Financing a Football Scoreboard with Sponsors: A Worked Example in CHF

The LED wall costs CHF 12,000 to 15,000, and the club's bank account will not stretch that far. This is where many scoreboard projects in Swiss football clubs fail, even though the numbers add up: scoreboard, football and sponsors belong together. This article shows how to finance the scoreboard through sponsors: with a fully worked payback calculation in CHF for two club sizes, a copyable price list for scoreboard sponsorship and a funding mix for the club meeting.

Starting point: what the scoreboard costs

The figures come from our article How much does an LED scoreboard cost in 2026?. As a rule of thumb, expect CHF 2,000 to 2,500 per square metre all-in (panels, substructure, power, installation, LED processor).

The software licence and the operating computer come on top; the current packages are listed under Pricing. For the calculation below we work with CHF 14,000 for a 3 x 2 m wall and an annual reserve of CHF 500 for power, maintenance and the software licence. A real example is the LED screen at FC Seuzach.

Football scoreboard sponsors: inventory and price anchors

A perimeter board shows one logo. A digital scoreboard with advertising provides several slots that you can sell individually as scoreboard sponsorship:

• Rotating banner below the score: runs for the whole match, several sponsors take turns (advertising banners docs).
• Pre-match and half-time playlists: videos and images at the moments when spectators are looking at the wall anyway (playlists docs).
• Goal and card animations with sponsor logo: appear exactly at the moment of celebration.
• Match clock sponsor: logo next to the match time. The slot is on screen every time someone checks the clock, which makes it an exclusive position for a single sponsor.
• Public viewing in the clubhouse and visibility in the livestream.

Technical overview: advertising on the scoreboard.

Public price lists from amateur clubs provide solid anchors:

• Perimeter advertising: CHF 300 to 650 per season for a standard board of about 3 x 0.75 m, depending on format, position and contract term. Double boards sit at 1.5 to 2 times that.
• Kit sponsorship: CHF 1,300 to 3,000 per season; match ball: CHF 150 to 250 per match.

For comparison from Germany: in its financing model (as of 8/2025), the supplier goracon (eureanzeigetafel.de) calculates EUR 1,000 to 1,250 per advertising space per year, plus spots, logo displays and public viewing, for a total of EUR 14,350 per year on a 3.84 x 2.24 m board with a list price of EUR 45,000. That is the example of an existing customer with a large board; for the 3rd league, calculate more conservatively.

Rule of thumb: a slot on the scoreboard is worth roughly 1.5 to 2 times a single perimeter board, because it moves, it is bright and it is visible at every goal. That gives CHF 600 to 1,200 per season depending on the slot and the number of spectators.

Worked examples: two club sizes in CHF

Example A: 3rd or 4th league with 200 to 400 spectators

Assumptions: 3 x 2 m wall for CHF 14,000, around 20 match days per season with the wall in use (first team, juniors, cup).

After deducting CHF 500 in running costs, around CHF 11,300 per season remains. The wall is therefore paid off after the second season, or after the third if only 8 slots are sold (around CHF 7,500). This matches the "5 sponsors at CHF 1,500" calculation in the club meeting article.

Example B: small club with a clubhouse TV and a 2 x 1 m wall

Assumptions: 2 x 1 m wall at the pitch (CHF 5,000) plus an existing clubhouse TV, both driven by the same software, 50 to 150 spectators.

After running costs, around CHF 2,900 remains: payback after two seasons, then a small recurring contribution.

Prove the exposure instead of promising it

Sponsors pay for reach: spectators x home matches x displays per match. With 250 spectators, 20 match days and 30 displays, that is 150,000 impressions per season. Back this up with a photo of the wall, the playlist overview and a one-page season report that also contains the offer for the next season.

Funding mix: sponsors are only one source

J+S (Youth and Sport) contributions are aimed at courses, camps and coach training, not at infrastructure.

