Why Athletic Directors Use Make-A-Ball as Their School's Official Keepsake Source

Every high school athletic program has the same recurring question: where do senior night families order from? For programs without an official answer, the question gets answered differently by every coach, which means every family finds a different vendor, gets a different product at a different price, and has a different experience. For programs with an official answer of one source, one standard, one discount code, the question disappears. That is what Make-A-Ball's Captain program is built to provide.

What the Captain Program Is

The Captain tier is the highest level in Make-A-Ball's loyalty program and the only tier built specifically for Athletic Directors. It is not a generic business account or a wholesale arrangement. It is a structured partnership designed around the specific way Athletic Directors interact with the senior night keepsake market: as the institutional gatekeeper who either centralizes the decision or leaves it fragmented across coaches and parents.

Captain enrollment is by application and is exclusive to high school Athletic Directors. When you apply and are accepted, Make-A-Ball sets up two discount codes for your school and establishes your Captain account. The whole setup takes one conversation.

The Seven Captain Benefits

40% off all personal purchases

The highest discount available in the Make-A-Ball loyalty program. When you order a custom ball for your own senior night athletes, your own coach gifts, or any other personal purchase, you pay 40% less than the standard price. This benefit is yours regardless of what anyone else in your school orders.

School community discount code at 25% off

Every parent, coach, and booster at your school gets 25% off all Make-A-Ball products when they use your school's unique discount code at checkout. They order directly. You do not need to coordinate individual orders. The code handles the discount automatically.

100 loyalty points per referred purchase

Every order placed using your school's community code earns 100 loyalty points credited to your Captain account. Points accumulate across every order placed by every family in your school community throughout the year and can be redeemed against future purchases, Team Shop orders, or program discounts.

Quarterly giveback to your athletic fund

At the end of each quarter, Make-A-Ball runs a Shopify discount code report for your school's code and calculates the points earned from all qualifying orders. We send you the quarterly summary directly. Your giveback is paid in loyalty points with full redemption value. No tracking required on your end.

Five free sample balls per year

Five complimentary custom sports balls per year, one per sport of your choice, to distribute to coaches before their sport's senior night ordering window opens. A coach who has held the product and seen the quality in person is far more likely to communicate its value to families than a coach working from a link. The sample ball is the most effective sales tool in the program, and you receive five of them annually at no cost.

Digital marketing materials

Ready-to-share graphics, email copy, and social media assets formatted for your school's athletic communications channels. These are provided as part of your Captain setup and updated seasonally. Share them in your program newsletter, on the athletic website, or through your booster club's parent-facing communications.

Purchase orders accepted

For school-funded orders including team gift purchases, program-level senior night orders, or any other athletic department procurement, Make-A-Ball accepts purchase orders. No credit card required for institutional purchases.

What the Math Looks Like for a Typical Program

A school with 8 active varsity sports and an average of 12 seniors per sport has approximately 96 senior athletes per year. If 60% of those families order a custom keepsake at an average order value of $75, that is roughly 58 orders at $75, totaling around $4,350 in annual community orders under your school's code. At 100 points per order, that is 5,800 points earned per year in your Captain account. Your personal 40% discount means your own purchases cost 40% less than any family in your program pays at the community rate.

The exact numbers vary by program size and ordering behavior. The structure is consistent: the more your community uses the discount code, the more value accumulates in your account.

How to Apply

The Captain program application takes about two minutes. Submit your name, school, contact information, and a brief description of your program at the Captain enrollment page. We will be in touch within one business day to set up your account, generate your discount codes, and send your digital marketing materials. Your five sample balls are shipped after enrollment is confirmed.

The program costs nothing to join. There is no minimum purchase requirement, no annual fee, and no commitment beyond choosing to use Make-A-Ball as your school's official keepsake source. If it works for your program, it keeps working. If it does not, you can cancel at any time.