main drinks sponsor)

Audio and video content from the athletes' village and any Olympic venue is banned from being uploaded to the Internet.

Athletes are banned from reporting on competition or comment on the activities of other athletes.

Press


Athletes are banned from attending any press conferences that have not ben arranged by Olympic organisers wearing official kit or medals.

Non-Sponsors


Sponsors who are not official Games sponsors are not allowed to advertise slogans such as:

"Supporting our athletes at the 2012 Games!"
"Help us make it a Gold 2012"

Companies are not allowed to use images that suggest an association with the London Olympics

As part of a promotion non-sponsored companies are not allowed to offer tickets.

A website has been set up in order for both organisers and athletes to report any ambush activities they may encounter. OlympicGamesMonitoring.com has ben set up, however it is inaccessible to the public and unauthorised users.

To protect sponsors brands and broadcasting rights, these strict rules will affect every athlete and business in the UK.

Top Twitter accounts to Follow surrounding the Olympics

If you want more insight and news in to the London 2012 Olympics and Sponsorships, here are useful Twitter accounts you can follow:

Around the Olympics Twitter Accounts:

• @London2012HQ 
• @Telegraph2012 
•  @PressAssoc2012
•  @KellySotherton
• @matthewwbeard 
• @London2012 
• @BBCLdnOlympics 
• @TeamGB 
• @SerenaPlays 
• @London2012Fest 
• @DaveGordonBBC 
• @mirrorolympics 
• @ParalympicsGB 
• @Olympics 
• @BBCSport_Ollie 
• @OlympicNews2012 
• @OlyCountdown 
• @DavidBondBBC 
•  @TelegraphLondon
•  @usainbolt
• @youtholympics 
• @DaniKing1 
• @Lon2012don 
• @Jess_BBCSport 
•  @LO2012
• @SkyNewsOlympic 

Olympic Sponsorship Twitter Accounts: 

• @Nike 
• @adidas 
• @McDonalds 
• @BMWGroup 
• @CocaCola 
• @edfenergycomms 
• @aspireonenews 
• @PANASONICUK 
• @British_Airways 
• @thomascookuk 
• @DowChemical 
• @CadburyUK 
• @SamsungMobile 
• @sainsburys 
• @visanfl 

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Unsponsored Boxer VS Sponsored Boxer

‘I’ve sold my bike and my I-pod before to get new boots and a new gum shield’. Callum Morman, a 14 year old boxer from Telford, Shropshire discusses the drastic measures he has to face to fund his boxing career. Due to not having a sponsor. 

 

Callum Morman, 14 and Joe McAllister, 18 both have been attending Donnington boxing club and have been close team mates for several years. Despite the parallels, between the two boxers there are major contrasts between been a sponsored boxer and been an unsponsored boxer in this highly competitive sport. Whilst living local to the club Callum explains how he sometimes finds it difficult to make it to boxing lessons.

'The early sessions start at 5 but I have my paper round at 4.30 so sometimes I don't get it done in time. Which means I miss the lesson! The paper round is to pay for my membership, and my gloves and gum shield, when I'm sparring.'

Callum draws on to some of the comparisons between the 'Sponsored' and the 'Unsponsored', in the world of boxing. 'People with sponsors are able to train more often than non sponsored boxers. Everything is paid for them and they don't need a job'. 

Team mater McAllister is fortunate to have a sponsorship with a local plumbing company to cover all his boxing expenses. But Callum shares the harsher struggles he has to cover his costs.

'When I can't afford to get boots or head guards I sell things so I've got the money. I've sold my bike and my I-pod before to get new boots and a new gum shield... It's something I have to do when I haven't got any money, If I didn't do it. I wouldn't get any better at boxing.' 

Joe previously explained the psychological benefits of having a sponsor.

‘Having a sponsor sends out a message out that you’re a worthy boxer. It also sends out a big message to your opponent and having that little psychological edge, is exactly what your looking for before a fight’.

