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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 18, 2020 16:40:50 GMT -6
The biggest thorn in my side this year was dealing with the Sports Boosters. At our school, the boosters give a percentage of the concessions to our program if we have at least 2 parents (per level - JV & Varsity) sign up for each home game.
Like many schools the varsity parents sign up for the JV games and vice versa.
We ran into problems as the JV games started as early as 4pm and many parents weren't off of work by then. We didn't have too many issues for the varsity games, but the boosters were relentless in making sure we had coverage.
I have two team moms. They're tough gals. Even they said they felt unnecessary pressure from the boosters. There were also threatening emails (e.g. we're going to let soccer parents take the spots and get the money if you can't consistently keep parents signed up).
My AD said we could break off and have our own Football Boosters and take the concessions for ourselves. This sounds good, in theory, but it can also create a lot of bad blood that may not be worth it in the long run. In addition, I went 0-9 and I have many other things to fix. I don't have the time to develop a well-run football booster program (so please share other ideas).
My wife recruits her students to also work. So there is plenty of help. Just not a strong parental presence. Curious on how you might approach parents to sign up, or how you have your people sign up. Open to any ideas...
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Post by huddlehut on Jan 18, 2020 17:39:12 GMT -6
THIS! This is why I thank God every day that I am retired!
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Post by 19delta on Jan 18, 2020 19:22:58 GMT -6
The biggest thorn in my side this year was dealing with the Sports Boosters. At our school, the boosters give a percentage of the concessions to our program if we have at least 2 parents (per level - JV & Varsity) sign up for each home game. Like many schools the varsity parents sign up for the JV games and vice versa. We ran into problems as the JV games started as early as 4pm and many parents weren't off of work by then. We didn't have too many issues for the varsity games, but the boosters were relentless in making sure we had coverage. I have two team moms. They're tough gals. Even they said they felt unnecessary pressure from the boosters. There were also threatening emails (e.g. we're going to let soccer parents take the spots and get the money if you can't consistently keep parents signed up). My AD said we could break off and have our own Football Boosters and take the concessions for ourselves. This sounds good, in theory, but it can also create a lot of bad blood that may not be worth it in the long run. In addition, I went 0-9 and I have many other things to fix. I don't have the time to develop a well-run football booster program (so please share other ideas). My wife recruits her students to also work. So there is plenty of help. Just not a strong parental presence. Curious on how you might approach parents to sign up, or how you have your people sign up. Open to any ideas... If you create your own football boosters and take over concessions, how will you get parent coverage for the 4pm JV games? You said that was an issue this year. How would creating your own football boosters address that problem? |
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Post by 19delta on Jan 18, 2020 19:25:32 GMT -6
What if you were to offer to take over concessions for the varsity game if parents from other sports did concessions for the JV game?
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Post by canesfan on Jan 18, 2020 21:36:24 GMT -6
Have your own boosters. Run your own concession stand. If all else fails pay people to work the JV games.
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Post by morris on Jan 19, 2020 8:29:39 GMT -6
Is it a school sports booster account/program? If so then look at the by laws to see how it is structured. There are laws that govern how boosters can work. I’m not saying that’s the route to take but booster programs don’t work how people think they do. Assuming they want to keep their 501c status.
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 19, 2020 13:48:14 GMT -6
Is it a school sports booster account/program? If so then look at the by laws to see how it is structured. There are laws that govern how boosters can work. I’m not saying that’s the route to take but booster programs don’t work how people think they do. Assuming they want to keep their 501c status. You are correct about the by-laws. I did check into that, and I did find out that the "threats" they were making to remove us from the concession stand were basically veiled. However, we did get tired of the pressure, my team moms were fed up, and we gave up the concessions for the last game. I am more interested in hearing what other teams do to get people signed up. Do some make it mandatory? If so, how does that go over? Others may just have a culture in place that it is just the expectation? Interested in how said culture was developed. As I stated in the OP, I DO NOT have time to set up my own booster program. 19delta having another sport or another faction permanently take the JV concessions is a possibility. Thanks for that idea. I was almost able to convince my AD to let teachers (who were excited about the idea) sign-up to help, as it would have covered their required "duty time." But it got a little murky with the union rules, by-laws, etc. Still appreciative for any further ideas... |
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Post by bleefb on Jan 19, 2020 14:12:17 GMT -6
How much money do you make from the snack bar? Are there other options to make up the difference that don't involve dealing with the school booster club?
