This week, the Maximum Fighting Championship reached a one-year sponsorship agreement with Calgary-based Assassin Fight Wear.
While the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Assassin now becomes the exclusive MMA apparel of the MFC and will join official MFC merchandise as the only other apparel available for purchase at MFC events.
Under the agreement, the Assassin name and logo will adorn the ring mat, ring posts, and banners throughout the venue. In addition, Assassin will also be sponsoring select fighters on the televised portions of each MFC event.
Founded by Steve Fader, the Assassin Fight Wear product line includes a host of high quality fight shorts, rash guards, t-shirts, hoodies, headgear, and ladies apparel.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS PLAYING INTEGRAL ROLE IN SPORTS BUSINESS
A strong corporate community is vital to the success of any professional sports organization in the new millennium because live-gate revenue is simply no longer enough to cope with the rising costs of production, personnel, and existing overhead.
This is particularly evident now, in a struggling global economy, where even the sports industry – despite historically being relatively impervious to economic downturn – is experiencing hardship.
Not only are casual fans pinching their purse strings, but so are the major corporate players like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, and McDonalds.
Therefore, vertically integrated sponsorship agreements like the one signed with Assassin Fight Wear are truly crucial to the continued growth and development of organizations like the MFC and the MMA industry as a whole.
Though, according to MFC President Mark Pavelich, an equally important element of the new agreement is the type of working relationship that he has established with Fader and Assassin Fight Wear.
“We got excited about Steve because he really wants to be involved with the MFC” Pavelich said. “We had other larger companies from the U.S. that were willing to cut us a cheque but they weren’t going to be involved with us.”
“The big thing in ’09 with our company is we want people that are going to get involved.”
The agreement also makes dollars and sense from the Assassin perspective. It enables Assassin to directly target their core demographic and push those individuals to purchase apparel from the sales booth at the venue (which will enjoy the benefit of its right to retail exclusivity).
Although the greatest long-term benefit for Assassin is likely to be the exposure it receives as a result of the MFC’s live TV broadcast deal with Mark Cuban’s HDNet.
“The deal with [MFC] is our first step to getting a North American marketing push” Fader said. “We’ve proven that the logo and the name have sold well and that the public is taking to it very well.”
“So, hopefully the television exposure for our logo and our name will increase sales on the internet and at the live events as well.”
And as the television exposure is helping to build the Assassin brand, Fader will be working hard to iron out several local distribution deals to ensure that Assassin Fight Wear can capitalize on its exposure.
It’s a big endeavour for the young entrepreneur, but one that he’s determined to make a success.
“We haven’t really had a lot of financial backing, up until recently, to be putting in any kind of major marketing push” Fader said, but “now that we’ve got the opportunity to work with Mark and on this level, it’s really do or die now.”
“I think 2009 is going to be a big year.”
Check out the MFC and Assassin Fight Wear online: