The American Football market worldwide is projected to grow by 6.92% over the next five years, reaching $38.05 billion by 2029. It’s a smart move to promote American football brands, with higher chances of boosting earnings.
In this article, we’ve compiled the 13 best American football affiliate programs with lucrative offers & quality products.
For more options, we’ve curated a list of standout sports affiliate programs. Be sure to check out our recommendations for soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, and wrestling.
In the later section, we will suggest some first steps for creating your affiliate program for American football products.
TL;DR
From gear and apparel to coaching lessons, you have plenty of American football affiliate programs to explore. Let’s find out how much you can earn from these partnerships.
- NFL Store (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 7 days)
- Leather Head Sports (Commission: 10%, Cookie: 60 days)
- Chiefs Pro Shop (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 7 days)
- Sport Memorabilia (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 7 days)
- Fan’s Edge (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 7 days)
- Strideline (Commission: 10%, Cookie: 60 days)
- Paragon Sports (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 7 days)
- Coachtube (Commission: 30%, Cookie: 30 days)
- Wilson (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 30 days)
- 500 LEVEL (Commission: 8%, Cookie: 30 days)
- SPT (Commission: 5%)
- Prep Sportswear (Commission: 15%)
Affiliate marketing will help American football brands market their products more effectively. By leveraging the influence of affiliates or influencers, their products can reach a wider audience. Keep reading to find out some useful tips when you build an American football affiliate campaign.
- First, you need to select the best affiliate software to create an affiliate program effortlessly.
- Then, set up your commission structures to attract affiliates to your program
- It’s also important to support your partners with pre-made marketing assets. This way, they can better promote your brand and drive more sales to your store.
- Lastly, remember to showcase your affiliate program clearly. Make it as easy as possible for affiliates to learn about your brand, so they can sign up quickly.
It can be challenging to build programs, manage affiliates, or handle tracking and payments. However, with the right affiliate software like UpPromote, all those tasks can be done effortlessly. Our app makes it simple for even beginners to start an American football campaign.
With 3000+ positive Shopify reviews, UpPromote boasts as the top trusted affiliate software.
Top 13 Best American Football Affiliate Programs
Want to start earning money through American football affiliate programs? Consider these best options in this table at a quick glance:
| The best affiliate programs | Program name |
| Affiliate program with the highest commission rates | Coachtube (30%) |
| Affiliate program with the longest cookie duration | Leather Head Sports (60 days) |
| Affiliate program with the most payment methods | NFL Store, Chief Pro Shop |
| Affiliate program requires a payment threshold | Coachtube, SPT ($100) |
| Affiliate program with the most promotional materials | Paragon Sports, Prep Sportswear |
1. NFL Store
NFL Store is the official shop to find authentic merchandise of NFL clubs for football fans. You can update every latest launch at their store with various discount offers from your favorite teams.
The NFL Store affiliate program is run through Impact. The commission rate is 8% for each successful sale of your audience. NFL Store will pay out every 45 days after the end of the month.
The cookie duration is only 7 days since the first click. Therefore, customers must purchase within a week so affiliates can get their approved commission.
Affiliates can only promote using banners from NFL Store affiliate network partners. Moreover, affiliates are not allowed to use any official NFL logos, including “The Shield,” to promote their links.
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2. Leather Head Sports
If you are a die-hard American football fan, having a customized ball is a must in your collection. Leather Head Sports is a leading brand in designing and selling handcrafted balls with a modern, nostalgic look.
They offer up to a 10% commission rate for their partners and a 60-day cookie duration. With an average order value of over $150, affiliates could earn $15 per order.
When promoting Leather Head Sports, you can use their personal customized service to attract more buyers. They also have professionally designed banners for you upon request.
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3. Chiefs Pro Shop
Kansas City Chiefs is a famous American football team that has won the NFL championships for 4 times. Their official Chiefs Pro Shop is where you can buy jerseys, t-shirts, and other apparel from the team.
Their affiliate program is managed through Impact. They allow their affiliates to earn up to an 8% commission rate per sale.
The cookie duration has a tracking period of 7 days. Therefore, please note that your affiliate link will only generate commissions within this period.
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4. Sport Memorabilia
American football fans come to find the rarest items of their famous superstars at Sports Memorabilia. On their website, you can discover autographs, signed balls, and exclusive items from any professional player.
To join their affiliate program, you can sign up through Impact. The commission rate is 8% for every successful order from your affiliate link.