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Post by CS on Jan 19, 2020 14:12:50 GMT -6
Is it a school sports booster account/program? If so then look at the by laws to see how it is structured. There are laws that govern how boosters can work. I’m not saying that’s the route to take but booster programs don’t work how people think they do. Assuming they want to keep their 501c status. You are correct about the by-laws. I did check into that, and I did find out that the "threats" they were making to remove us from the concession stand were basically veiled. However, we did get tired of the pressure, my team moms were fed up, and we gave up the concessions for the last game. I am more interested in hearing what other teams do to get people signed up. Do some make it mandatory? If so, how does that go over? Others may just have a culture in place that it is just the expectation? Interested in how said culture was developed. As I stated in the OP, I DO NOT have time to set up my own booster program. 19delta having another sport or another faction permanently take the JV concessions is a possibility. Thanks for that idea. I was almost able to convince my AD to let teachers (who were excited about the idea) sign-up to help, as it would have covered their required "duty time." But it got a little murky with the union rules, by-laws, etc. Still appreciative for any further ideas... Would the non JV coaches wives or even the coaches themselves be willing to fill in if you can’t find parents. 19’s idea was a good one. Never give up money for the program |
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 19, 2020 15:30:13 GMT -6
How much money do you make from the snack bar? Are there other options to make up the difference that don't involve dealing with the school booster club? We earned about $1,300 on the season. I'm sure we could make up the ground doing something else as I have a few off-season fundraisers planned. However, I think I'd prefer to solve this riddle as opposed to losing that cash and having to find alternative ideas. |
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 19, 2020 15:33:49 GMT -6
You are correct about the by-laws. I did check into that, and I did find out that the "threats" they were making to remove us from the concession stand were basically veiled. However, we did get tired of the pressure, my team moms were fed up, and we gave up the concessions for the last game. I am more interested in hearing what other teams do to get people signed up. Do some make it mandatory? If so, how does that go over? Others may just have a culture in place that it is just the expectation? Interested in how said culture was developed. As I stated in the OP, I DO NOT have time to set up my own booster program. 19delta having another sport or another faction permanently take the JV concessions is a possibility. Thanks for that idea. I was almost able to convince my AD to let teachers (who were excited about the idea) sign-up to help, as it would have covered their required "duty time." But it got a little murky with the union rules, by-laws, etc. Still appreciative for any further ideas... Would the non JV coaches wives or even the coaches themselves be willing to fill in if you can’t find parents. 19’s idea was a good one. Never give up money for the program Agreed Coach. Money should never walk out the door. We had so many other issues going on the last week that it was actually a relief to not worry about concessions. But I hear you. The wives are supportive of the program but not very committed, yet. I also utilize all the coaches on both game days as well. Maybe I'm asking the wrong question...I'll hi-jack my own thread...how are concessions run in your programs? |
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Post by morris on Jan 19, 2020 15:53:54 GMT -6
First I don’t think you can technically require parents to work concessions. I know some places do it but if someone fights it I’m not sure you could do anything about it.
Our boosters run our entire concessions. Like most places it means 20% of my parents are doing the work. The last few games we paid the cheerleaders to work concessions. So their parents worked it for a flat rate. We make plenty of money off concessions (we aren’t exactly packing the stands) that the money to the cheerleaders wasn’t a big deal.
You might be able to find a group in the school be it band, choir, academic club or something that you could pay to work it.
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Post by CS on Jan 19, 2020 17:54:54 GMT -6
Would the non JV coaches wives or even the coaches themselves be willing to fill in if you can’t find parents. 19’s idea was a good one. Never give up money for the program Agreed Coach. Money should never walk out the door. We had so many other issues going on the last week that it was actually a relief to not worry about concessions. But I hear you. The wives are supportive of the program but not very committed, yet. I also utilize all the coaches on both game days as well. Maybe I'm asking the wrong question...I'll hi-jack my own thread...how are concessions run in your programs? We have a guy who gets a stipend to run the confessions at all of our home sporting events. Every team works it but we get the most $hit because our games bring in a fuk ton more than any other sport and our parents don’t work the concessions at all. I would take 2 coaches and have them work concessions if I couldn’t get parents for certain games. You need the money more than you need all the coaches for a JV game |
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Post by freezeoption on Jan 19, 2020 19:39:52 GMT -6
My last school a person got a stipend to run concession stand but that was just ordering and keeping track of stock. The junior class sponsors and class ran concession stands for both semesters to get money for prom and then their senior class trip. Junior class sponsors worked their butts off.