Free scoreboard: what the club gives up in return

"Free football scoreboard" is a common search query. Behind it is a model run in Germany by providers such as Kitz Medien, Torzähler or Arena Board: the provider supplies the board, sells the advertising itself and keeps the income, and the club gets the display "cost-neutral". What that means:

• Term: the contract duration is usually not stated on the websites; clarify before signing how long the club is tied in and how it can exit.
• Ownership: clarify who owns the board during and after the term.
• Editorial control: whoever sells the advertising has a say in which companies appear (at Kitz Medien, according to its website, "in consultation with your club"); your perimeter sponsor may then end up next to its competitor.
• The income from the worked example above does not go into your club's account.

In Switzerland this model practically does not exist. A second strand of the "free" search is free apps such as KeepTheScore for the TV. That is sometimes enough for the clubhouse TV, but not for an LED wall with sponsor rotation and remote control; the software comparison shows the differences.

Selling to sponsors: rules, price list, time required

Rules that have proven themselves

• Plan for drop-outs: calculate with 80 % of the slots. If a sponsor pulls out, the instalment keeps running.
• Exclusivity per sector: one bank, one car dealer, one construction company. That allows higher prices and avoids conflicts.
• Tie the term to the season: contracts from July to June, with automatic renewal and a notice period until the end of March.
• Perimeter sponsors first: someone already paying CHF 350 for a board is more likely to say yes to a CHF 300 surcharge than a new customer to CHF 900.
• VAT: sponsorship in return for advertising counts as a taxable supply, unlike a pure donation. According to the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (ESTV), sports clubs run on a voluntary basis only become liable for VAT from CHF 250,000 in taxable turnover per year (other businesses from CHF 100,000). Clarify the individual case with your accountant; this article is not tax or legal advice.

Copyable sponsor price list

Exposure time based on 90 minutes of play plus 30 minutes before and after; adjust prices to the number of spectators.

How to take these offers to companies is covered in the article Finding sponsors for your football club.

Time required

Without someone responsible, the price list stays a PDF. As a guide, allow 30 to 50 hours until the wall is fully sold: price list and sample images, calling perimeter sponsors, visiting the local trade association and companies, collecting contracts and logos. Start pre-sales in spring so the commitments are in place before the committee orders. More on the classic perimeter board: digital advertising spaces on the sidelines.

Frequently asked questions

How many sponsors does a scoreboard need?

For a 3 x 2 m wall, 8 to 12 sponsors at CHF 600 to 1,200 per season are enough to refinance it in two to three seasons. A 2 x 1 m wall gets by with 4 to 6 sponsors.

What can a sponsor slot on the scoreboard cost?

1.5 to 2 times your perimeter advertising: in the 3rd and 4th league, CHF 600 to 1,200 per season is realistic for a rotating banner, and CHF 2,000 to 3,000 for the main sponsor with the match clock.

Can a club really get the scoreboard for free?

In Germany, yes, through operator models where the provider sells the advertising and keeps the income. In Switzerland this is hardly widespread; the only free options here are apps for the TV.

Does the club have to charge VAT on sponsorship income?

Sponsorship with an advertising service is taxable; for sports clubs run on a voluntary basis, however, VAT liability only starts at CHF 250,000 in taxable annual turnover. If in doubt, ask your accountant or the ESTV.

Does the Swisslos sports fund contribute to a scoreboard?

Yes, it happens: the canton of Basel-Stadt lists funded scoreboard projects in its open data, and the ZKS list in the canton of Zurich explicitly names results displays. The decisive factors are applying before the purchase and the cantonal classification as sports equipment or facility.

Conclusion

An LED scoreboard is sponsor inventory that pays for itself in two to three seasons if the club takes the sales effort seriously. The sequence: draw up the price list, bring the perimeter sponsors onto the wall, submit the sports fund application, and only then order. For the motion to the club meeting, use the arguments from the club meeting article; for the cantonal contribution, the Swisslos guide. Run the example with your own club's figures in the sponsor calculator on the page for football clubs. To see which advertising formats the software displays on the digital scoreboard, try the demo: 15 minutes, free, restartable as often as you like. That way you can show sponsors the offer before the wall is even up.