You should notice the program’s cookie length. Their cookie duration only lasts for 7 days from the first click of customers.
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5. DICK’s Sporting Goods
DICK’s Sporting Goods is the top choice retailer in the USA for finding American football products from renowned brands. They are the official sponsor for Team USA during the Olympics in the recent season.
Affiliates can sign up for the DICK’s Sporting Goods affiliate program via Impact. The commission rate is 2% per sale through an affiliate link. Noticeably, the cookie duration lasts for only 3 days from the first click of the customer.
DICK’s Sporting Goods pays their affiliates on a net 60 basis after the end of the month. After joining the program, affiliates will get access to the banners and links from the brand to use in promotion.
DICK’s Sporting Goods will also send weekly newsletters to notify their partners about special promotions during the season.
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6. Fan’s Edge
Fan’s Edge provides every item you’re looking for from many sports teams, such as American football, baseball, and basketball. Their diverse collections include the NFL, MLB, NBA, and more leagues.
If you want to join their affiliate program, you can join via Impact – one of the most popular affiliate networks. Fan’s Edge pays their partners up to an 8% commission rate.
The cookie duration stays active for 7 days, allowing you to earn a commission for any purchases made within a week.
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7. Strideline
Strideline has been selling the most comfortable socks for NFL and MLS fans and athletes for over 10 years. They are proud to have recycled eco socks that have sold over 20 million pairs worldwide.
The brand offers a 10% commission rate for every partner who joins the Strideline affiliate program. The cookie duration is up to 60 days of tracking.
Strideline only uses PayPal to send monthly payouts to affiliates. Therefore, you must have a PayPal account to join their affiliate program.
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8. Paragon Sports
Paragon Sports covers top-notch gear in various sports, including American football, soccer, tennis, and other outdoor activities. They have over 30,000 items from 300 different brands worldwide.
Paragon Sports affiliate program offers a commission rate of up to 8%. The average order value is $170, so affiliates can earn about $14 per order. The cookie is active for 7 days, tracking any referrals during this period.
As their affiliates, you can promote their products using unique links and creative banners. Paragon Sports also has a dedicated affiliate team to support you further.
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9. Coachtube
You can choose from over a hundred coaches in more than 30 sports on Coachtube to enhance your skills. From American football to soccer to tennis, you can learn any sport with professional coaches on Coachtube.
Coachtube pays a generous 30% commission rate for their partners, with a 30-day cookie duration. They will pay affiliates through direct deposit. However, you need to have a payment threshold of $100 to receive your earnings.
Coachtube allows affiliates to promote them through various ways, such as mailing lists, writing blog posts, and social media posts. Affiliates could use PPC advertising and display ads for your promotion as well.
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10. Wilson
Wilson has over 100 years of innovation and provides high-performance sports equipment, footwear, and apparel. They bring a diverse collection for sports players, including basketball, American football, soccer, and more.
Wilson runs their affiliate program through Impact. The commission rate is 8% for each sale, with higher rates available for top-performing affiliates. Affiliates can earn their credited commission within 30 days of cookie duration.
When joining their affiliate program, you will have a unique link for your promotion campaigns from Wilson. You can also use their designed and creative banners to make your content more appealing to the audience.
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11. 500 Level
More than just sports gear and jerseys, 500 LEVEL creates art and t-shirt junkies for the NFL, MBA fans. They have the authorization to create clothes inspired by sports superstars, such as Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, and more.
Affiliates can sign up for the 500 LEVEL affiliate program through ShareASale. They offer a commission rate of 8% for affiliates with a 30-day cookie duration.
500 LEVEL focuses on creating unique offers for each partner and their members. Therefore, you will receive exclusive offers to promote your campaign and attract more audiences.
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12. SPT
SPT designs and develops powerful and affordable GPS tracking tools for outdoor sports, such as American football, tennis, and basketball. These tools will monitor and manage physical output.
The commission rate for the SPT affiliate program is 5% per successful order. But only orders placed on the SPT website will be counted for commission.
SPT will pay their affiliates on a quarterly basis only through PayPal. However, affiliates must have at least $100 to receive payouts at the end of the quarter. Otherwise, your commission will be held for another quarter until the threshold is reached.
Notably, SPT will create a customized URL for its partners and provide other promotional materials. Affiliates can also use SPT’s affiliate site to track their commission and use alternative marketing tools.
