Sponsorship Program

Background

The Chicago Mission Tier 1 AAA Hockey Club (www.chicagomission.com) was founded in January of 2001 and began competition during the 2001-02 Season.  Committed to the future of elite competitive youth hockey, the Mission quickly established itself as one of the top AAA organizations in North America.  The Mission joined the Midwest Elite Hockey League (www.mwehl.org) for the 2006-07 season and captured first-place league championships at the Bantam Major (92), Bantam Minor (93) and Peewee Major (94) levels.  In addition, the Bantam Minor and Peewee Major captured the Toronto Marlies’ Holiday Class and the Bell Challenge Cup, respectively, something no Illinois organization has ever done in the same season.  The Bantam Minors also won the prestigious Nike Bauer International Invite (www.nikebauerinvite.com), besting teams from all over North America in the process.  More than any other Illinois AAA organization, the Mission has stayed on the cutting edge of the highest levels of competitive youth hockey.

Competitive youth hockey is truly an international game and in this just its sixth year of operations, the Chicago Mission has earned recognition and is known and respected in Canada, Italy, Sweden, Germany, England, Austria, Russia and elsewhere.  When traveling to international tournaments and competitions, Chicago Mission players often stay with host families, and experience their culture first-hand.  And when international teams travel here for the competition, the Mission families host the visiting players, making the cultural exchange complete.  The life experiences that youth hockey players gain from these cultural exchanges is priceless.

Still, one of the realities of competitive youth hockey everywhere on the planet is that it is expensive to take part.  The cost of ice time alone, so essential for proper training and development of youth players, can border on the prohibitive.  When you add in the costs of equipment and travel associated with AAA hockey, it is a sad but true fact that the expense can become exclusionary for many.  And so unfortunately, sometimes an otherwise deserving and capable youth hockey player is simply unable, i.e. for financial reasons, to take part at the AAA level.  The Chicago Mission is committed to nullifying this obstacle as best it can, and so has established its Sponsorship Program.

Interestingly, the expensive nature of the sport offers a potential “up” side for our sponsors.  This is because a significant percentage of “hockey” families are relatively financially well-off.  In fact, the AAA hockey community comprises mainly families who are able to afford it, and so the hockey community generally is made up of consumers who can and do support businesses that sponsor hockey.  They are also keenly aware and appreciative of businesses and individuals who so generously support the game they love.

So if you have a business you want to promote, or if you just want to play a significant part in the life of a deserving youth hockey player, we ask you respectfully to consider becoming a Chicago Mission Sponsor.  The following Sponsorship Categories are available and we can tailor any program to adapt to your needs. 
 

Sponsorships* 

1.  Official Mission Supporter - $500.00

Your name listed on our Sponsor Board, proudly displayed at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena and Addison Ice Arena, the Mission’s home rinks, and posted prominently on the Chicago Mission website.

2.  Official Mission Sponsor - $1,000.00

Sponsor Board and Website as a Supporter, plus a full-page Ad in our Mission Program Year Book.

3.  Mission Banner Sponsor - $1,500.00

Sponsor Board, Website and Full-Page Ad as a Sponsor, plus at cost a 3’ x 5’ Advertising Banner** of your design proudly displayed at both our home rinks.

4.  Mission Silver Club Sponsor - $2,500.00

Silver Club Designation on Sponsor Board, Silver Club Designation on Mission Website, Silver Club Designation Full-Page Ad in Program Year Book, and Silver Club Designation Banner, plus the Sponsor’s Name sewn in Mission colors to the base of the home and away jerseys of a player of your choosing.

5.  Mission Individual Player Sponsor - $5,000.00

All benefits provided to a Silver Club Sponsor, plus a graphic logo “link” to your business’s website from the Chicago Mission website’s homepage and from the “Team Page” of the Individual Player you are sponsoring, plus the option at cost for two dasher board advertisements at both of our home rinks.

6.  Mission Gold Club*** Sponsor - $10,000.00

All benefits provided to an Individual Player Sponsor, upgraded to “Gold Club” designation and including the dasher board ads at both our home rinks, plus the graphic logo link to your business’ website from the Mission website homepage and one Mission team home page of your choosing, plus the Sponsor’s Name sewn in Mission colors to the base of the home and away jerseys of all players on that chosen team.

7.  Mission Platinum Club Sponsor - $15,000.00

All benefits provided to a Gold Club Sponsor, upgraded to “Platinum Club” designation, plus the graphic logo link to your business’ website from ALL team pages on the Chicago Mission website, plus the option at cost for two additional dasher board advertisements or a mega-size hanging banner advertisement (i.e. 18’ x 11’8” at Seven Bridges Ice Arena and 10’ x 10’ at the Addison Ice Arena).