Callum uses the psychological edge of his opponent been sponsored to his advantage, for his motivation and drive to succeed in the fight.

‘Whenever one of us is going into a fight and we know were against a sponsored fighter there’s always banter going on. We all want to beat the guy who’s sponsored because then it shows were good enough to be sponsored, its great for motivation’ .

Who do Nike Sponsor?

Nike is the largest sports supplier in the world, in 2008 the company spent a massive $235 million on direct sponsorship. With this figure in mind it is important to look at how many athletes the company sponsor.

(source: Charlee Greenhalgh)

It is evident when compared to athletes sponsored by Adidas, that both companies have chosen to endorse footballers heavily, and play an important role in the sponsorship process for players. 

Who do Adidas sponsor?

Adidas is a major international sports sponsor, with its sponsorship budgets on the rise, it's important to look at how many athletes Adidas currently sponsor.

(Source: Charlee Greenhalgh)

The infograph shows that Adidas currently sponsor a wide range of athletes from across the globe, however these results show that their sponsorship of athletes heavily fall within that of rugby and football.

How endorsements are helping top female athletes to cash in

In his article for the Daily Mail, Alex Miller claims that the marketability of Britain’s top female athletes prior to the 2012 games, has allowed them to negotiate endorsement pay rises, and also the chance to take on additional sponsors.

He states that:

“The highest profile female British athletes typically take on up to four major endorsements, each worth up to £150,000 a year”.

Jessica Ennis, Victoria Pendleton, Jenna Randall, Keri-Anne Payne and Laura Bechtolsheimer have been able to cash in on the games by substantially increasing their incomes. 


Each of these have noticed a major increase in their salaries from endorsements. The table below looks at the difference between their 2011 income and their 2012 income. 

(source: Charlee Greenhalgh)

This table compares the female athletes and looks at their sponsors, and how they have changed in the last 12 months. 

(source: Charlee Greenhalgh)

Jessica Ennis

Jessica's sponsorship deals with Powerade, Aviva, BP and Olay are estimated to be worth around £150,000 each. 

Her contact with Aviva requires her to only work six days a year, so that her training schedule remains untouched. 

Her kit sponsorship deal with Adidas is thought to be the biggest deal for a Team GB athlete, the deal is estimated to be worth around £320,000 including performance related add-ons. 

Victoria Pendleton

In the last twelve months Victoria Pendleton has been able to take on three new sponsors, which has allowed her income to increase by 50 per cent. 

Her lucrative sponsorship deal with Hovis is estimated to be worth around £150,000 - the deal involved TV, print and on-pack promotions. 

Keri-Anne Payne

Keri-Anne Payne's new sponsorship deal with Max Factor is set to be worth around £70,000 a year. 

This year female sponsorships have been significantly increasing, and these five women are set to become some of the highest paid athletes in the run up to the 2012 games.

How does online media help athletes gain a sponsor?

Unknown or lesser known athletes are finding it increasingly difficult to find sponsorship, so I looked at how the world of online media can help.

A brave technique was used by the athlete James Ellington in an attempt to gain sponsorship as he opted to "sell himself on ebay" in December last year.

This was widely criticized as a pr stunt in order to gain recognition by the sprinter, but a pr stunt that worked in this case.

The runner said that he's wear the kit of the highest bidder on as many opportunities as possible running up to the Olympic games.

The bid raised to a respectable £32,500 on the popular internet bidding site but it turned out to be a hoax. Speculation accumulated that the highest bid was by Ellington's PR team so that he became more known and gained a sponsor through more respectable or 'genuine' ways.

Again, this tactic worked as Ellington gained sponsorship with "King of Shaves". (source)



But what about those who are seeking sponsorship but don't want to use such controversial techniques?

There are some websites that attempt to help you find sponsorship, such as findasponsor , sponsor121 and UKsponsorship, however these sites focus on sponsorship in many areas, not just Olympic.

