Beyond Branding: How Capitalize Media Built a School Hockey Sponsorship That Delivers More Than Exposure

When brands invest in sponsorship, they’re not buying advertising. They’re investing in an audience, a passion point and an opportunity to create meaningful connections.

That philosophy shaped the approach Capitalize Media took when developing Edgars’

partnership with SuperSport Schools Hockey. Rather than simply placing branding around broadcasts, the objective was to create a sponsorship ecosystem where every touchpoint added value for hockey fans while delivering measurable returns for the brand.

The challenge was straightforward. How do you take ownership of a school sport and create reasons for supporters to engage with Edgars throughout the season, rather than only noticing the logo during a match?

The answer was to build campaigns around the audience, not the sponsorship inventory.

Creating Participation Rather Than Passive Viewing

One of the first opportunities identified was recognising that some of hockey’s biggest moments often happen away from the goal scorers.

Goalkeepers produce game defining saves every weekend, yet they rarely receive the

recognition they deserve. This insight led to the creation of Save of the Month, a fan driven campaign that transformed outstanding saves into a monthly talking point.

Each month, four standout saves are selected from matches streamed on SuperSport Schools and nominated for Save of the Month. These four goalkeepers are then showcased across SuperSport Schools’ digital platforms, where the public is invited to vote for their favourite save via Instagram. By giving fans the power to decide the winner, the campaign encourages schools, teammates, families and the wider hockey community to rally behind their players, driving engagement and conversation well beyond match day.

Rather than creating a once off competition, Capitalize Media developed a recurring campaign that generates fresh content every month, rewards outstanding performances and gives Edgars an authentic role in celebrating the country’s top school hockey talent.

Giving Every Goal Greater Meaning

The strongest sponsorships create emotional connections, particularly when they extend

beyond the field of play.

To achieve this, Capitalize Media developed Every Goal Gives Back, an initiative where

Edgars donates R10 for every first team hockey goal streamed on SuperSport Schools

throughout the season. At the end of the campaign, the accumulated donation is distributed to charities nominated by the public.

Supporters are invited to submit and vote for charities through the Edgars x SuperSport Schools hub, allowing communities to decide where the funds will have the greatest impact. Every goal therefore carries greater significance, creating a meaningful connection between sporting success and community upliftment.

The campaign also provides a compelling narrative throughout the season, with regular

reminders across broadcasts, social media and digital platforms encouraging audiences to get involved while reinforcing Edgars’ commitment to giving back.

Integrating the Brand Into Premium Content

Creating standout campaigns is only part of maximising a sponsorship. Ensuring those campaigns are consistently amplified across premium content is equally important.

As title sponsor of Hockey on 216, Edgars became seamlessly integrated into a weekly magazine show dedicated to showcasing South Africa’s best school hockey. The programme celebrates standout performances, profiles rising stars, covers major tournaments and keeps the hockey community connected throughout the season.

The partnership was further strengthened through Friday Nite Lights, SuperSport Schools’ premium live hockey broadcast property. Featuring many of the country’s biggest school fixtures under the lights, the broadcasts provide Edgars with a natural association to some of the most anticipated matches on the school sporting calendar.

By embedding the brand within premium editorial content rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, the partnership delivers repeated, authentic exposure in an environment where audiences are highly engaged.

Maximising Every Sponsorship Asset

One of the biggest mistakes brands can make is viewing sponsorship assets as isolated deliverables.

Instead, Capitalize Media’s strategy was to connect every element of the partnership into one cohesive campaign. Broadcast integrations encouraged viewers to participate in Save of the Month. Social media drove voting and conversation. Every Goal Gives Back generated ongoing storytelling opportunities throughout the season, while Hockey on 216 and Friday Nite Lights continually amplified these initiatives to engaged audiences.

This integrated approach ensured that every asset worked harder, creating multiple touchpoints for fans while maximising Edgars’ return on investment.

Sponsorships Built Around Ideas

At Capitalize Media, sponsorship is about far more than branding rights.

Our role is to understand a client’s objectives, identify authentic opportunities within a passionate audience and develop creative campaigns that encourage participation, spark conversation and deliver measurable commercial value.

The Edgars x SuperSport Schools Hockey partnership demonstrates how strategic thinking can transform a sponsorship from a collection of media assets into a platform that celebrates athletes, engages communities and creates meaningful impact.

As brands increasingly seek authentic ways to connect with audiences, the most successful sponsorships will be those that tell stories, invite participation and create value for everyone involved.

To learn more about the Edgars x SuperSport Schools Hockey partnership, including Save of the Month, Every Goal Gives Back and other fan initiatives, visit the Edgars x SuperSport Schools hub: https://www.edgars.co.za/pages/supersport-schools