Sponsorship of grassroots sport: a scoping review of research

Grassroots sport is under increasing financial pressure with sponsorship providing a key income stream. This paper offers the first scoping review on the management of grassroots sponsorship, determining the state of research in this area to provide suggestions for further scholarly attention. Searching literature up until 2020 using terms including grassroots sport and sponsorship, 18 articles were returned, with descriptive then thematic analysis being undertaken. The review reports that studies are being conducted in economically leading countries, tending to focus on events and, to lesser extents, sport properties. Eight themes were constructed encompassing the securing, maintaining, and use of sponsorship, and grouped into two categories: (i) pre-sponsorship, and (ii) during sponsorship activity. Study in this area was stressed as being still its infancy and is largely atheoretical, with this paper serving to facilitate further conversation and investigation into the managerial practices associated with grassroots sport sponsorship.