Cannabis Brands Entering Semi Pro and Adult Rec/Competitive Sports
Soccer has been my one true passion since I was 5.
Throughout my teenage years I was fortunate enough to play at a high level, in some big tournaments, and have some once in a lifetime experiences.
When I started working in cannabis, and learning about its health and wellness benefits, I was quickly motivated by the idea of merging the world of sports with cannabis.
Obviously.
The path most were, and still are, trying to go down is professional sports. Again, obviously.
The problem is it’s the most difficult, most expensive, and most amount of red tape.
But, it’s where the most money and influence is. So, naturally cannabis brands are attracted to it.
Usually when you think of sponsorship or endorsements in the world of sports it’s professional, collegiate, and/or youth.
Of those three, the professional avenue makes the most sense for a cannabis brand.
My take: Cannabis and CBD brands are missing a MASSIVE opportunity.
The adult recreational, amateur, and semi-pro market.
There’s easily hundreds of thousands of adults playing in one of, or all of these leagues. It seems like this space is overlooked and cannabis brands aren’t engaging with these leagues/organizations as a strategic sponsor/partner. Specifically in soccer, where I have some awareness/exposure to what’s going on.
I volunteer time with CASA Soccer League helping with Partnerships and Biz Dev. CASA is one the largest organizations when it comes to adult recreational and amateur-competitive soccer. In Philly alone they have roughly 15,000 adults playing soccer in dozens of leagues, tournaments, and pick-up year round.
It’s actually very impressive.
I played in the CASA Select League in the 2023-24 season. My team won our league and got promoted into the The Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) for the 2024-25 season.
EPSL is a United States Adult Soccer Association and a National Independent Soccer Association affiliated Semi-Professional Elite League that includes teams from the Eastern United States.
As soon as I got involved with CASA and my team, I said we need to get cannabis/CBD brands involved. There’s a massive opportunity here and our audience is their target demographic.
They told me a small CBD brand set up a vendor table at one of their tournaments, but that was it.
Here’s why I think leagues/organizations like CASA and the EPSL are perfect for cannabis/CBD brands:
Everyone in the league is an adult.
Most are mid 20s into their 30s.
More and more 30+ and 40+ leagues are starting.
Between direct emails, the league’s social followings, and social followings of the teams, there’s a reach of tens-of-thousands of potential customers.
Many are already using cannabis or CBD products.
More would use the products if they were educated on the use cases other than getting high.
They’re privately/independently run (for the most part). So no red tape.
I reached out to a few Philly and NJ dispensaries and was shocked when they didn’t want to take advantage of this opportunity. Admittedly, most of them were owned by a massive MSO so they have their own bureaucratic red tape that’s not really worth dealing with.
Then, over the summer, one of our players ended up getting hired by a new dispensary in New Jersey that was family owned and operated, Brotherly Bud.
He connected me with Will, the Founder/CEO.
I had two convos with Will that consisted of: ‘No other cannabis brand is in this space (that I know of). You guys would be the first. I know some players on our team use cannabis products already. I use cannabis products. I’m passionate about educating athletes on the opportunities with cannabis. And, I think more players will convert into customers when educated.’
This aligned with Will’s passion and vision and Brotherly Bud became the first cannabis brand to sponsor a Semi-Pro Soccer team. (Here’s the announcement.)
Two months into our sponsorship and guys from the team are now regular customers of Brotherly Bud. They’re also telling their friends and family to check out/visit Brotherly Bud. And, they’re buying new types of products, and using cannabis for new reasons.
Like helping ease muscle aches and soreness. Almost everyone on my team was shocked to learn THC lotion could help with that. They were more surprised with how much it worked when I let them try the one I use.
I’m excited and optimistic about what will come from this AC Trilogy x Brotherly Bud partnership.
I’m also excited to see if this brings more attention to this missed opportunity.
Team photos with Brotherly Bud and our new jerseys after Game 1.
