The program ad-sales playbook

Make your team a $5K–$10K business this season.

Selling ads in your printed program is the highest-leverage thing your booster club can do. Here's the full playbook — proven at one Team Scout program that netted $50,000+ in a single season. Free. No email gate. Take what works for your team.

The math25 players × $400 ad = $10,000 gross~$2,000 print=~$8,000 net

Free downloads

Everything your booster club needs.

The full master playbook, the coach communication pack, and drop-in Canva templates. Print them, share them, run the play.

Use what works. Skip what doesn't. We don't require anything from you in return — though if you run this through Team Scout, the sponsorship module tracks every dollar, every renewal, and gives top-seller leaderboards out of the box.

How the math actually works

Conservative numbers. Stacked outcomes.

Most programs don't run this play because they've never seen the numbers stripped of guesswork. The example below is intentionally conservative — one full page per player, mid-tier US printer, no upsells layered in.

Programs already running this play stack ad sales with halftime PA reads, gate giveaways, and a real sponsor-ladder to clear $50,000+ in a single season. The point isn't that you have to hit $50K. The point is that the floor is already a five-figure outcome.

The "platform that pays for itself" claim

If your booster club lifts program-ad revenue by just $3,000, that single line item covers a full year of Team Scout — not counting credit-card-fee savings, ticketing revenue, or anything else.

Line-item breakdown

25 players × 1 full-page ad$400
Gross program ad revenue$10,000
Print run (500 copies, 32 pages, color)− $2,000
Net to your program~$8,000

Add a back-cover ad ($750), inside-cover ads ($600 each), and one tier of game-day sponsorships and the number scales fast.

  • A team of 25 is small — bigger rosters compound the math.
  • The $400 full-page price is mid-market — many programs charge more.
  • Print costs are verified — see the playbook for printer recommendations.

The 5-step rollout

From rate card to printed program, in five steps.

Full version — with sample scripts, sponsor-ladder upsell tiers, and a printer checklist — is in the master playbook above.

01

Set the rate card.

Full page $400, half $200, quarter $100, back cover $750, inside covers $600. (Pricing tiers your booster board approves before kickoff.)

02

Brief the team.

One player meeting. Every player commits to selling one full-page ad (or parents write the check). Top sellers get team gear. Make it a competition.

03

Sell, March–June.

Family businesses first. Then orthodontists, lawyers, real estate agents, restaurants. The parent script is in the playbook — most close on the first ask.

04

Design + print.

Drop ads into the Canva templates. Print 500 copies, 32 pages, full color, saddle-stitched. Mixam or a local commercial shop runs ~$1,500–$2,500.

05

Track + renew.

Team Scout's sponsorship module logs every sponsor, every dollar, every player credit. CSV export for the booster books. Re-sell next season with one click.

Where the ads come from

Local businesses whose customers are parents.

You're not asking for a donation. You're offering a local business a marketing opportunity that helps a kid. The playbook has the exact script — and the businesses most likely to say yes.

Start with family. Move out to anyone whose customer is a local parent. Most close on the first ask.

  • Family + extended-family businesses
  • Orthodontists, dentists, pediatricians
  • Lawyers, insurance, financial advisors
  • Car dealers, auto repair, tire shops
  • Restaurants + ice cream + sporting goods
  • Real estate agents
  • Contractors + construction
  • Anyone whose customer is a local parent

From the founder

“If your booster club lifts program-ad sales to just $3,000, it completely covers Team Scout for a year — not counting credit-card fee savings, volunteer redirection, or anything else. That's the floor. The ceiling, at programs already running this play, is $50,000+ a season.”

— Peter McClung, founder of Team Scout

Run this through Team Scout

The platform that pays for itself.

Track every sponsor, every dollar, every player credit. Leaderboards for top sellers. CSV exports for booster books. One-click renewal next season. Community tier is free forever — Signature is $129/mo when you're ready for the full sponsorship + ad-sales suite.