The short answer
Good media work at a regatta starts about six months before with goals, budget and a media clause, and ends around four weeks after with figures and a report for sponsors. What matters is a clear split of roles: whoever does media has no job in running the regatta on race day. One media contact person is enough if a service provider handles production.
The principle: media and regatta not in the same hands
On race day the regatta needs everyone: committee boat, mark boat, safety, race office, measurement, prize-giving. Anyone filming, taking photos or posting during that time is missing there. 17.5 per cent of sports clubs in Germany see recruiting and retaining volunteers as a threat to their existence (DOSB, 2025). So plan media roles as separate roles, filled by people who do nothing else that day. If those people do not exist, that is a reason to hand off parts of the media work.
The roles at a glance
| Task | Club and media team | Service provider |
|---|---|---|
| Goals, budget, decision | Board and treasurer | Proposal at a fixed price |
| Media clause in notice of race and sailing instructions | approves and publishes | provides a template |
| Consent and privacy notice | collects and publishes, for example via the entry portal | provides templates |
| Coordination with the race committee | makes the contact | agrees positions and procedures |
| Livestream, drone, onboard cameras | provides power, a gallery space, internet and a coach boat (RIB) | produces; applies for the drone permit as operator |
| Photos and clips | as agreed | according to the package booked |
| Posting on the club's channels | approves or posts itself | supplies material, finished posts on request |
| Press releases | writes and sends | supplies press photos with captions |
| Proof for sponsors and figures after the event | statistics from its own channels | broadcast log, delivery times, review meeting |
If the club produces in-house, the same table applies; then every row in the right-hand column needs someone from the club who has no other job on race day.
The timeline from six months before to four weeks after
- Six months before: goals, budget, media clauseAgree goals in the board, get the media item into the budget, prepare the media clause for the notice of race and define what sponsors get in return. In many clubs the general meeting approves the budget; if you are bidding for an International German Championship, submit the application to the DSV (German Sailing Federation) by 31 October of the previous year.
- Four months before: notice of race and event pagePublish the notice of race with the media clause, set up an event page on the website (programme, results link, media, sponsors, travel), prepare the privacy notice.
- Two months before: consent, equipment, race committeeBuild consent into the entry portal, check the equipment on site (mobile network, power, gallery space), agree media boats, drone and positions with the race committee. For drone flights over federal waterways the permit takes several weeks.
- Four weeks before: content plan and pressContent plan for social media, brief press contacts, prepare sponsor posts, set a procedure for accidents and crises.
- One week before: notices and rehearsalPut up the privacy notice with a QR code, have markers ready for people who do not want to be shown, brief all media staff, test channels and stream technically.
- On race days: deliver what was promisedDaily results and daily report, same-day photos, short clips, livestream if planned; results only from the official results list; collect proof for sponsors as you go.
- One week after: report and galleryFinal report online, photo gallery, aftermovie, thanks to helpers and sponsors, material to the class and the federation.
- Four weeks after: figures and debriefCollect the key figures, send the sponsor report, debrief in the board, decisions for the next edition.
Better two channels done reliably than five done halfway
A channel that is linked on the website but stays empty during the regatta looks weaker than no channel at all. So choose in advance: an event page and one social channel are often enough. For each channel, plan who posts, how often and who approves.
Material for sponsors: only benefits you can count
Only offer sponsors what can be counted and proven: logo on the event page, tagged posts with a link, overlays in the livestream with a timestamp in the recording, photos with the sponsor visible for their own use, a mention in the final report. Extrapolated reach or advertising value equivalents are not proof. Whether sponsorship income affects the commercial operations of your non-profit club is a question for your tax adviser.
What to measure after the event
- planned versus actual broadcast time, including interruptions
- photos delivered, with number and delivery time
- views and watch time from the statistics of the streaming channel, after seven and 30 days
- posts per channel and press coverage, counted, not extrapolated
- feedback from the race committee on disruption on the water
Sources
- DOSB, Sportentwicklungsbericht (sports development report), news item of 29 September 2025 (in German).
- Deutscher Segler-Verband (German Sailing Federation), Ordnungen für Regatten (regatta regulations), valid from 1 January 2024, championship regulations 4.1 (copy: p-boot.de (in German)), accessed 1 October 2026.
- Luftverkehrs-Ordnung (German Air Traffic Regulations) § 21h, as presented at anwalt.de (in German), accessed 1 October 2026.
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (Bavarian Data Protection Authority), practical guide “Bilder und Verein” (images and clubs), 16 May 2019, lda.bayern.de (in German).
- ehrenamt24, Sponsorship for clubs (in German), accessed 1 October 2026.
- Timeline and roles: REACH working template “Media plan for your regatta”, October 2026, based on the sources above.
Not legal or tax advice. This guide describes procedures. Please clarify legal and tax questions with a lawyer, a data protection adviser or a tax adviser.