Esports Funding Guide – case study: Bredballe Esport

Self-Esteem & Esports

What is ‘foreningsliv’?

In Denmark, we have a unique history of playing sports together in clubs – we call them foreninger. In our foreninger, we meet in our spare time and play sports as a team or as a community of athletes in individual sports . To participate, one must be a paying member of the club.

In a Danish sports club, you might meet your colleague or neighbor on the track, where he or she coaches your daughter’s football team. Your banker might be the chairperson of the local tennis club, and your boss might be serving coffee during a weekend tournament.

All these individuals are volunteering in their spare time without being paid.

The key concepts in ‘foreningsliv’ are community, volunteering and room for diversity.

Bredballe IF

Bredballe IF is a local sports association in the city of Vejle, Denmark, offering football, badminton, gymnastics, tennis and esports. The purpose of the association is to gather all those interested in sports and strengthen companionship and create unity between the members of the association.

The purpose of Bredballe IF esport

The Bredballe IF esports department was established in May 2018 and in only half a year has created an attractive training environment with 100 paying members, 11 teams and 15 coaches.

The purpose of the department is to create and promote an interest in esports, while creating a framework for the community. This is done by gathering all members under the best possible conditions to practice esports locally. A strong focus and high priority are given to teaching online behavior, strategy planning, collaboration, effective communication and structured training.

The steering committee consists of four managers, with different skill sets and competences in business, esports, finance, marketing, PR, sales, is security and social science.

At Bredballe esport we have our own esports center, in the sports association’s clubhouse, with 20 gaming stations serving more than 100 paying members.

Members are primarily boys between 8-17 years from the local city, playing CS:GO and Fortnite on a grassroots and social level. While members pay a subscription to the club, in return they get training, make friends and role models, and participate in healthy activities. They get to be with each other in person, give high fives and have fun with each other and with esports, activities that strengthen participants’ people skills and teamwork. As a result, it provides a great benefit to the local club and community.

Creating Bredballe IF esport

• April 2018: The department is approved at Bredballe IF’s extraordinary general meeting. Started searching for funds for 6 PCs.
• August 2018: Season 1 – First official training day with 10 PCs.
• Start 2019: Season 2 – Purchase of another 7 PCs (17 PCs in total).
• Summer 2019: Purchase of 3 additional PCs (20 PCs in total).

Membership

• Budget in March 2018: 4 coaches / team x 6 PCs = 24 paying members.
• August 2018: 6 coaches / team x 10 PCs = 60 paying members
• October 2018: 14 coaches, 10 teams, 10 PCs = 80 paying members (+ 22 on waiting list)
• January 2019: 15 coaches, 11 teams, 17 PCs = 100 paying members.

Economy 2018

Expenses

 Revenue

Partners

Revenue comes from several sources. The first mistake we made was to send the same copy / pasted email to all potential partners. We learned that it made the most sense to talk directly to local partners and businesses, as well as regional and national businesses, to tell them our story, about the difference we are making for the community and the young people we have as members.

Our work focused on offering a partner’s logo on a gaming chair in our esports center, or simply asking them to sponsor one or more gaming stations.

We offer partners a range of activities for them to engage with our club, such as: tournaments, logos on our website, social media and clothing.

We also provide multiple opportunities for partner activations in our esport center. We create unique content, pictures, videos and articles which create reach and engagement with our partners throughout our various media channels. We go to events with our partners, creating activities, training sessions and matches in stores or at larger events, which promotes a positive image for our partners.

Funds and grants

We use Google and search for local, regional or national grants and funds. The work we do in our esports club benefits our members in many ways. Our members experience growth and development in their health and social lives. Our club also helps young people engage in the local community, become part of a team, make friends, do volunteer work, become healthier and better at esports.

We help young people develop as humans, get an education and strengthen their relations with their family and friends. These are benefits and outcomes that many funds and grants will support.

Bredballe IF esport was formed in April 2018, where we started from the ground up. As of spring 2019, we have our own esports center with 20 gaming stations, 15 coaches and more than 100 paying members. Our goal is to gradually expand our activities to accommodate 40 gaming stations and 250 members.

To learn more about Bredballe IF, please contact Jesper at: jesper@hyldenbrandt.com