Score with Custom Hockey Team Apparel
& Promotional Giveaways
Whether you’re a lifelong hockey fan or you have kids playing in a youth team, hockey season can be a very exciting time. Finding the right swag to show support for your favorite teams is such an important part of celebrating the sport—and no one loves it more than the fans. In this article, we will show you how to use fun custom hockey gifts and team branded merchandise to increase fan engagement, pump up the players, and raise money for organizations from student teams to community leagues.
Hockey Souvenirs and Gifts
Team branded merchandise is an incredible opportunity for fans to take the game experience home with them. With the right spirit items, fans can proudly display their support and ensure that the arena is beaming with support when the team hits the rink.
There are a variety of fun souvenirs and gifts that can be shared with fans, including personalized mini hockey sticks and novelty custom hockey pucks. Handy items like stadium cups can be used for refills during the game.
Let’s not forget about the people who really bring the magic, the players! Personalized hockey ornaments are great tokens for both players and their families. Tournaments and other events also present a unique opportunity for players and their loved ones to purchase memorabilia and other sentimental offerings so they can look back on the day for years to come. Get inspired with a few of our favorite giveaways for fans and hockey gift ideas for the team:
Hockey Fan & Team Gear
Having gear for your fans and teams is an effective way to generate excitement for everyone involved. For the athletes, being able to proudly represent their team inside and outside of the arena can build excitement and improve the team’s dynamic, especially on or near game days.
Offering gear to your team’s fans and loved ones helps them to actively support the team, particularly during games. Having an audience that is filled with fans wearing their logo is an amazing way to generate excitement in the crowd that translates back to the athletes, upping morale and performance.
Team spirit gear includes a variety of fun products at every price point. You want fans to be able to wear the staples of fan apparel, like custom hockey t-shirts or hoodies—but don’t forget the more dedicated fans. Some fans want all of the accessories to keep warm in the arena, like custom hockey blankets, scarves, and beanies, to cover themselves in team spirit from head to toe. Custom hockey water bottles are a handy item for players and fans alike. The more options your fans have, the more support they can show. Gear up to hit the rink with these hockey fan merchandise items:
Hockey Giveaway Ideas and Spirit Items
Hockey is a fast-paced and compelling sport that requires a high level of dedicated athletic ability, but skills and talent alone do not win games. Morale is a huge concern for hockey coaches, no matter the age and level of the players. The simple fact is that the more support a team has, the more likely they are to rise to any challenge when they step into that arena. Fan support can play a huge role in a team’s performance, particularly for underdogs who are facing down the leaders in their league. Make sure your team’s fans have everything they need to cheer on your players.
Classic Spirit Items
Energetic crowds help players to stay pumped up and motivated—and it helps if you can really hear the crowd. Noise makers, like hand clappers, can help to ensure that your fans are the loudest in the arena.
Fans love having the opportunity to visibly show their team spirit, whether it is with classics like the foam finger and face decals, or a completely customized banner that can help fans show what team has the best fans in the stands. The more vibrant and visible the spirit items are, the better. When the players look out across the audience, you want them to see your team’s color.
Giveaways and Increasing Team Visibility
Giveaways are a wonderful chance for you to build fan hype by offering them merchandise that lets them show just how passionate they are. When you give these items away, you increase your fanbase’s ability to show their spirit—and you will also generate excitement around your team’s swag. When more fans see it, more people will want it.
Fun fan essentials like branded plastic pennants and rally towels are a great way to increase your team’s visibility. Here are few more ways to amplify team spirit:
Fundraising Ideas for Hockey Teams
As wonderful as sports are, they are known for being expensive, and hockey is not an exception to this rule. Youth and student teams generally find themselves grappling with a consistent collection of new expenses, which means that the need for fundraising is almost always there.
Fundraising opportunities grant your team the ability to raise money for their seasonal expenses and a variety of other funded options that can improve the team’s experience. A good fundraiser can ensure that your team gets that celebratory pizza party and much needed uniform upgrade. Fortunately, there are plenty of effective fundraising options to choose from.
