Sponsorship Coordinator

Sponsorship Coordinator

Department: Commercial & Partnerships

Reporting to: Head of Sponsorships

Location: Dubai, UAE

Type: Full-Time

Gulf United FC is the UAE's most diverse football club — a professional club competing in the UAE First Division and a 600+ player academy representing 83 nationalities. Founded in 2019, we are the #1 scholarship provider in the MENA region with pathways to US and Canadian universities and a proud adidas partnership.

Our Commercial & Partnerships team is central to the club's growth, creating compelling sponsorship opportunities that connect brands with one of the region's fastest-growing football communities.

The Sponsorship Coordinator sits at the heart of our commercial engine. You will combine proactive outreach and pipeline management with meticulous back-end delivery — ensuring that every sponsor we bring on board receives a world-class experience from the first conversation through to final reporting.

This is a dual-focus role: you are the engine that keeps meetings in our Head of Sponsorship's calendar full, and the person who makes sure every deliverable we promise is delivered on time and to the highest standard.

Outreach & Pipeline Development

• Research and identify prospective sponsors across target sectors including sports, education, F&B, retail, automotive, technology and lifestyle brands operating in the UAE and wider GCC.

• Execute high-volume, personalised outreach campaigns via email, LinkedIn, calls and direct approaches to decision-makers, generating a consistent flow of qualified leads.

• Qualify inbound and outbound prospects, gauge fit against Gulf United's sponsorship packages, and determine readiness to progress to a commercial conversation.

• Maintain a live prospect database in the CRM, accurately tracking outreach activity, responses, and follow-up schedules.

• Craft compelling introductory messaging and outreach sequences that communicate the Gulf United brand story, audience reach, and commercial opportunity.

Meeting Management & Sales Support

• Own the calendar management for the Head of Sponsorships — proactively scheduling discovery calls, pitch meetings and follow-ups to maximise their selling time.

• Prepare briefing notes ahead of every meeting, summarising prospect background, key contacts, likely objectives and recommended package fit.

• Coordinate logistics for meetings and presentations, including venue, materials and any event-day hospitality required.

• Follow up after every meeting with timely communication, sending decks, proposals or additional information as directed.

• Support the preparation of bespoke sponsorship proposals and presentations in collaboration with the Head of Sponsorships and creative team.

Sponsor Servicing & Deliverable Management

• Act as the day-to-day point of contact for active sponsors, building strong relationships and maintaining regular communication throughout the partnership lifecycle.

• Build and maintain a deliverables tracker for each active sponsorship, ensuring every contractual commitment — logo placements, matchday activations, social mentions, academy events, reporting — is recorded, assigned and completed on schedule.

• Coordinate internally with the Marketing, Academy, Events and Operations teams to ensure all sponsor assets and activations are executed correctly and on time.

• Proactively flag any deliverable risks or timeline issues to the Head of Sponsorships, proposing solutions before they become problems.

• Prepare post-campaign and end-of-season sponsorship reports, compiling performance data, attendance figures, social metrics and activation summaries to demonstrate ROI to partners.

• Support renewal conversations by ensuring sponsors feel valued throughout their partnership and are aware of new opportunities aligned to their objectives.

Essential

• 3+ years of experience in a sales support, business development, account management or sponsorship role, ideally in sports, events, media or a commercial environment.

• Proven track record of generating leads and booking meetings through proactive outreach — you know how to write a cold email that gets a reply.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple sponsors, timelines and deliverables simultaneously without anything slipping.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic is a strong advantage.

• Confident, professional, and relationship-focused — you understand that sponsors are partners, not just accounts.

• Proficiency with CRM tools, project management software and Microsoft Office / Google Suite.

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment where priorities can shift quickly.

Desirable

• Experience in the UAE or GCC commercial landscape, with an existing network of brand and marketing contacts.

• Background or strong personal interest in football or youth sport.

• Experience producing sponsorship reports or post-event recaps with data and analytics.

• Familiarity with design tools such as Adobe for minor asset adaptations.

Opportunity

• A unique opportunity to build a commercial career in professional football — one of the most exciting sectors in the UAE.

• Exposure to a diverse, international environment spanning 83 nationalities and a growing professional club.

• Clear progression pathways within the commercial department as Gulf United continues to grow.

• Access to matchdays, club events and the wider Gulf United ecosystem.

• qdidas kit allocation and club benefits.

• A driven, ambitious team culture that celebrates results and rewards initiative.

To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover note explaining why you are the right person for this role and what sponsorship or commercial experience you bring to:

applications@gulfunitedfc.com

Please include “Sponsorship Coordinator Application” in the subject line alongside your name. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and early applications are strongly encouraged.

Job Type: Full-time