Pilot Program for Grassroots Sponsorships is Launching!
I've spent 12+ years in the FGC and 20+ years watching esports grow, from arcades and LAN parties in basements to sold-out hotels and conventions. The big stages get the headlines. But our scene lives at the locals: the weekly in the back of a game store, the bar fight with four setups and a stream nobody budgeted for, the monthly that a handful of people keep running because they love it.
Today we're opening the pilot program for Grassroot.gg sponsorships.
Locals run on goodwill, and goodwill runs out
Anyone who has run a local knows the math. Venue fees, setups, monitors, capture cards, a pot that's worth showing up for, a stream that looks decent. Most of it is paid by entry fees that barely cover the night, and the gap gets covered by the tournament organizer. Out of their own pocket.
I've watched great TOs do this for years. I've also watched scenes disappear, not because the players left, but because the person holding everything together burned out or simply couldn't keep paying for it.
Supporting our TOs
Sponsorship is the hardest part of running a local. Ask a TO what would help most and you'll usually hear "sponsors." Ask how that's going and you'll hear the same story: cold emails that never get answered, no media kit, no idea what to charge, awkward back-and-forth about deliverables, and sometimes chasing a payment for weeks after the event.
That's the problem Grassroot.gg is solving.
Sponsors aren't only big brands. When people hear "sponsor," they picture an energy drink or a peripheral company. Those are welcome. But some of the best sponsors a local can have are much closer to home:
- the game store or café down the street,
- a local restaurant that wants the crowd after bracket,
- a small business or an indie creator with something to show,
- and community members who simply want to support their local or give someone a shout-out.
Grassroot.gg is built for all of them, not just the ones with a marketing department.
With our new program, TOs get:
- Organizers stay in control. Accept the sponsors that fit your community, and pass on the ones that don't
- A team in your corner. someone one our team is always helping communication between sponsors and organizers, so you don't have to do the heavy lifting alone
- Free tools from FGCombo. Detailed stats for more than 10,000 locals around the world, the fgc.bio link-in-bio service, FGCombo's OBS overlays, and more.
- A 0% platform fee for a limited time.
Helping sponsors reach real communities
What are sponsors really looking for? People who will present their brand authentically, to an audience that pays attention.
That has become surprisingly hard to find online. According to the Imperva 2025 Bad Bot Report, bots made up 51% of all web traffic in 2024, the first time automated traffic outnumbered humans in a decade. On the ad side, one 2025 analysis of over 100 billion ad impressions flagged roughly 1 in 5 as invalid traffic (I personally there are way more today!). Sponsors can't tell who is real, and audiences have learned not to trust what's advertised to them.
A local is the opposite of that. It's real people at a real event, and the TO knows many of them by name. That TO is also a filter: someone who cares about their community won't bring in a sponsor whose values clash with it, whether that's a brand, a foreign-owned corporation or a government. When a TO says "these folks support our scene," people listen, because the TO has earned it.
With our new program, sponsors get:
- Real, engaged audiences. Players and viewers who show up every week, and who notice when a sponsor backs their scene.
- Clear prices up front. Every organizer lists packages with prices, so there's no back-and-forth.
- A trusted local voice. TOs choose the sponsors that fit their community, so your brand arrives with a recommendation.
- A 0% platform fee for a limited time.
What the pilot is
Right now we are running a small pilot program with just a few TOs and sponsors. Here's how it works:
- Organizers set up an account and list their tournaments.
- Sponsors make an offer to the TOs they like.
- Organizers do the promotion and get paid.
Join the pilot
I believe 100% in supporting your locals, which is why I'm putting $500 of my own savings toward people in our pilot program. We are limiting it to just a few participants for now, so please sign up or email [email protected] to ask about this pilot!
If you run a local, a weekly, a monthly or a stream, see what Grassroot.gg does for TOs. If you want to support a scene, whether you're a brand, a business or one person who loves their local, see how sponsoring works.
The FGC was built by people who showed up for each other. Grassroot.gg is our way of making sure the people who keep showing up for their scenes don't have to do it alone.