One  of the goals of our program is to provide students with practical  assignments. This week's assignment will be the first part of a  real-world sports marketing plan. There is no standard in regard to the  number of actual parts in a marketing plan. If you search online, the  number of parts will range in frequency. However, we've condensed  everything down into six areas considered crucial to a successful  marketing plan. Those items are as follows.

1. Introduction: Includes a description of the organization, historical perspective, mission, SWOT, etc. (Week 2 Assignment). 
2. Target Market: Who are you marketing to? (Week 3 Assignment)
3. The 5Ps: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and Positioning (Week 3 Assignment)
4. Market Research, Demographics, and Competing Forms of Entertainment (Week 5 Assignment)
5. Competitive Environment: What are the other competing forms of entertainment in the area? (Week 5 Assignment)
6. Marketing  Strategies: Please provide a minimum of five (5) marketing strategies  that will be employed with the new minor league team in Charles Town, as  well as a proposed timeline for implementation (Week 7 Assignment).
7. Results and Metrics: How will you measure the success of the marketing plan? (Week 7 Assignment) 

Background Information: The Carolina League

For  the purposes of this course, we will assume the existing Carolina League  is looking to expand by one team, and that Charles Town, WV is one of  the cities being considered for the expansion. 

The Carolina League is a Single-A Minor League Baseball association under the Major League Baseball structure (https://www.milb.com/carolina-league).  Currently, there are 10 teams in the Carolina League and each team is  affiliated with a specific Major League Baseball team who holds the  professional rights to the players and managers/coaches on that specific  roster. Currently, the Carolina League has sent a call for proposals to  various cities throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia,  Maryland, and West Virginia to represent the Carolina League expansion  teams. The city council of Charles Town, West Virginia believes their  city would make an excellent host for this team and wants to make a  proposal to the Carolina League to own one of the expansion teams. You  are a consultant in the sports industry. You have been hired by the City  Council of Charles Town, WV to develop a recommendation for creating an  organizational management structure for owning a new Carolina League  Single-A Minor League Baseball team.

Directions: Week 2 Assignment:

After  doing some research on the Carolina League, create a PowerPoint  presentation to the City Council of Charles Town which specifically and  thoroughly addresses the following components:

• Overview  of the Carolina League. This includes current teams/cities/MLB  affiliations, staff needed (list all positions from the top to the  bottom of the organization, coaches (list all coaching positions needed  for this new organization), and facilities (list and explain what type  of facilities will be needed).
• Historical perspective of the Carolina League. 
• Explanation of how a team in Charles Town, WV would benefit the Carolina League and the city of Charles Town.
• Organizational goals of the Charles Town expansion team.
• Please create a mission statement and list the core values of the Charles Town expansion team.
• Community relations and outreach opportunities for the team.
• SWOT analysis of having a minor League baseball team in Charles Town.
•  Proposed timeline for implementation, with specific details either by  month, or by quarter, based on the length of time recommended. 

Please  create a PowerPoint presentation covering the areas listed above for  presentation to the City Council of Charles Town, WV. Please be sure to  review the "PowerPoint Presentation Do's and Don'ts" document that's  attached. Remember, the PowerPoint must be in bullet format and must  include a notes section in a separate PDF or WORD document. The notes  section should be a summary of the bullet points in your presentation,  such that if you were unable to make the presentation, someone else  could make the presentation for you by reading what you've written in  the notes section. Remember, you will be handing this to the president  and board of trustees for review. Be sure to carefully proof your work. 

Please  include a title slide that includes your name and the assignment topic,  as well as a reference slide at the end of your PowerPoint  presentation which includes a minimum of three (3) scholarly sources. Don't forget that every source should be correctly cited throughout your presentation on the appropriate slide.

 Length of this section of your marketing plan: This assignment should be  approximately 10-12 PowerPoint Slides (not including title page and  references).