hi all , need help in trying to find or get a sponsor for my 14 year old son , his been dirt jumping now for 2 years, i know he can go alot further if he had the backing he needs, iv been trying to find out how i could get him a sponsor (if possible) but keep going round and round and getting no where, can any one give me any advise or help as how to start this for him, thanks in advance for your help s.budd
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 He needs to enter competitions and get results, there's not a lot of money in it, so at that age all he can really hope for is to get a saturday job in your local bike shop, and get cheap parts. If he starts to get some coverage then they may provide more financial backing, but its never going to be a lot. I know its not what you want to here but its not a big enough sport to finance future prospects, results are needed first.
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 Doesnt the law of the jungle apply here? If he is/was good enough the sponsorship would take care of itself. As MSP says, enter competitions and then when his talent wins him the event he has the grounds to walk into the lbs or whoever and say look at me. Otherwise he's a kid who likes to dirt jump just like i am a guy who likes to ride my bike. Oh and sponsorship is a dirty word at the moment unfortunately. I know in my industry the like to give sponsorship for various causes, but atm everything is being turned down.
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 This lad managed to get involved with Cotic. Don't know what the deal is but I'd hope he at least gets his bikes for nothing! Drop him a line, maybe he can give some advice.
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 I did the mega with robbie last year.
He's one hell of a rider.
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 Q: How to get a sponsor? A: Be very good at Dirt Jumping.
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 Indeed, that's the thing - to go anywhere he needs to not just very good but exceptionally good. Watching the pro dirtjumpers at bike radar live I could soon see a clear line of distinction between sponsored very good riders and the one or two who were world-class...
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I doubt even more than 1 or 2 of the world class guys make a comfortable living out of it, most probably just get by "living the lifestyle" what they do once the gig is up will become a problem later.
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 All as above, but just make sure that he likes and has the commitment to make either a career or job out of rideuing a bike, not just because you as his mum thinks he`s good and he thinks hes good, its the judgment of his peers and sponsors that will get him noticed , not forgetting a bit of personality, and a look at me atitude,without being rude or abusive.
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 be photogenic.
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look at the recent example of Danny Macaskill
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I can ride better than him with my eyes closed....
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*is delusional*
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Ah you mean when you're sleeping
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God I've just watched the inspired video again...fucking voodoo that boy is
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look at the recent example of Danny Macaskill And a really nice lad he is, he was at a recent bike show i saw, and he had plenty of time for all the kids and their parents, and sat talking to them for quite a while,a true sportsman,as well as his team "The Clan", there are also writeup interviews in the main cycling mags this month,watch read and learn.
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just want to say thanks to all the replys, taken every thing you have all said on board , this site seems good think my son and i are going to get some good advase, thanks yeah. x
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 Turn the question around - what do sponsors want from riders? That's an easy one - exposure. So demonstrate that your lad can attract attention and that's half the battle. A YouTube vid showing how good he is won't harm - if he's really good then the vid might go Macaskill-style viral and you're on to a winner. Even if it doesn't, it shows he's serious and gives potential sponsors something to look at. Dirt jumping's a funny one, because it's not particularly competition-oriented - sponsors aren't paying riders to get results, they're paying them to get in magazines.
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that's what i said 
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