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13. Prep Sportswear
Prep Sportswear is a leading retailer of sports apparel for school, college, and youth sports in the US. In addition to the domestic American football league, Prep Sportswear provides merchandise for the Australian, German, and Canadian football leagues.
Affiliates can join the Prep Sportswear affiliate program by signing up for ShareASale. The commission rate is up to 15%. With an AOV of about $67, affiliates can achieve $10 per order. Prep Sportswear also has bonuses for high-performing partners on their first-time sales and network reach.
Prep Sportswear provides banners and customized links for affiliates to put on the website. Moreover, they will regularly send monthly newsletters about new products and events.
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How to create an affiliate program for your American football Shopify store?
With Statista projecting the market to reach nearly $30 billion by 2025, American football is pulling in more fans, more players, and more spending every season.
From jerseys and equipment to streaming packages and fantasy leagues, the demand keeps expanding.
For American football brands, this growth is an incredible opportunity. But the question is: how do you stand out in such a crowded, passionate market?
Affiliate marketing can really help you solve this problem. Instead of just running ads and hoping people will trust you, you can team up with people your customers already know and follow.
Think about it – when someone’s favorite football blogger or YouTuber recommends your gear, it feels way more real than a random ad.
In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps to launch your own American football affiliate program. Let’s get started!
Find the right affiliate management solution
Running an affiliate program for your American football store on Shopify can feel really hard when you’re trying to do everything yourself.
Without the right tools, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You might spend too much time on boring tasks that often lead to mistakes and delays.
But here’s the thing – even when you do have tools, you might still face big problems.
Many store owners find themselves using different tools to manage different types of partners.
You might have one app for affiliates, another for customer referrals, and yet another for influencer partnerships.
Switching between tools takes too much time, makes it harder to stay organized, and limits your results.
UpPromote can solve this problem by putting everything in one place.
Instead of juggling multiple tools, you get a simple 3-in-1 solution that handles affiliates, customers, and influencers all from one dashboard.
The tool does all the hard work for you, so you don’t need to be a tech expert or know complicated accounting stuff.
This means you can focus on what really matters – growing your business and making more sales.
Best of all, you can try everything for free! UpPromote offers a free plan, plus a 14-day trial. This way, you can see if it works well for your store before you spend any money.
Set up an attractive commission plan
With a rewarding affiliate commission rate, you’ll attract high-quality affiliates who not only have experience but also large, loyal audiences.
Their credibility and reach will deliver targeted traffic, enhance your brand visibility, and increase sales conversions.
We’ve studied over 120 American football brands, so if you’re unsure what commission rate to set, we’ve got you covered.
Equipment like helmets, cleats, and gloves can be expensive to produce, so a lower commission of 3-8% rates work best.
This way, you can protect your profits while still encouraging affiliates to promote your products.
For example, if a merchant sells a helmet for $400, and the costs are $280, that leaves a profit margin of $120. By setting a lower affiliate commission rate of 5%, they pay out just $20 per sale, keeping $100 in profit while still rewarding affiliates.
Collectibles and memorabilia, like signed gear and trading cards, usually offer commissions of 8-15%.
These products usually have higher margins and lots of collector interest. A higher commission rate will help you attract affiliates in a competitive market.
For example, Sport Memorabilia sets their commission at 8%. That means when an affiliate sells a $250 signed championship football, they can earn $30.
If you sell digital products like online coaching courses or video analysis tools, you benefit from low production costs and high scalability.
Because of this, we recommend offering a higher commission rate of 20-30% to attract more high-quality affiliates.
One of our merchants initially offered a 10% commission on their digital coaching courses. After increasing it to 25%, they saw that affiliate sign-ups grew by 30% and sales increased by 15% over the next two months.
Takeaways: You should tailor commission rates for each product category based on profit margins and sales potential. This approach motivates affiliates to focus on high-value products while ensuring your business stays profitable.
Select the right cookie period
Cookie duration plays a key role in how long affiliates can earn commissions.
If it’s too short, affiliates may miss out on sales that happen later, which can reduce their motivation to promote your products.
But if it’s too long, you may end up paying commissions for sales that happen well after the referral, which can increase costs for your business.
Based on our research, we have put together recommendations to help you determine the ideal referral window for your American football affiliate program.
- Performance Gear & Fan Apparel: 7-14 days
For items like helmets, gloves, cleats, and fan apparel, customers usually make quick buying decisions.
