4. “We have been part of the journey of two up-and-coming stars of the future”
Ampito
Sport it backs: Squash
Number of official participants in England: 264,000 (Statista)
Interviewee: Founder Manny Pinon
Hi Manny. Ampito sponsors two professional squash players – what does that entail?
We started sponsoring Jaz (Jasmine Hutton) and Charlie (Lee) as Juniors and we have steadily continued to support them financially and incentivised them through national and now global rankings.
How did this come about?
I first encountered the pair at Hove Squash Club and the Club Pro – the main coach was Ben Hutton who has produced a string of junior English and British champions in various age categories – this included Jaz. I was keen to support a sport and aspiring talent, that I was not only a big fan of but a keen participant at the time.
Why squash, as opposed to a more mainstream sport?
Exactly that a less attractive sport is lower-entry cost but can pay dividends over time. The hope is it picks up in the mainstream once again. Squash is actually an extremely popular club sport with a membership of around 2-3m with England Squash – yet still considered niche! That is until it hits the Olympics which it has finally done and will be featured in the 2024 games next year. The 100K tournaments also help its popularity and, in the USA, it’s starting to gain fans as well.
What are the pros and cons when it comes to sponsoring and individual sport such as squash vs a team sport? Is it inherently more of a gamble?
Exposure can be limited particularly depending on their sporting performances and ability. If they play well and get airtime, then the opportunity to benefit from that visibility is higher. Not that we could link sales performance to our sponsorship.
What can you say about how the partnership works financially?
It’s actually bit of a one-way street financially, in so far as Jaz and Charlie benefit more so than we do. That said, we do get recognised for it and similarly it has a ‘white knight’ aspect for Ampito being a supporter of a ‘lesser’ popular sport. So, it does have some positives, but more importantly it fits in with our ‘alternative’ message – ie not just the local footy team. Finally, it is a really good cause from a sport perspective as it’s not a cash-rich sport like tennis and we have been part of the journey of two up-and-coming stars of the future!
Are there any corporate hospitality benefits? Do you take clients for instance?
Yes, we do run hospitality within certain events, and we do take customers and suppliers but mainly those who have a keen interest in squash. It is probably less utilised right now than say using our corporate box at Anfield. However, that could all change after the Olympics.
[Our hospitality] is probably less utilised right now than say using our corporate box at Anfield. However, that could all change after the Olympics.
What advice would you have for other firms in the IT industry weighing up signing a sponsorship deal in the realm of sport, and which sport to choose?
My advice would be to just pick something you enjoy or are passionate about and of course that is relevant or can be enjoyed by the demographic you want to use it for, say customers, suppliers or staff etc. And make sure that you have the best interests of the sports person(s) at the heart of what you are doing.
How would you assess your own squash abilities?
I was a half decent club player at one point playing for 3’s at Hove , but now just play for enjoyment – mainly Racketball and Padel. Tennis too occasionally for me but not competitively.
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