Abstract

Sports sponsorship is an important source of income for professional sporting organisations and an effective marketing tool for companies aiming at commercial objectives through marketing communications. The emphasis on relationships is redefining the marketing domain. The most successful sports sponsorships are based on a good relationship between the sports entity and its sponsor. The paper describes the nature of relationships between a professional sporting organisation and its most important customers with special emphasis on sponsors. Based on recent studies the main factors for successful relationships in the context of sports sponsorship are identified and discussed.

Key words: Sports sponsorship, relationship marketing, sports management, sports marketing, sports business, sporting organisation, stakeholders, sponsor, sponsee.