A shorter cookie window of 7-14 days rewards affiliates for their efforts while keeping commission costs manageable for your business.
For example, Fan’s Edge sells a range of American football fan apparel, and they set a 7-day cookie duration. That way, affiliates have enough time to earn commissions, and the brand can still keep payouts under control.
- Digital Products & Memorabilia: 30 days
When it comes to digital products or memorabilia, a 30-day cookie duration works best.
Shoppers often take their time to research and think through these higher-value or more emotional purchases.
Take CoachTube, for instance, which offers on-demand sports coaching courses. They set a 30-day cookie to give affiliates a better chance to earn commissions.
- Bundled & Specialty Products: 60-90 days
High-value or bundled products, like team equipment packages or rare memorabilia, usually need more time for decision-making or budget approval.
A 60-90 day cookie window ensures affiliates earn commissions from delayed conversions, capturing sales that occur days or even weeks later.
One Shopify merchant originally used a 30-day cookie but found that 40% of high-value purchases happened after 30 days. They extended the cookie to 90 days to motivate affiliates to promote more actively. As a result, their affiliate earnings rose by 25%.
Takeaways: You should start with a 30-day cookie and monitor conversions. Then, extend the cookie or shorten it depending on your customer’s buying behavior.
Select ideal partners for your affiliate program
The right affiliate is key to driving your program’s success. They can expand your reach, build trust, and generate high-quality conversions.
Identify the right affiliates
The key to successfully recruiting affiliates for your Shopify sporting goods store is knowing which type of partner will work best.
Sports bloggers and content creators are often the ideal choice. They already have followers who are passionate about American football.
These affiliates build trust with their audience by sharing honest reviews, helpful tips, and valuable content. So, when they promote a product, it feels like a personal recommendation, which naturally boosts conversions.
One easy way to find them is to search on social media like Instagram, YouTube, X, or TikTok.
You can use relevant hashtags and keywords like #AmericanFootball, #FootballTraining, or #Gridiron.
Then, look for the trending posts and review profiles with high engagement rates and follower counts to identify potential affiliates.
Another way is through Google searches. You can use phrases like “top American football blogs,” “football gear reviews,” or “football training tips”.
This way, you can discover trending blogs in the niche and identify potential affiliates with an engaged, relevant audience.
If you don’t have time to research, don’t worry. We’ve already found some amazing American football bloggers and content creators you can check out:
- @BrettKollmann (436K subscribers)
- @FlemLoRaps (942K subscribers)
- @AdamSchefter (11.5M followers)
- @quarterbackplug (1.7M followers)
The Quarterback Plug’s TikTok profile
Sports coaches and trainers can also be excellent partners for your affiliate program.
Athletes and sports fans see them as experts, so their recommendations carry weight and help build trust in your brand.
Just like bloggers and content creators, you can find coaches and trainers on social media. Just search for hashtags like #FootballCoach, #SportsTrainer, #AthleticTraining, or #StrengthCoach.
Alternatively, you can find them through online coaching platforms like CoachUp, Trainerize, Teachable, and Thinkific.
For example, to find affiliates on CoachUp, you can use the “Find a Coach” feature to search for coaches who match your brand’s style and products.
You should review their profiles carefully, checking out their experience, certifications, and client reviews to see their credibility.
You can also explore niche communities on Reddit to find affiliates.
After signing in, you can search for popular subreddits related to American football, training, and fan engagement.
We’ve already identified some of the top communities where you can connect with potential affiliates.
- r/FootballCoach (15K members)
- r/strength_training (5M members)
- r/football (944K members)
- r/nfl (13M members)
- r/sports (22M members)
After joining, you can post some valuable content to introduce and promote your brand to attract affiliates naturally.
For example, you can share a post like this:
Next, look for members who regularly leave positive comments and get lots of upvotes. People who are active and regularly join niche discussions could be great affiliate partners.
How to approach these target affiliates?
1. Reach out directly
By reaching out to affiliates directly, merchants can create a personal connection. You can explain the program’s benefits clearly and get affiliates excited to start promoting your products right away.
Imagine you’re selling American football performance gear. You can send them an outreach email to invite them to join your program professionally.
If you’re unsure how to write an effective outreach email, you can use this template as a guide:
Subject: Join Our American Football Affiliate Program and Earn Generous Commission!