8.  Mission Corporate Sponsor - $25,000.00

All benefits provided to a Platinum Club Sponsor with additional designation as a “Mission Corporate Sponsor” and including one dasher board advertisement on both rinks at the Addison and Seven Bridges Ice Arenas, and one mega-size hanging banner advertisement at either of our home rinks, plus your logo link on ALL PAGES of the Chicago Mission website, plus the option at cost for point-of-sale advertising from a kiosk or booth at any and all Chicago Mission games or events held at Addison or Seven Bridges Ice Arena.

9.  Mission Name Partner Corporate Sponsor – Subject to Availability ****

All benefits provided to a Mission Corporate Sponsor and including TWO dasher board advertisements and “In-Ice” Corporate Logos on both rinks at the Addison and Seven Bridges Ice Arenas, plus your Name sewn in Mission colors to the base of the home and away jerseys of ALL Chicago Mission hockey teams, plus your Corporate Logo displayed proudly next to the Chicago Mission logo wherever it occurs on the Mission website, plus the inside back cover of the yearly Program Ad Book, plus designation as a Name Partner Sponsor on ALL Chicago Mission correspondence. 

* All sponsorships and any advertising appurtenant thereto are for one year only.

** All advertising must be with permission of Arena Marketing, LLC, exclusive contractor for advertising in the Mission rinks.

*** Gold Club Sponsors and higher have their Names and Sponsorship Year permanently engraved on our Sponsor Board.

**** Please contact Mission Administrator Andrea Hahn at 630-521-1111.

Demographics of Ice Arena Attendees 

The nature of ice hockey and figure skating as sports is such that generally speaking, the people who take part in these sports are relatively financially well-off.  Whether it is ice hockey or figure skating, the costs involved to outfit the athletes are significant, as are the costs for adequate ice time and quality instruction and coaching. 

The demographics of those who frequent ice arenas can therefore be described as affluent, young, suburban couples with children involved in ice hockey and figure skating.  These people tend to be very competitive themselves and so are willing to spend their money to give their children a competitive advantage.  They tend to identify very strongly with their children’s sports and they are generally very loyal to the organization with whom they are affiliated.

If this social demographic fits the bill as a target audience for your business’s advertising, then you should consider the advantages of investing a portion of your marketing budget in such ice arena marketing through an appropriate Chicago Mission sponsorship. 

Seven Bridges Ice Arena 

Seven Bridges Ice Arena is located in Woodridge, Illinois and is one of the prime ice skating facilities in North America.  Beginning with the 2007-08 hockey season, it will serve as the primary home for the Chicago Mission’s boys and girls AAA hockey teams.  Seven Bridges has served as host to the USA Hockey National Championships, as well as to some of the top figure skating stars in the world.  SBIA is a dual-sheet facility that houses an NHL rink and an Olympic rink, with newly-built locker rooms and a state-of-the-art training area specifically designed for high-level development for hockey.  Seven Bridges Ice Arena is called home by several hockey teams and organizations, as well as figure skating clubs and precision teams.

It is estimated that the “Foot Traffic” at Seven Bridges Ice Arena exceeds One Million (1,000,000) persons annually.  And most of these persons are physically present in the facility for hours at a time, whether it is to watch a hockey game or practice, or a figure skating lesson or exhibition.  The result is that businesses that choose to advertise at Seven Bridges Ice Arena get hundreds of thousands of “impressions” that are constantly being reinforced and repeated as people sit and watch the event they are there for.

Addison Ice Arena

Addison Ice Arena has served as the exclusive home of the Chicago Mission Tier 1 AAA Hockey Club since it began its first Spring tryouts in March of 2001.  Located in Addison, Illinois, this dual sheet facility houses both an NHL rink and an Olympic rink and a full-service restaurant and bar. 

Addison Ice boasts many amenities that make it especially attractive for its users, including a full service Pro Shop and workout facilities for all the hockey organizations and figure skating clubs that call Addison home.

Addison Ice is home not only to teams competing for the Chicago Mission, but is also home to the Flames Hockey Club (AA Youth Hockey), York HS and Lake Park HS, as well as the Chiefs and Addison Grizzlies (House Youth Hockey Program).  Addison Ice is also the host site each year for eight (8) youth hockey tournaments.  Addison Ice also hosts its own Men’s Leagues, Figure Skating Shows and Competitions, and Public Sessions.

It is conservatively estimated that the “Foot Traffic” at Addison Ice Arena is in excess of 650,000 persons annually.