Sponsorship of mountainboarding competitions

Introduction

The International Mountainboard Series is the UK's annual mountainboarding competitive series. It is the biggest and best in the world, attracting riders from all over the UK, America, Japan, Russia, and across Europe. The ATBA-UK is offering sponsorship to companies who can make the most of the unique promotional opportunities that come from being associated with the best board sport in the world!

What is Mountainboarding?

Mountainboarding, also known as All Terrain Boarding, is sometimes described as "snowboarding on wheels" or "skateboarding on an over-sized board". It is one of the newest board sports, has more than 20 dedicated centres spread across the country, and a highly organised and competitive scene that is the envy of the rest of the world. Mountain boarding in the UK is an exciting sport with an even more exciting future.

What happens at the competitions

Saturday is dedicated to fast-paced four-man Boarder-Cross racing. Riders in each age group compete in four man races on a purpose built course, with banked corners and features designed to allow them to gain speed as they race down the track. Boarder Cross racing is a spectacular visual event with shoulder-to-shoulder racing over large jumps and through fast sweeping turns.

On Sunday the riders go airbourne. Freestyle has always been an integral part of any board sport competition and ATBA-UK events are no exception. Freestyle involves mountainboarders using specifically-designed jumps to get air and perform all manner of aerial manoeuvres, from simple grabs and spins, to back flips, front flips and off-axis rotations. The UK's freestyle competitors are the best in the world, and riders are constantly pushing what is thought possible on a board.

Where are the competitions?

The International Series competitions are held at dedicated mountain board centres across the UK.

Round 1: Hales Superbole Mountainboard Centre, Chester, Cheshire. 20th & 21st May.
Round 2: Edge Mountainboard Centre, Much Wenlock, Shropshire. 17th & 18th June.
Round 3: Out To Grass Mountainboard Centre, Malvern, Worcestershire. 15th & 16th July.
Round 4: Ironsides Court Farm Mountainboard Centre, Hereford, Herefordshire. 19th & 20th August.

The competitions are spread over the UK to make them as accessible to as many competitors and spectators as possible, and take place monthly to increase the impact of promotional opportunities over as wide an area and time frame as possible.

How many competitors and spectators are there

With the excitement of four-man racing and the amazing freestyle tricks, mountainboarding provides spectators with some awesome displays to watch:

Competitors and spectators total approximately a thousand people, all of whom are primed for direct marketing through sponsors banners, giveaways, etc.
A secondary audience of an estimated five thousand people in the areas surrounding the mountainboard centres experience an increased awareness of the competitions, and the sponsors, through pre-competition promotion, press coverage, and word-of-mouth.
An additional targeted audience reaching approximately twenty thousand also receive online promotion through the ATBA-UK website and eNewsletter.

Previous sponsorship of the International Series

The International Series has secured previous sponsorship from MBS, the largest mountainboard company in the world, Tantrum, the extreme sports clothing company, and 0800 Reverse, the reverse charges telephone company. These and many more companies have supported mountainboard competitions in the UK.

"ATB is a hugely exciting activity to be involved with, and this sponsorship is representative of Headworx' passion for core board sports."

-HeadWorx

"Mountainboarding isn't a fad or just a summer toy for frustrated snowboarders, it's a sick sport in it's own right and is taking over a hill near you!"

-Extreme Sports Channel

"The fastest growing action sport."

-Fat Face

Why you should sponsor the International Series

In associating yourself with the fastest growing action sport in the UK you would be involving yourselves with a sport that is characterised by it's all-inclusiveness, a sport that takes place all across the country and involves people from all walks of life, a sport that although very competitive, is still at its heart, a friendly community sport.

Sponsoring the International Series will provide you with a powerful means of raising brand awareness to a targetted audience and develop a relationship with a new and exciting sport that will grow astronomically in the future.

Levels of sponsorship

Sponsors can choose to support a single competition, a single discipline or category across the entire Series, or the whole Series. This flexibility allows sponsors to market directly to a more targeted audience, e.g. younger riders or women, or achieve maximum exposure across the entire mountainboarding community and beyond.

Ways you can sponsor

Sponsorship can be provided in a number of ways:

Money: Delivering high quality, well promoted events costs thousands of pounds.
Prizes: Items of value that winners will want, from Frisbees to Ferraris.
Support: Giveaway products, administrative tasking, or event assistance.

What you get in return

The exposure a sponsor receives will depend on the level of sponsorship they provide but a headline sponsor can expect naming rights for the International Series 2011 whilst a prize sponsor would have their company name and logo promoted online. Promotional opportunities include:

Launch Day at Round 1 to celebrate the opening of the International Series with on-site branding including banners, exhibition stands with produce giveaways/try-outs, promotional t-shirts.
Banners track-side with sponsors logo.
Sponsors name included in announcements
VIP invitations to the competitions.
Photo and P.R. opportunities at each competition.
Prize giving with banners on the podium.
Road signs with sponsor logos in the area surrounding the host Mountainboard Centre.
Press releases to local newspaper and radio in the run up to the competition.
Posters distributed to towns near the host mountainboard centre.
Links to sponsors website via ATBA-UK website, eNewsletter and Social Media.
Competitions promoted on local and national events websites.
Videos with sponsors logo posted on video-sharing websites.
Photos with sponsors logo posted on photo-sharing websites.

Contact the ATBA-UK

To discuss the options and take advantage of these sponsorship opportunities, please contact: The Secretary, ATBA-UK Ltd, 16 Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2DX.