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Post by wolverine55 on Jan 19, 2020 20:12:40 GMT -6
For us, our AD manages the concessions, which means assigning the groups to run it. The sports just rotate through each individual home event, but the nice thing is you're never responsible for your own events. For example, we actually do a lot of the basketball games. At least one coach and several players from the sport assigned are expected to work.
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Post by 19delta on Jan 19, 2020 20:18:22 GMT -6
My last school a person got a stipend to run concession stand but that was just ordering and keeping track of stock. The junior class sponsors and class ran concession stands for both semesters to get money for prom and then their senior class trip. Junior class sponsors worked their butts off. My wife and I (both teachers) were the sophomore class sponsors this year. We were responsible for both football and volleyball concessions. It was a nightmare. We really struggled to get people to work, mostly because the girls on the volleyball team often had a weekend tournament that started on Friday evening so none of them were available. And having a senior son on the football team, we were not really interested in missing his game. We got through football, but by the skin of our teeth. We were lucky to only have two home games this year (we are a co-op program so the other home games were played at the other school). Had we a 3rd or 4th game to cover, I don't think we would have had any workers. For volleyball concessions, we just gave up trying to get parents and kids to work. My wife and I just sucked it up and did all 10 dates ourselves. We tried to impress upon the kids that working concessions would benefit them by helping offset costs for prom. But, for most of these kids, prom is 2 years away and their parents will just cut a check anyway. I think that the next time we come around for class sponsorship, we are going to to just pay kids and parents per hour or shift worked. Hopefully, that will provide a more immediate incentive and we will get more kids and parents who are willing to work. |
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Post by mkuempel on Jan 19, 2020 20:24:26 GMT -6
When I've run into a situation like this in the past, out-of-season sports and coaches handled concessions. It is a completely unnecessary thorn in your side during the season, when you are also required to find concession stand workers. What I would suggest is talk to the booster club and suggest that they switch duties to out-of-season programs to run concessions. This will allow coaches on your staff to be the adults at the concessions for early games and you can still have player's parents work the later start times.
One question I do have is are the profits equal to the sales of the date? Football usually has higher attendance numbers than say soccer, so would you be losing out on money if you worked soccer concessions and soccer worked football concessions? The solution to that, that we came up with in the past, was every sport worked an equal number (or as close to equal as possible) concessions dates and all concessions money was split up evenly at the end of the fiscal year, so you did have to wait some time to get your money, but after the initial wait, you knew you'd get a lump sum. With football the timing being pretty close to the start of the season, so we used that money for "in-season" items, food for road games, spirit packs, Hudl invoices, etc. I do feel branching off and starting your own group would be a whole new headache, so hopefully you come up with a solution you can live with and maybe find some answers here.
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Post by coachcb on Jan 20, 2020 9:47:30 GMT -6
First I don’t think you can technically require parents to work concessions. I know some places do it but if someone fights it I’m not sure you could do anything about it. Our boosters run our entire concessions. Like most places it means 20% of my parents are doing the work. The last few games we paid the cheerleaders to work concessions. So their parents worked it for a flat rate. We make plenty of money off concessions (we aren’t exactly packing the stands) that the money to the cheerleaders wasn’t a big deal. You might be able to find a group in the school be it band, choir, academic club or something that you could pay to work it.
We'd have a nasty fight on our hands if we tried to make concession stand participation mandatory for parents. Hell, we have issues when we try to make it mandatory for teachers. This is why we ALL of the extra curricular activities, not just sports, rotate through running concessions all year long. All of the games are split up evenly between the various sports and clubs and they keep the profits. The Football Booster won't have all of the games during the season but they'll make up for it by covering volleyball and basketball games as well as wrestling duels and tournaments.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jan 20, 2020 12:03:28 GMT -6
First I don’t think you can technically require parents to work concessions. I know some places do it but if someone fights it I’m not sure you could do anything about it. Our boosters run our entire concessions. Like most places it means 20% of my parents are doing the work. The last few games we paid the cheerleaders to work concessions. So their parents worked it for a flat rate. We make plenty of money off concessions (we aren’t exactly packing the stands) that the money to the cheerleaders wasn’t a big deal. You might be able to find a group in the school be it band, choir, academic club or something that you could pay to work it.
