Cruyff Courts Champions 6vs6

Activation

Submitted by
Deepak Parihar
deepak21parihar@gmail.com
Table of content:
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3
1.1 Why Decathlon?................................................................................................3
1.2 Activation type……………………………………………………………………….4
2. Activation ideas……………………………………………………………………………..4
2.1 Social media………………………………………………………………………....5
2.2 Special Respect award in Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 international finals……………5
2.3 6v6 football matches among employees………………………………………….6
2.4 Decathlon discount coupons……………………………………………………….6
2.5 Sponsoring talented youngsters…………………………………………………...7
2.6 Kits and equipment………………………………………………………………….8

3. Cost…………………………………………………………………………………………..8
4.Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………9

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1. Introduction:
Cruyff Court Champions 6v6, an international event organised by Johan Cruyff Foundation,
requires a sponsor that shares same ideology, values and passion for sports. After a
considerable amount of research and brain storming, I have decided to propose the activation of
sponsorship to Decathlon.
Decathlon S.A. is a French sporting goods retailer. With over 1500 stores in 49 countries, it is
the largest sporting goods retailer in the world.

1.1 Why Decathlon?

Decathlon has everything to offer what Johan Cruyff Foundation demands. There are several
reasons why I believe Decathlon would be an ideal sponsor for Cruyff Court Champions 6v6:

 The philosophy of Decathlon is Sports for all – All for sports which aligns with the philosophy of
Johan Cruyff Foundation which is to have a space for children where they can develop, space
where they can make friends, and space where they can improve their physical and mental
health. Space to become who you are. There are over 1500 Decathlon stores across the world
and each store provides you this space.

 The Presence of Decathlon in Asian countries like China and India makes it very crucial for
Johan Cruyff Foundation to spread the wings in this untapped market. Especially in world’s two
most populous countries, China and India with majority of their population being youth. Both the
countries are being urbanized rapidly leaving lesser free space for kids to play.

 The prominent presence of Decathlon in Europe makes it easy for Johan Cruyff Foundation for
a robust partnership.

Decathlon stores worldwide:

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1.2 Activation type:

Apart from the traditional way of activating sponsorship by putting logos on outfits, placing flags,
banners and posters near the Cruyff courts and places of children gathering e.g. schools,
amusement parks, etc., it is time to be creative and more interacting for the client, participants
and fans. According to IEG/ Performance Research Sponsorship Decision- Makers Survey
2013, Public relations (89%), Social media (88%) and Internal communication (86%) are the
latest trend in sponsorship activation therefore we will be including them in the proposal.

2. Activation ideas:

The logo contains the name of the brand Decathlon for people to recognise the brand
and 6we6 is representing that all 12 players playing on the Cruyff Court are united and
they all agree to play the game under the 14 rules of Johan Cruijff. The hand shake
symbolises a robust partnership between Decathlon and Johan Cruyff Foundation.

The colour patterns include the primary colours of the brand Decathlon and Johan Cruyff
Foundation.

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2.1 Social media
Decathlon has a very strong hold on social media. The brand uses platforms like Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. to market products and for brand campaigning. Two of the
brand’s successful campaigns are mentioned below:

 Decathlon is committed to making sports accessible and affordable to everyone by launching

the #SportsForAll Campaign. The campaign is dedicated to encourage everyone to pick up
sports as a lifestyle.
 Decathlon India wanted to change the way people looked at sports and inspire them to get back
on the field in however small a way they could. To do this, digital marketing agency, Social
Kinnect, conceptualised and brought to life the first of its kind #PlayFor campaign which
reminded everyone that playing wasn’t just about winning and it was playing itself that brought
joy to people in several different ways.
For Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 campaign, people of all ages across the world will be
challenged to learn a new skill with football and post it on social media using #Play&Learn
#Decathlon #JohanCruyffFoundation #CruyffCourtChampions6v6.
It doesn’t matter how fancy the skill is but trying to learn something new in a fun way is the
whole point. 3 lucky winners will be selected randomly and an all expenses paid trip to Cruyff
Court Champions 6v6 international finals will be provided to them.
Timeline: The challenge will start 2 months before the local finals and will end with the national
finals.
2.2 Special Respect award in Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 international finals:
As stated in the Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 manual, Respect - one of the 14 rules of Johan
Cruijff - is central to the championship and states “Have respect for one another”. Since there is
a standard category for Respect award for boys and girls separately after each round at every
Cruyff Court, a mega event will be organised for the Respect award at the Cruyff Court
Champions 6v6 international finals.
National winners of Respect award will be representing their countries at the mega event in both
boys and girls category. The Tasks at mega event includes:
On field activity:

 Handshakes before and after the game.

 Help the player in case of injury. Doesn’t matter if the player is an opponent.
 Fair play.
 Respect the decisions of referee.
 Points will be deducted of yellow and red cards during the game.

