Nowadays, Organising Committees and stakeholders keep looking for sponsors for their events. But, when thinking of a corporate partner, the dominant approach is still to look for funds, products or services from companies, that help deliver a successful event. A more or less simple commercial relation.

But there is much more potential in the link between the two competitive spheres of society, sport and business, if we think of the human side, as well. Sport can bring people closer together, build friendship and respect. 

On sport’s side we have athletes, coaches, on the other side employees and their families, who are quite far from the direct involvement of a sponsorship agreement.

So I developed a concept, that creates a closer relationship between sport (people) and corporate (people).

Sport-Life Balance Program’s mission is to build a strong bond between local sports clubs and local corporate entities, when having an international sport event, and beyond. Both sides can give benefits to the other. 

Sport and athletes can deliver motivational events with active lifestyle for employees and their families. That’s what we do.

In our events, corporate people always start laughing, cheering and competing. Energy rises, joy steps in, employees get in touch with a sport, in an accessible format, tailor-made for them to do it. Pure benefit. 

Our post-COVID world shows the evidence, that corporate leaders look for opportunities for their employees to be together in a joyful environment, where they feel connected and belonging. We can say, sport has got a momentum!

If we reach out to corporates with sport-centred activities, strong relations can be built in the long run, with mutual benefits.

In this partnership corporate knowledge can be made available for athletes. We can use e-learning, apprenticeship programmes, part-time job opportunities to build and strengthen a dual career for athletes, side-by-side with their elite sport careers and Olympic dreams. 

On the top of it, by delivering those sport-for-all team building events, the club or the National Federation (NF) will be able to generate revenues on their own, to expand the financial background to their everyday sports operations. And by building a network of corporates, local clubs and NFs (even International Federations (IFs) might find potential future sponsors for their sport and events.

It is a core idea in this concept to take sport, where people are! So sporting corporate events are delivered in offices, in corporate off-site events and of course, later on the field of play of the sport event.

All we need is to think out of the box, be creative and build an entrepreneurship mindset! IFs and NFs worldwide look for chances to raise funds, to share their sport for all and have a shining and legacy creating championship, cup and tournament.

Sport has got a momentum. Corporate world is looking for something sport can give!

If we think long-term and we have years until an upcoming sport event, we have a brilliant chance. If we systematically reach out to corporates with this entrepreneur mindset, we can build a real link with businesses. 

People to people. Athletes and coaches, to employees and families. At the same time, by extending the network of local corporates, we create a real long-term partnership base for sport, as I call it- a coexistence of the two spheres. And that goes beyond the event itself. 

Sport takes care of motivation and active life of employees, while corporates take care of athletes and the local sport as a whole. These human benefits define this concept as an excellent additional bond to sponsors, or, it can be a starting point of an eco-social partnership, to find potential sponsors for future events.

And how about host cities? Building this coexistence between local sport and local corporates can bring a number of benefits for city people and local communities, too. An international sport event in the pipeline generates a natural bond between city (Government), sport (IF, NF and local clubs) and local businesses.

All stakeholders want to raise their brands. City brand, event brand and corporate brand. All look for opportunities to reach out to people. Host cities want to give something to residents, sport wants to promote their sport and the event, while at the same look for potential grassroots recruitment and activation, as a result of the event.

Local corporates want to raise the value of their brands in the eye of the same people, who are potential buyers. So, iconic city backdrops, famous streets and parks can be ideal places where all stakeholders meet, and generate benefits for each other.

We just started something in Debrecen, where we host the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Ultimate Frisbee University Trophy from July 4 to 8 2023. This city in the eastern part of Hungary is keen to host sport events, has got a popular university with high standard sports facilities. 

We agreed with Volker Bernardi, secretary general of WFDF, and Zoltán Erdősi, President of Hungarian Flying Disc Federation, that this is our pilot project with Sport-Life Balance Program. We aim at creating a best practice and know-how for future WFDF events. 

As expected, the local sports club with its flying disc division is keen to build these connections with local corporates. Athletes have bought in and look forward to the next months.

They will be trained to deliver corporate workshops with flying disc exercises, to bring their sport closer to employees and families and at the same time generate revenues for their operations. 

We have our first companies on board, supporting the concept and partnering in the education of athletes. The city Government talks just started, we look for wider range outreach to local corporates.

Late October, our vision turned into the first visible step at the main and most iconic city square, with a flashmob.

We truly think and believe in the Olympic motto, as Thomas Bach referred to at the SmartCities&Sport Summit in Lausanne recently - we can go faster, we can aim higher and we can become stronger - together!