Discount Cards
Local businesses love to support local student sports teams, and discount cards are an exceptional opportunity to do just that. Teams can partner directly with local businesses in the area to offer exciting discount options for fans. These discounts can be shared using custom printed discount cards.
After connecting with local businesses to negotiate a discount for fans, athletes can sell these discount cards to supporters in the area. These individuals can pay one flat rate to receive ongoing discounts and perks at different local establishments for a set period of time. The teams will generate income from the sale of these cards, and as a bonus, local businesses can encourage patronage by partnering with your team. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Hockey Tournaments
Tournaments are another common way to raise funds, let the players show off their skills and have a ton of fun while doing it. Though tournaments can generate revenue through ticket sales and participation costs, you can always increase your potential for revenue by offering souvenir fan gear options that are specific to the event. These lasting mementos always sell—but don’t forget to thank the participants. Offering players hockey tournament swag bags can also generate excitement and convince players and teams to join in again next year. Start with a fun hockey themed bag and fill it with goodies like tumblers, team mascot keychains, and magnetic picture frames for the team photo.
Raffle Off or Sell In-Demand Items
Raffles and selling specialty merchandise present two more opportunities for you to raise funds for the betterment of your team. To be successful, you need the right products to entice fans and to convince players to get involved. When you procure the gifts that people really want, you will find that sales come easy.
Fans love a good snack in the stands, which is why tasty treats like this Ghirardelli® Cocoa Set will have fans lining up before a game. To increase sales for raffle tickets, it can be beneficial to offer branded luxury items, like a packable jacket or cotton kit beanie with a leather patch. When in doubt, functional gifts, like this high-end copper mug, are sure winners.
Sell School Spirit Swag
School spirit is so important for school teams, but also for academic communities. Students love to be able to rally behind their school teams and show support, and it really helps when they have the right gear to do so. Selling school swag can help you to raise money for your teams while also providing student peers with an exciting chance to celebrate their team!
When you are trying to raise money, spending too much feels counterproductive. The good news is, when you buy team logo fundraising items in bulk, you save with wholesale pricing. The more you buy, the more you save! Here are a few of our best budget friendly fundraising ideas for hockey teams.
Hockey Game Promotions
Fun promotional events can grow your team’s fan base and entice people to not only buy tickets but bring family and friends. Here are few promotional ideas to keep games festive and lucrative:
Giveaways to Select Fans
Giveaways always bring excitement but adding a level of exclusivity to them can take them one step further. Offering giveaways to select fans that match specific groups and interests can really draw in a crowd.
There are different ways that you can go about this for your team, like offering the first set number of fans to show up a giveaway, like a tumbler, blanket, or Bluetooth speaker. The best part is that you don’t have to continuously offer these promotions. When people know that there is potential for a promotional giveaway, they will automatically be more interested in sticking around for it.
Having occasional giveaways is a wonderful way to maintain interest from fans consistently throughout the season. Even the smallest gifts can attract attention, but gifts with a slightly higher price point can tempt fans on an entirely different level and convince them to prioritize your games.
Chuck-a-Puck
The chuck-a-puck is a long-time fan favorite hockey tradition. It is one of the best hockey in-game promotion ideas for teams at any level. To enjoy this promotional opportunity, use hockey puck stress balls to offer fans in the audience a little extra interaction.
Chuck-a-puck can be enjoyed in a couple of different ways depending on what you want to offer your audience. Since chuck-a-puck foam pucks are soft, you can safely fling them into an audience without having to worry about injuring someone. Fans love to catch these stress balls, and they can lead to a ton of excitement in the audience.
If you want to add to the fun, you can also sell these pucks as a fundraiser option or charge fans to participate in the chuck-a-puck event. Using these items as a tool to increase fan engagement and put the crowd in a good mood can have great results.