Off field activity:

 Make a campaign poster about respect. Make sure to include the word “Respect” and two
reasons why someone would want to vote for having respect at school. Participants could use
construction paper, felt pens, crayons, magazine cut-outs and templates.
 What would you do if an adult was disrespectful to you? Suppose the grown-up yelled at you for
something you didn’t do. What do you say? What do you do? Describe your answer in 50
words.

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 Both the activities are selected not only to teach the participants to be respectful but also to
make them understand how to react when someone is not being respectful to them.

The poster is left uncoloured with a purpose. Let the creative minds of participants colour the
poster.
Timeline: This activity will take place during the international finals.
2.3 6v6 football matches among employees:

The aim is to make employees of the company familiar with the competition and to make them
better understand the 14 rules of Johan Cruijff and the values of Johan Cruyff foundation.

6v6 football games will be organised among the employees every weekend. The football games
would be played under same rules and conditions on which the Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 is
to be organised. This process will be started 4 weeks before the event and it is a good way to
understand the event better. The employees can have fun and start preparing for the event at
the same time.

2.4 Decathlon discount coupons:

Besides the main event (Cruyff Court Champions 6v6), following mini events will be organised
for maximum interaction of participants, fans and parents:
 Football quizzes
 Presentations on any of the 14 rules of Johan Cruijff
 Fun challenges like dizzy penalty challenge, football bowling, etc.
 Team activities for parents and children together like tag team tug of war; complete the football
circuit, etc. for participation of parents as well.
The main aim behind these mini events is that not only the players playing the tournament
should be enjoying but the fans and parents supporting them should also have a good time
while learning the values of Johan Cruyff foundation.
Decathlon will be giving attractive and heavy discount coupons on the merchandise and sports
gears from any of their stores.

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2.5 Sponsoring talented youngsters:

Decathlon has a history of promoting talented and hard working individuals to achieve greatness
in life. Two main age groups will be active throughout the competition:
 Players (age group 10-13)
 Organizers (age group 14-18)

2.5.1 Sponsoring players:

Johan Cruijff is a huge name in footballing world. With the help of Johan Cruyff Foundation, we
will be able to make scouts of Football Academy come to Cruyff Court Champions 6v6
international finals and assess the young talents. The scouted players will then be invited to a
trial day. This gives the recruiting team and the coaches a great opportunity to assess the
potential players. Decathlon will be fully sponsoring the selected players to join youth football
academies which will help them become exceptional players from talented players.

2.5.2 Sponsoring organizers:

“14 rules of Johan Cruijff” are very important to become a good human being. Through sports
one can learn, understand and implement all 14 rules. Not only the players playing on the pitch
but the organising team behind the event also gains a lot.
6 exceptional individuals of organising team across all the Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 will be
selected and Decathlon will be giving them 100% scholarship for higher sports and
management education to be taught in Johan Cruyff Institute. Selection will be made by a team
of assessors from Johan Cruyff foundation and Decathlon on the basis of 14 rules of Johan
Cruijff which are:

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2.6 Kits and Equipment:

Decathlon is a world’s largest sporting goods retailer with its presence across the globe (more
than 1500 stores in 49 countries). The brand design, manufacture and offer the best gears for
more than 80 sports.

Decathlon was the T-shirt sponsor for Millwall football club (UK) from 2011-2012.

The jerseys, kits and equipment for the Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 will be provided by
Decathlon.

3. Cost:

The above examples are just ideas and can be modified by the sponsor once the sponsorship is
closed.
Adding Labour costs, incentives and other costs; Decathlon should have a minimum budget of
70,000€ in order to be the official sponsor of the event.

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4. Conclusion:

I can say that the values of both Decathlon and Johan Cruyff Foundation are alike. Both share
the same motivation and passion for sports. If this sponsorship takes place then the biggest
advantage for Johan Cruyff Foundation would be to get the chance to know and enter China
and India where Decathlon already has a strong base. Apart from that, Decathlon will be paying
most of the expenses for the Cruyff Court Champions 6v6 tournament.

On the other hand, the brand value of Decathlon will increase after this project. Client and fans
will identify Decathlon as a prestigious brand. The kind of audience this event will bring would
be ideal for Decathlon and that will help in increasing brand loyalty among the fans which will be
a massive boost for the brand.

Apart from that, more people will visit the nearby Decathlon stores and warehouses in order to
utilise the coupons they won during the event. The more products people buy, the more trust for
the brand increases and eventually the sales will increase which will help the company achieve
the targeted return on investment.

Decathlon is expanding in African continent and Johan Cruyff Foundation has a noticeable
presence in Africa. The partnership would help Decathlon reach out to unexplored markets.

The people living nearby the Cruyff Courts should also be delighted to have a safe space to
perform physical activities, meet new people, win prizes and have fun.