Welcome to how the Raiders are running 2026. Read this once. It explains everything — what we're doing, why, how the money works, and exactly how you sell a sponsor in 10 minutes.
We're not making this up. This is how the NRL works — every jersey in the top-tier rugby league competition is covered in sponsor logos, every field is lined with sponsor signs, every broadcast is named after a title sponsor. That's how rugby league funds itself globally, and it's the only model that actually scales.
For the Raiders, sponsorship is the only path to a better product. We are not going to make money on food, tickets, gear sales, or registration alone. We grow if and only if local businesses pay to be on our jerseys, our posts, and our website.
A sponsor pays $150 for one spot. Stripe takes 3% off the top first (cost of accepting credit cards), then the remaining $145.50 is split. Here's exactly where the money goes for the Raiders.
| Where it goes | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe (credit card processor) | $4.50 (3% of $150) | Cost of accepting cards. Unavoidable. |
| You — applied to your registration | $109.13 (75% of $145.50) | The whole point. You found the sponsor, you get the credit. |
| Raiders team pot | $29.10 (20%) | Stays with the team — gear, dues, end-of-season dinner. Team president decides. |
| The league | $7.28 (5%) | Pays for the payment system, this website, all design and admin. |
| Total | $150 |
Here's the thing about rugby league: there's no scholarship system. There's no draft. There's no agent finding sponsors for you. The way every NRL player got there was by playing community rugby first — and finding their own backers.
We're running this league the same way. Your 75% share doesn't stop when registration is paid. It keeps coming. So if you sell three sponsors, your registration is covered. Sell five, and you've got money for flights to away matches. Sell ten, and you're funding your time off work to train, your gas, your kit upgrades — the things that move you closer to the next level.
Sell more, get more. That's the entire model. The team gets its 20% for gear and travel. The league gets its 5% for running the website and the payment system. Everything else — every dollar above your registration — goes to you, the player.
Three $150 spots cover your full $310 — registration, kit, and you're paid up.
Spots 4–6 pay for away-game travel, gas, and the time off work you need to train.
Past spot 6, every sponsor pays you cash toward kit upgrades, camps, combines, and your path to pro.
You don't need to be a salesperson. Just ask people who already know your name.
That's your warm list. Anyone who's taken your money already.
Don't write your own message. Use these. They work.
Every month the URLA hosts a free sponsor lunch with all five team presidents in the room. Hour-long, food provided, no commitment. When you can't close on the first message, pivot to "come check it out — I'll add you to the invite list." Your sale rate roughly doubles because the team presidents close better in person than you can over text. Use the script below.
Hey [name] — quick one. I'm playing rugby for the Raiders this season and we're running a sponsor program for local businesses. For $150, your business goes on our jerseys (or in our weekly social-media posts, your call) and you get a permanent page on our website with a backlink to yours — that's a real SEO benefit. Want me to send you the link to look at?
Hey [name] — I wanted to ask you something. I play rugby for the Utah Raiders and this year we're letting players bring in sponsors for $100 to $200 a spot. Your business logo would go on our jerseys or in our weekly social-media posts all season, and you'd get a permanent business page on our website — raiders.utahrugbyleague.com — with a link back to your business. It's a real backlink that helps you in Google searches. I thought of you first because [you've been so good to my family / I love what your business does / you've been local for so long]. Could I send you the link to look at?
For $150, you get one of these — your call: your logo on our jerseys for the whole season, OR your logo in every weekly post we put up about [game weeks / practices / players-of-the-game]. Either way, you also get a real page on our team website with a backlink to your business. Plus you get to call yourself an Official Sponsor of the Utah Raiders all season — you can put that on your storefront, email signature, anything.
Done — here's the link: [your sponsor URL]. Take a look at the spots available. The $150 ones are the most popular. We also do a free monthly sponsor lunch where you can meet the team presidents and ask any question — happy to add you to the invite list, no pressure to decide today.
No pressure to decide today. The Raiders are part of the URLA, and the league does a free monthly sponsor lunch — hour-long, food provided, you'd be in a room with all five team presidents and the other URLA sponsors. Way easier to ask questions in person. Want me to add you to the invite list? You can decide after. Here's the page: https://sponsor.utahrugbyleague.com/sponsor-lunch
Why this works: they don't have to commit to anything, you capture an interested lead for the league, and the team presidents close in person. This is your save-the-deal move.
Totally understand — appreciate you taking a look. One last thing: we do a free monthly sponsor lunch with all five teams. No commitment, just food and meet the league. Want me to put you on the list, even just for one? Either way, see you around.
A "no" today is sometimes a "not yet." The lunch invite keeps the door open without pushing.
Awesome — let me send you the link to pay and submit your logo. It's all online, takes about 5 minutes. [Your link]. I'll follow up once I see your payment come through to make sure your logo is good.
Add ?player_id=YOUR-NAME when you share so the sale credits to you.
Show your phone at the counter. They scan, they're on the page, they buy.
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| Now → end of May | Sell as many spots as you can. Send sponsors your link. |
| May 31 | Hard deadline for jersey-spot logos. |
| June 1 | Jerseys ordered. |
| Late June | Season starts. Raiders kick off. |
The hardest part is sending the first message. Most Raiders players who actually start end up bringing in 1–3 sponsors — that's a season covered with money left over for the team.