Then we have to look at more professional formats like linkedin  and twitter so that athletes seeking sponsorship can branch out contacts and find potential sponsors through social networking.


In conclusion, online media can help lesser or unknown athletes to find sponsorship, but only when used in conjunction with other techniques.

Types of UK Sponsorship

The UK's sport sponsorship market is valued at around £400 million according to UK Sport.

Types of sponsorship:

There are different forms of sponsorships that athletes can receive, some companies choose to dress athletes head to toe in gear whereas others will provide athletes a place to train during the run up to the Olympics.

(source: Charlee Greenhalgh)

Shirt / Team Sponsorship:
Shirt and team sponsorships are the most common form, and are mainly used in sports such as football. For example Samsung Mobile sponsor Chelsea FC. 

Squad Sponsorship:
Squad sponsorships are common during the Olympics, examples of this include: Aviva and the UK Athletics Team. 

Athlete Sponsorship:
Athlete sponsorships are when a brand chooses an athlete to sponsor, which includes providing them with branded kit and training. For example Nike sponsor Wayne Rooney.

Event Sponsorship:
Event sponsorship is used when events such as football matches are sponsored by companies, for example the Barclays Premiership.

Venue / Stadium Sponsorship:
Venue and Stadium sponsorship is when specific buildings are sponsored by companies, and example of this is the O2 Arena. 

Broadcast Sponsorship:
Broadcast sponsorship is when sponsors cover an event that is broadcast on media platforms. For example Heineken sponsor ITV's Rugby World Cup coverage. 

Small Athlete Sponsorship Deal:
Small athlete sponsorships deals tend to help athletes on a smaller scale compared to athlete sponsorships. Deals can sometimes include places to train or kit to help them. For example a small sponsorship deal could be a hockey player receiving four free sticks a year.  

What lengths will Olympic athletes go to to be sponsored?

With the Olympic budget spiralling out of control the sponsorship system continues to fail struggling athletes in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games. 


Through this lack of support athletes are turning to drastic ways to compete equally with other athletes and obtain sponsors. The example of Olympic runner James Ellington highlights the real struggle within the athletic community and the failure of the sponsorship system.


Olympic sponsorship is a form of survival for most athletes, especially those who compete in non-paying events such as the Olympic Games. Sponsorship can cover the cost of living and training for amateur athletes in several different forms including private, corporate, and team ownership.

According to findasponsor.com “Olympic sponsorships contribute more than 40% of Olympic income” and with the Olympics fast approaching sponsorship deals for athletes are becoming more sought after. One athlete who took his search for an Olympic sponsor to the next level is UK Olympic runner James Ellington who after struggling to find a sponsor put himself on Ebay in a last ditch attempt to secure a sponsorship deal.

Although Ellington managed to secure a place on team GB without any kind of kit endorsements or sponsorship he still was desperate for commercial sponsorship so he could be able to compete to his best potential.  Ellington revealed in a recent BBC interview (see the hyperlink for a link to their article and a video of his televised interview)

In this interview Ellington discusses how Olympic funding doesn’t filter down, in some cases, where it’s needed most, leaving talented athletes struggling to compete but supports “Pin athletes”.  It is transparent that the budget favours the more recognisable athletes such as Usain Bolt and also the Games’ reputation e.g. the opening ceremony.

But why is this? Ellington’s story highlights where the current Olympic sponsorship system and budget fails to support individual athletes. In a recent report the Daily Mail breaks down elements of the Olympic budget and states that the budget is currently 10 times what was previously predicted in 2005. The report states that 


"The predicted cost of the games when London won the bid in 2005 was £2.37billion. That figure has now spiralled to more than £12billion and could reach as much as £24billion, the Sky Sports investigation claims...This figure includes the build of the venues and the £600million police and security budget. The government has just allocated an extra £41million (with a £7million contingency) from this budget to LOCOG to pay for the Opening Ceremony, which is set to cost £81million total"

Reading through this article you can see that a lot of money has been allocated to the Olympic legacy, stadiums and legalities but there is no mention of support for the athletes themselves or any sponsorship allocations.

