Inspiring Stories of Athletes Who Achieved Success Thanks to Crowdfunding

The so-called “starving artist” is a common stereotype – getting by on a shoestring and on the kindness of strangers as they hone their craft and eventually find success. But what about the aspiring athlete?

Most people associate this lifestyle with unlimited corporate sponsorship and effortless international travel, Despite the fact that 85% of Olympic hopefuls make less than $15,000 a year. The resources and dedication required to achieve sporting greatness are often even greater than those associated with artistic drive, and the consequences of a lack of funding are usually more dire.

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular way for financially-disadvantaged athletes to address these perceptions head-on, while ensuring the stability they need to achieve their goals thanks to contributions from committed donors. In this article we’ll look at some inspiring recent examples of sports crowdfunding campaigns that went above and beyond expectations.

• Olympic swimmer Anthony Ervin made the U.S. Olympic team in 2012, having left the sport a decade earlier to pursue a career in music. Despite his high profile, legions of fans and fairytale comeback narrative, he was forced to self-fund his participation in the 2012 World Cup tour, even though he was representing USA Swimming. When corporate sponsorship fell through two weeks prior to the start date, Ervin turned to online crowdfunding to make his dream come true – initially under the guise of a music fundraiser, since sports crowdfunding platforms were in their infancy at the time. Ervin’s campaign raised almost $3,000 more than his $10,000 goal, and he went on to win gold at the 2016 Olympics – 16 years on from his first Olympic success – becoming the oldest individual to win an Olympic gold swimming medal in the process.
• In a remarkable story straight out of the film “Cool Runnings”, the Jamaican bobsleigh team qualified for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics – having previously charmed the world at the 1988 edition, in what was assumed to be their only appearance – and turned to crowdfunding to make it happen. Despite their successful qualification, the team lacked funding, but the Dogecoin cryptocurrency community helped raise $30,000 of their $40,000 goal in just 48 hours. An online campaign was then set up, seeking to raise an additional $80,000. By the time the campaign wrapped up, the team had raised over $129,000, and was able to take part in the Winter Olympics. It remains of the most successful sports crowdfunding campaigns ever.
• The UK’s Premier League is often associated with exorbitant fees and player salaries, but further down the pyramid the financial reality is much shakier. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted how much of football’s capital is concentrated among the top clubs, and how precarious existence is at the lower levels of the game. As grounds were closed and ticket sales dried up, clubs launched online fundraisers to keep the lights on and essential staff on the payroll, and dedicated fans responded in turn. In the National League, Notts County surpass their target of £25,000, effectively rallying local supporters behind Neal Ardley’s side by offering up advance sales of tickets, one-off experiences and a range of commercial products as rewards for individual donors. The club also pledged to donate 10% of the crowdfunding campaign’s proceeds directly to the Age UK charity.
• In 2015 the Irish Men’s Hockey Team, a.k.a. the “Green Machine”, qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in its history, only to be immediately faced with a funding shortfall. The Irish hockey federation set up a crowdfunding campaign and Irish hockey fans rallied behind the team, raising over €51,000 and making the campaign the most successful in the world in the run-up to Rio 2016.
• The USA Speedskating team sought out donations from their fans to be able to take part in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, ultimately receiving over 2,000 donations worth a total of $65,000 via online crowdfunding platforms.  The hugely successful campaign paid for  the teams’ flights to the Winter Games and for meals for all athletes. Over 100 aspiring speed-skaters flew to the Sochi Olympics, of whom 28 made it to the final rounds of the Games, and five earned medals.

These are just some of the most successful and high-profile examples of how crowdfunding can help athletes and teams to realize their dreams of sporting success. But there are countless other examples, usually on a smaller but no less significant scale, of fans and supporters coming together to support their sporting heroes and share in their success. Why not start your sports crowdfunding campaign today and help an aspiring athlete on their way to sporting success?