Hi [Name],
I came across your [topic] and was impressed by your passion for football and the way you engage with your audience. Your energy and connection with players, coaches, and fans make you a perfect fit for our Affiliate Program at [Your Brand].
We specialize in high-performance American football gear designed to help athletes dominate on the field. As an affiliate, you’ll enjoy:
- Earn [X%] on every sale through your unique link.
- Be the first to showcase premium football equipment your audience will love.
- We share your commitment to elevating the game and empowering athletes.
Joining is quick, free, and hassle-free. Just click here: [Affiliate Program Signup Link].
Let’s help your audience take their game to the next level while you grow your earnings!
Looking forward to collaborating,
[Your Name]
[Your Position]
[Your Brand]
[Your Contact Info]
For a quick and friendly way to connect with affiliates, you can send them a direct message. Here’s a DM template you can use:
Hey [First Name],
I love your work in the football community! I’m with [Your Brand], we sell American football gear built for players and coaches who demand quality. We’d love to have you join our Affiliate Program!
You’ll earn [X% commissions], share exclusive perks with your audience, and partner with a brand that’s all about supporting the football community.
Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll send over the details!
Best,
[Your Name]
2. Create an affiliate application form
If your website has sustainable traffic, you can set up an affiliate registration form to attract potential affiliates who are interested in partnering with your brand.
With UpPromote, you can create an affiliate signup form and customize it with your brand’s colors, fonts, logos, and images.
UpPromote Affiliate Registration Form Setup
Besides basic information, you can include questions about the affiliates’ promotional plans. This way, it’s easier for you to filter and select the most suitable candidates for your program.
You can consider asking these questions:
- How do you plan to promote our products? (Social media posts, blog reviews, product unboxings/demos, sponsored giveaways, etc.)
- What types of promotional materials work best for your audience? (e.g., banners, discount codes, videos)
- What is your average monthly traffic? (Blog visits, video views, etc.)
By asking about potential affiliates’ promotional plans, you can see who’s serious and ready to put real effort into promoting your products.
Plus, knowing their average monthly traffic gives you a sense of their reach and the potential impact on your sales.
Share promotional tools with your affiliates
Providing pre-made promotional materials makes it easy for your affiliates to start promoting right away.
Instead of spending hours creating banners, images, or ad copy, they can jump straight into driving results and running better campaigns.
UpPromote’s Media Gallery lets you store and share professional creatives in just a few clicks. New affiliates can grab these ready-made materials and start promoting your products faster and more effectively.
To make things even easier, you can group your creatives into categories. This way, affiliates can quickly find exactly what they need without wasting time searching.
Voucher codes are another powerful tool. Personalized coupons with an affiliate’s name can help them connect with their audience in a more authentic way.
With UpPromote, you can create custom coupon codes quickly and simply. Just select an affiliate, choose the discount type and amount, and add any notes or instructions if needed.
Encourage your affiliates to boost more sales for your Shopify brand
Promotional materials are essential, but giving affiliates the right motivation is key to keeping them active and engaged.
Showing appreciation through rewards helps keep your affiliates engaged and loyal.
You can use UpPromote’s auto-tier commission tool to set up a tiered commission structure. This way, affiliates automatically unlock higher commissions when they reach specific promotional goals.
One of our merchants switched from a flat 10% commission to a tiered structure of 12% for $5,000 in sales and 15% for $10,000. Within just three months, they saw a 35% rise in affiliate revenue.
Otherwise, you can reward your partners with bonuses when they reach a specific sales target. This will keep them motivated and encourage them to push harder for the next milestone.
With UpPromote, you have full control over rewarding your affiliates with either one-time or recurring bonuses.
You can tie these rewards to specific targets such as the number of referrals, total sales, or total commissions.
Conclusion
Setting up an American football affiliate program is a powerful way to grow your business and connect with passionate fans. By planning your commission structure carefully, selecting the right affiliates, and tracking performance with clear metrics, you can build a program that rewards partners and drives sales.
We’ve guided you from A to Z on creating your affiliate program. Now it’s time to put these strategies into action and watch your program score big!
Ellie Tran, a seasoned SEO content writer with three years of experience in the eCommerce world. Being a part of the UpPromote team, Ellie wants to assist Shopify merchants in achieving success through useful content & actionable insights. Ellie's commitment to learning never stops; she's always eager to gain more knowledge about SEO and content marketing to create valuable content for users. When she's not working on content, Ellie enjoys baking and exploring new places.
