For sponsors · season one

Sponsor a hockey contest.

Put your Calgary or Edmonton business in front of local hockey fans on game night. First Goal Contest is a free, no-wagering contest for fans of Canadian NHL teams, and sponsors are named with every winner we announce.

What you need

The five things a hometown brand is buying.

Association
Your name next to your team, on game night. “Flames game nights presented by” on the homepage today, and in the game-day reminder email when it launches this season.
Local reach
Fans in your market, not a national average. One partner per team, seven markets, so a Calgary business is seen by Calgary fans.
Goodwill
Being the brand that gave the prize, thanked publicly. Every winner is announced with the prize, the photo and the sponsor’s name.
A clean context
No gambling, no odds, no promo codes, no controversy. Nothing your customers would mind seeing next to their family’s name on a leaderboard.
Simplicity
A one-page sheet, a flat price, a monthly report. No impressions, no decks, nothing to decode.
The value

What we have that you can't buy elsewhere.

The moment
The thirty seconds before puck drop, when everyone in the room has an opinion. That is when the pick is made and when your name is there.
A community that already exists
3,800 followers on the Facebook page as of September 2026. The habit was there before the platform was.
Five placements
Presenting partner (one, national). Market partner (one per team). Leaderboard partner (the prize for a cup). A line in the game-day reminder email, once it launches. A mention in the pre-game and winner posts.
A monthly report
Registered players in your market and calls per game, reported monthly from opening night, with email open rates added when reminders launch. Every number dated, every number traceable.
The barriers

Why hockey has been out of reach, and why this isn't.

Hockey is priced for national brands

Team and league partnerships, broadcast spots and arena signage are priced for someone else. This is one market, one season, one flat price, sized for a business with three locations, not three hundred.

Game night is crowded with betting ads

There is no sportsbook here and there never will be. No sportsbook partners, no affiliate links, no odds. It is the reason the contest exists, and it goes in the agreement.

Sports media sells nationally

You do not buy Canada. You buy Flames fans, or Jets fans, or whichever market you serve, and you get a count of them by name of market every month.

Long contracts before any proof

A short first term at a founding rate. You see the numbers as they come in, then decide about the second half of the season with first right to renew.

The concerns

What we put in writing before you sign anything.

“How many of these people are actually in Calgary?”

Active players by market, verified and reported monthly. Until the platform has its own count, the only number we quote is the dated Facebook figure, and we say so.

“I don’t want to be next to a betting ad.”

No gambling sponsors, ever, in writing. Sportsbooks, casinos and cannabis are refused as a category. Alcohol follows each province’s advertising rules before it is accepted.

“Give me something I can put in the store window.”

The winner post with your name on it, the market-partner lockup, and the weekly standings image when pools launch. Assets you can show a customer, not a line in a report.

“Will anyone answer the phone?”

The founder runs the contest from Calgary and answers within one business day. Same city, same time zone, same phone.

What it costs

A flat price, a short first term, and the numbers as they come in.

Season-one rates are set with founding partners, in exchange for a testimonial and first right to renew. No rate card is published until there is a month of real data behind it, because a number without a source is the thing you told us you're tired of.

Ask for the one-page sheet and you'll have it, with the founding rate, the same day. From the founder, in Calgary.

Get the one-page sheet

No sportsbooks, casinos or cannabis. Alcohol and other regulated categories follow each province's advertising rules.Prefer your own email? Write to [email protected].