26/03/2026
Most sponsorship are not lost at the table of negotiation. They are lost before the conversation even begins.
Two mistakes come up repeatedly, and both have the same effect. They remove your leverage before the sponsor has made a single decision.
The first is revealing your minimum position too early.
Every property should know, internally, the lowest value it is willing to accept. That is part of preparation. The problem is when that number becomes visible during the conversation. Once a sponsor understands your floor, the negotiation is no longer about value. It becomes a process of settling close to that number.
The pattern is familiar in everyday transactions. If a seller reduces the price before you ask, you rarely push further. The same applies here. The moment a club signals what it is willing to accept, it has already narrowed the outcome.
The second mistake is signalling urgency.
When a club communicates, directly or indirectly, that it needs the sponsorship to meet immediate financial obligations, the negotiation changes. The sponsor now understands that walking away is difficult for the property. At that point, pricing power shifts.
I have seen this play out in practice. We experienced it ourselves in 2023 in a discussion with a real estate company. The urgency was visible, and it was used against us. This is not unique to smaller properties. Even established clubs have found themselves in similar positions when financial pressure becomes part of the negotiation environment.
The issue is not that the property lacks value. It is that its position has been weakened before that value is properly presented.
Financial realities must be managed internally. They should not shape the posture of the negotiation. The stronger position is always the one where the property can evaluate the offer on its merits and, if necessary, walk away.
That is what protects value.
The discipline is simple, but not always easy to maintain. Know your minimum position, but keep it internal. Manage your financial pressures, but do not allow them to define the conversation.
The outcome of most negotiations is determined by these two factors long before terms are agreed.
Chidi J. Myles | Sponsorship Strategist
