What am I worth as an athlete? How to calculate your sponsorship price
You've trained hard. You've achieved results. You have a community that follows and trusts you.
But when a brand asks what you want for a collaboration, you're silent. Or you name a figure that's too low. Or you say: "Whatever you'd like to offer is okay."
That's the most expensive mistake athletes make.
Why most athletes sell themselves short
It's not due to a lack of self-confidence. It's because no one has ever shown athletes how to calculate their own worth.
In traditional sponsorship, there were simple rules: those at the top got paid. Those who weren't at the top got nothing or products. Today, it's more complex and fairer. Because today, an athlete with 3,000 engaged followers can be more valuable to a niche brand than a world champion with 50,000 passive subscribers.
The market has changed. The methods for calculating one's own worth have changed with it. But few athletes know this.
What brands measure internally
To understand what you're worth, you need to understand how brands think.
93% of sports brands measure reach and impressions as KPIs.
67% measure credibility and image.
47% look at direct sales impact.
What this means: your worth is made up of several factors — not just followers.
Reach: how many people do you reach per post, per month, per season?
Engagement: what's your interaction rate? Do your followers comment, share, save — or just scroll by?
Target group fit: who are your followers? What's their purchasing power? Does your community match the brand's target group?
Competition presence: how many races do you compete in per year? In front of how many people? With what media presence?
Content quality: can you produce professional content that's directly usable for the brand?
Story and authenticity: do you really stand behind the product? Do people believe you when you talk about it?
Concrete numbers — what's realistic?
Many athletes have no idea what they can ask for. Here's a realistic framework:
- Ambitious amateurs with clear positioning and 1,000-10,000 engaged followers: €1,000-5,000 per year — often as a mix of cash and benefits.
- Athletes with strong communities and regular media presence: €5,000-20,000 per year.
- Professional athletes with national or international visibility: €20,000 or more — depending on the sport, reach, and deal structure.
Equipment sponsorship is often the lowest barrier to entry and the first step towards a long-term paid partnership.
What many forget: the tax side
Sponsorship income is taxable. This surprises many athletes, but it's essential to consider and set up correctly from the start.
Sponsorship money, product sponsorship, and product seeding are generally considered commercial income. Advertising services are subject to 19% VAT, unless you stay below the small business threshold.
What this means for you depends on your situation. But one thing is clear: those who approach this in a structured way from the start have fewer problems — and negotiate more confidently.
Our new course: What am I worth as an athlete?
We've fully developed this topic in our new course on athleteXhub.
You'll learn how to calculate your market value step by step. You'll get a concrete price calculator to determine your price for different collaboration forms like social media posts, jersey logos, event presence, content production.
You'll learn how to communicate this price confidently to brands without selling yourself short. And you'll get the most important tax and legal basics you need to know as an athlete before signing your first contract.
Those who know their worth negotiate differently. And those who negotiate stop selling themselves short.
What you'll learn in our new course
- Concrete price calculator to determine your sponsorship price for different collaboration forms
- Learn how to communicate this price to brands
- Get all the important tax and legal basics
Register on athleteXhub, start the course, and calculate your worth before you approach a brand again.
