Travel team auction item ideas that actually sell

For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. The distinguishing decision here is that the catalogue should suit relatives, employers and local businesses rather than the twelve families already paying.

Sponsorship units from the bill

• A tournament entry
• A hotel night, for a player or for the block
• A referee fee for a match
• A uniform set for one player
• A season of practice facility time
• A scholarship place — a player's season fees

Itemised and priced: tournament and travel costs.

Team-connected lots, used sparingly

• A coach's private session or skills clinic
• Professional action photography of a player at a tournament
• A signed team ball, jersey or framed team photograph
• The team's warm-up jacket in an adult size, for a grandparent
• A speaking or clinic appearance by a coach at another organization

The adult-sized team jacket is the sleeper item. Grandparents want them, they cost a supplier order, and no other organization in the family can supply one.

Keep anything that touches playing time, selection, position or captaincy out entirely — including as a joke. It is the one category that damages a coach's position rather than merely the auction's.

Tournament-weekend lots

• A tournament survival basket: canopy, chairs, cooler, snacks, chargers, sibling entertainment
• A hotel night at a tournament city
• Team travel gear — bags, water bottles, folding wagons
• A restaurant credit near a regular tournament venue

Community lots, which are most of it

• Restaurant and retail from local businesses
• Experiences: a boat day, a cabin weekend, tickets, a round of golf
• Professional services from parents, relatives and sponsors
• Tickets or memorabilia from a nearby college or professional team
• Home services: cleaning, lawn care, a handyman's day

This is the bulk of the catalogue and it should be, because the bidders are relatives and community members buying things they want rather than supporters buying into a sport.

What to check or avoid

• Anything touching playing time, selection, position or roster spots
• Player photographs against your club's media consent and, where a school is involved, the district's
• League and governing body rules on sponsorship, benefits to players and use of league marks
• Club logo merchandise where the club is for-profit and owns the mark
• Anything implying a donation to a for-profit club is charitable
• Per-family fundraising leaderboards, in any form

General information, not legal or tax advice for your team. Whether your club is for-profit, a charitable organization or a booster group attached to one changes what a donor may claim and what you may do with the money — this is exactly the situation to put in front of your own adviser.