It is becoming increasingly clearer that athletes have to take sponsorship matters into their own hands and attempt to get their own sponsorship deals. With all the previous gold medal winners and recognisable faces getting the easy ride athletes who have previously struggled with injury or are less well known are getting left at the side lines. Ellington managed to secure a sponsorship deal with a shaving company but will all struggling athletes have to take such extreme measures, and should they have to? Shouldn’t the Olympic budget, organisations such as LOCOG and sponsorship system prioritise our athletes? 

Interview with Sponsored Boxer Joe 'Marvelous' McAllister

‘Having a sponsor sends out a message that you’re a worthy boxer, it also sends out a big message to your opponent and having that little psychological edge is exactly what your looking for before a fight’. Joe ‘Marvelous’ McAllister an 18 year old, sponsored boxer from Telford Shropshire. Joe talks in depth about what it takes to attain sponsorship in one of the most brutal sports in the world.

With an impressive amateur record of 11-1-0 Joe briefs on how he was first introduced to world of boxing.

 ‘When I was young my Dad used to have a punch bag in the back garden. I often saw him hitting the bag and I remember always wanting to join in. For years I wasn’t allowed, because my Mom insisted. She never wanted me to get involved in boxing. But eventually after much persuasion she finally let me come along to Donnington Boxing Club’.

Joe explains that the sport of boxing is often given bad publicity.

‘Boxing’s always been a sport which is stereotyped as being two thugs getting in a ring with each other and trying to hurt one another. When the truth is they don’t see the hard work, dedication and discipline the sport takes. You occasionally get professional boxers who let the sport down and give it a bad name like recently David Chasora. But that’s not what the majority of boxer are like, when boxing was first came about it was considered a gentleman sport’.

With a light hearted humor in his voice he says. ‘I don’t think its quite like that anymore but were certainly not the trouble making thugs were interpreted to be!’

A local plumbing company is the proud sponsors of the ambitious young boxer, and Joe doesn’t hesitate to discuss his thoughts on sponsors within his sport.

‘Sponsors play a major contribution in boxing, having a sponsor sends out a message out that you’re a worthy boxer, it also sends out a big message to your opponent and having that little psychological edge is exactly what your looking for before a fight’.  He pauses,  ‘Special sponsorship events take place where each boxing club will select boxers to compete against each other with sole aim of getting sponsored’, 

Joe expands by saying.

 ‘These events are huge for an amateur boxer, it’s a great privilege to have a sponsor and fighters really train hard in the lead up to them. There also held in nice places’. Bursting into laughter he says, ‘Which makes a change let me tell you!’

Continuing on the theme of sponsors Joe enlightens the benefits involved of having a sponsor.

‘The sponsors also pay for our individual clothes and equipment like gum shields, gloves, towels, hand wraps, boots, gowns and any other bits and pieces we need, as well as the membership to the club. I think its quite well known that most kids who go in to boxing clubs aren’t that rich. So when it comes to the big events they struggle to get the money to buy all the little extras you need like vest, gum shields, headguards etc.’

Joe speaks of some of the harsher realities some boxers face ‘There are people in this club that have sold their bikes to buy gloves and pay for their membership because their parents cant afford it’. He openly says, ‘Its not nice to see what great champions have done it in the past. Manny Pacquiao used to live on the streets selling donuts to people in traffic jams, now his the best boxer in the world, so it can all be worth it!’

Joe’s reaction was instantaneous to answer one of the biggest questions in boxing at the moment Pacquaio or Mayweather? ‘ Pacquaio definitely ! Pacquaio has more power and lightening fast hands as well as the quickest feet in the game. Mayweather been ducking him for ages, he’s only trying to wait until his slowed down!’