Decision Time for High School Coaches

Coaches from high schools and colleges are faced with difficult budgeting decisions all the time. The team has to go through a series of approvals from the school management in order to get the budget for the year to be signed. This budget is allocated for equipment, training clinics, rent, and the like. But because of the strict funding assigned to every athletic program, coaches may not always give the best that they could for their players. In order to do so, staff and players alike team up to find ways on how to manage their funds.

No sport is the same. This is also true when it comes to the financial aspect. One sport costs more than the other. Football, for example, has to pay for their uniforms, protective gear, and training equipment. These are vital in preparing the team for the season. The football field also has to undergo maintenance to have it ready for use. If only there were unlimited resources available, the program could spend a lot of money for those essentials.

Two of the more expensive sports to equip are baseball and softball. The practice equipment needed for these sports like batting cages, pitching cages, pitching screens, and fencing, could take a beating and will have to be replaced every few years. Field maintenance is also another expense. These kinds of expenses could put a huge dent on the program budget.

Sports like basketball, volleyball, and wrestling may not need a large budget like football and baseball but their coaches face these tight boundaries as well. These sports also have to deal with court and equipment maintenance, though these are proven to be more long-term than others.

Fundraisers are a great way to expand the budget that the program has to work with, specially with all the support coming from the families of the players. When organizing a fundraiser, always think of ways on how to provide service for the people who generously helped and donated. Some examples include selling of tickets for a car wash, a small show, or a bazaar. In that way, it will only cost a little and will surely get a high return. When participating in school sports, other values could be learned as well, one of which is to do service to the community.

If a fundraiser has been done one too many times, getting the word out that a particular equipment is needed by the team could also help. Reach out to your community who could be of help, specially sports enthusiasts and some alumni of the school. Who knows, there might be an altruistic neighbor willing to donate some equipment that the team needs. To these people, it would be a great way to show their interest and gratitude to the school sport they love. This is the reason why it's important to excel in these sports, win games and tournaments, to show the people that their donations and investments are worth it and have been put to good use.

High school and college athletic programs could also try to host creatively planned and produced sporting events. Involve families and make sure that the more expensive prices will be worth it and fun for everyone. Include different kinds of activities and invite other organizations to help and put up booths. This way, there will be a wider audience for the event and a higher chance of achieving the goal. Assign themes to help people be creative too. This could also be a recurring trend for the next events to come and will make the crowd look forward to it.

A good example of this kind of event is a sports clinic for little children to participate in. This could be a week-long event that the kids could look forward to. The athletes of the school will be the instructors and coaches for the sports. How to use different equipment and how to do drills, will be part of what they will teach. This could benefit the players to teach them about leadership, management, and training, while the kids will learn sports that they could also participate in the future. Market it with the community to get them involved. This kind of fundraiser event will allow the coaches to take a step back and observe, while allowing the student athletes take charge. By doing so, the coaches will see other characteristics of the athletes which are vital when taking on a specific role on the team.

In general, different sports equipments and maintenance cost a lot of money compared to the budget that the program has to work with. These ways are effective in not just raising money but also building character and camaraderie among the athletes and the team. The experiences brought about by these events could help in molding the attributes of each person involved.