A £10,000 Transformation: Saint Anthony’s Football Club’s Success with SNAP
Saint Anthony’s Football Club, affectionately nicknamed the ‘Ants’, is a small but mighty club based in the heart of Glasgow. With the support of a couple of sponsors throughout their season, they were barely getting by. Club secretary Martin McKenna knew that something had to change if they were going to go from where they were to flourishing.
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%
increase in sponsors (from 2 to 12) -
New kits and a new women’s team -
£
Raised in 2 years
“Before SNAP, we had just 2-3 sponsors per season. Now, we have 12, raising over £10,000 and boosting our kit and club's progress.”
The challenge
Each year, the club tried to get sponsors in a few different ways. They got token sponsorship from local businesses that players were connected to, and they sent out PDFs to potential sponsors outlining why they should give the Ants their financial backing.
These methods would only amount to 2 or 3 sponsors in a season—just enough to cover the basic costs of the team’s kit.
But Saint Anthony’s would need more than local businesses’ affection for the club to get beyond the basics and grow the way they hoped.
The Ants needed a different approach to show potential sponsors how a partnership could benefit both parties and engage them in more substantial long-term support for the club.
How SNAP’s guidance changed things
Saint Anthony’s needed guidance from industry experts on how to approach sponsors and offer them more in exchange for their support. They found exactly that in SNAP.
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Showed that sponsorship isn’t one-size-fits-all
Before working with SNAP, the club sought sponsors to cover their basic needs—one at a time. If they needed money for new kit, they would look for a sponsor. If their equipment broke down, they’d look for another. Because they were essentially asking for ‘goodwill gestures’, they felt they couldn’t ask for more. They focused on their immediate requirements rather than looking at the bigger picture. SNAP helped them see that they had value to offer their sponsors in return. From corner flags to clubhouse branding, they could support the businesses they partnered with in exchange for their financial assistance. Consequently, this attracted more sponsors eager to benefit from a partnership with the club.
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Putting social media to use
By working with SNAP, the club was able to leverage their sizeable social media following. Between X, Facebook, and Instagram, Saint Anthony’s has a combined following of over 16,000 people. This made for an attractive benefit for the sponsors. Not only would they get their brand in front of countless people at matches through equipment and clubhouse sponsorships, but they would also be introduced to an audience of thousands online.
“SNAP's platform just takes the hassle away of managing sponsorship. The social sharing tool alone saves me so much time, creating sponsor posts and automating them throughout the season ahead!”
The key results
Saint Anthony’s Football Club has seen huge success with SNAP. They’ve grown their sponsor numbers from 3 at most to 12 in a matter of 2 years. They’re now seeing £10,000 of vital financial support coming into the club. This money has been a lifeline—not to keep their basic costs covered, but also to expand and future-proof the club.
“The webinars provided by SNAP have taught us hot to approach businesses and show the benefis of sponsorship to them.”
A brighter future for the Ants
By working with SNAP, Saint Anthony’s FC has been able to secure multiple long-term sponsorships, bring thousands of pounds into the club, and guarantee the club’s continuing growth.
They’ve been able to invest in club facilities, new team kits, and even establish a women’s team. This has been incredible progress from a club that struggled to cover more than the most basic team equipment just a couple of years ago.
“The team at SNAP helped us realise the different opportunities that are available as well, which is always giving us more to push, which in return has amounted to more sponsors for us.”
Streamlining the outreach process
Before teaming up with SNAP, Saint Anthony’s approach to outreach was to send each business an email just asking for funding. Now, with SNAP’s CRM Tool, the club can issue automated emails to businesses within specific industries to reflect value, engaging potential sponsors like never before.
“SNAP have helped us realise our potential, with what assets we have to offer, and what value we, as a club, have to connect with businesses, which has amounted to more sponsorship revenue for the club.”
