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The schedule says off-season. Your fans didn’t get the memo.
This is the stretch where most teams quietly disappear from their fans’ phones until training camp. Big mistake. The off-season isn’t a break, it’s a runway. The teams that come out hot spent the quiet months growing their list, locking in renewals, and building hype before anyone else hit send.
Here’s how to do all three.
Your list is the foundation. Every renewal, every flash sale, every single-game push 
runs through it. Build it now, while you have time.
Build a custom opt-in form that looks like you. The Philadelphia Flyers built a branded form that lives right on their site, on-brand, low-friction, one page. With Vozzi’s Opt-In Page Builder, you can match your colors, logo, and voice so the form feels like part of your site (higher trust, higher conversion).
Make the ask everywhere fans can see it. Iowa Wild created a simple “text GOWILD” graphic. That one image can live on your website, newsletter, social, jumbotron, spring game banners, camp signups, alumni events. One-time lift, opt-ins for months.
Renewals are where the off-season earns its keep. Short, time-bound texts beat long emails every time.
Anchor every send to a real deadline. Marshall Football’s renewal text led with one date: May 15. No fluff, just deadline + link + path to a rep.
Send more than once. Day 14, day 7, day 1. Each one tighter than the last. Oklahoma State’s 2-day-out reminder worked because the deadline was real and the fan felt it.
Give fans two paths to act: renew online, or reply to talk to a rep.
The off-season is quiet everywhere except in your fans’ group chats. SMS is how you join the conversation.
Take fans inside the build. SMU Athletics sent a practice game-day text for their Fan Fest with all the details (gates, practice, fan fest times). Works for any off-season moment:
Pro tip: pair every off-season event with a keyword opt-in (text “FOOTBALL” or “PUCK” to your number). Fans at the event opt in on the spot, and you walk away with a list of your most engaged supporters.
Ride the news, don’t manufacture it. The Wheat Kings sent a draft recap text the day after their picks with a renewal nudge. Fans were already paying attention, the text just rode the wave.
This is the move that turns a good off-season into a season-long edge.
The Indianapolis Indians let fans choose what they want to hear: merch, tickets, 
news, or everything. Fans text a keyword to opt into the content they actually want.
Why it matters for you: by opening weekend, you’re not blasting your full list with one message. You’re sending renewals to renewal people, merch drops to merch people, and giveaways to fans who actually want them. Click rates go up. Opt-outs go down.
How to set it up:
By kickoff, your database isn’t just bigger. It’s smarter.
You don’t need a giant strategy doc. You need:
Pick one and start there. Your future self (and your opening weekend numbers) will thank you.
Want help building any of this out? Your account manager is one text away.
Book a strategy call with Vozzi HERE.