We'd have a nasty fight on our hands if we tried to make concession stand participation mandatory for parents. Hell, we have issues when we try to make it mandatory for teachers. This is why we ALL of the extra curricular activities, not just sports, rotate through running concessions all year long. All of the games are split up evenly between the various sports and clubs and they keep the profits. The Football Booster won't have all of the games during the season but they'll make up for it by covering volleyball and basketball games as well as wrestling duels and tournaments.
Are the assignments equatable with regards to the revenue? Meaning, 2 hours working concessions at a girls JV/Varsity basketball game might not equal 2 hours working concessions of rivalry week football game. How do you work around that? |
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Post by coachcb on Jan 20, 2020 12:50:45 GMT -6
We'd have a nasty fight on our hands if we tried to make concession stand participation mandatory for parents. Hell, we have issues when we try to make it mandatory for teachers. This is why we ALL of the extra curricular activities, not just sports, rotate through running concessions all year long. All of the games are split up evenly between the various sports and clubs and they keep the profits. The Football Booster won't have all of the games during the season but they'll make up for it by covering volleyball and basketball games as well as wrestling duels and tournaments.
Are the assignments equatable with regards to the revenue? Meaning, 2 hours working concessions at a girls JV/Varsity basketball game might not equal 2 hours working concessions of rivalry week football game. How do you work around that?
That is something that has come up and there's never been an "equitable" solution for it. I've heard that they tried to predict and rotate accordingly but there was a lot of griping when a supposedly profitable game produced far less than another. So, they scrapped it. And, in all reality, there's plenty of money to be made between all of the extra curricular events. The caveat is that each club or sport has to get off of their butt and work those events.
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Post by coachluey2 on Jan 20, 2020 12:51:06 GMT -6
I havent read all of the responses so it may have been said but I was wondering this. If you can get kids to work the stands for say community service (something our NHS kids have to do) do you have to have 2 adults working as well? You could also get a sign up sheet out for the parents at the start of the year and explain how the money system works. (I'm sure this has been said)
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Post by coachd5085 on Jan 20, 2020 16:23:23 GMT -6
Are the assignments equatable with regards to the revenue? Meaning, 2 hours working concessions at a girls JV/Varsity basketball game might not equal 2 hours working concessions of rivalry week football game. How do you work around that?
That is something that has come up and there's never been an "equitable" solution for it. I've heard that they tried to predict and rotate accordingly but there was a lot of griping when a supposedly profitable game produced far less than another. So, they scrapped it. And, in all reality, there's plenty of money to be made between all of the extra curricular events. The caveat is that each club or sport has to get off of their butt and work those events.
Couldnt all concession money just be split equallly among all groups that worked them throughout the year? |
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Post by shocktroop34 on Jan 20, 2020 20:49:27 GMT -6
That is something that has come up and there's never been an "equitable" solution for it. I've heard that they tried to predict and rotate accordingly but there was a lot of griping when a supposedly profitable game produced far less than another. So, they scrapped it. And, in all reality, there's plenty of money to be made between all of the extra curricular events. The caveat is that each club or sport has to get off of their butt and work those events.
Couldnt all concession money just be split equallly among all groups that worked them throughout the year? I just discussed this with my wife as I thought that was a good idea. I think there would also be more money to spread around for everyone as a whole. I even think we'd get more than $1,300. She just feels that football should get the Lion's share. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how colleges operate? Major football programs help fund gymnastics, wrestling, smaller programs...? I could be mistaken... |
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Post by coachcb on Jan 21, 2020 9:18:57 GMT -6
That is something that has come up and there's never been an "equitable" solution for it. I've heard that they tried to predict and rotate accordingly but there was a lot of griping when a supposedly profitable game produced far less than another. So, they scrapped it. And, in all reality, there's plenty of money to be made between all of the extra curricular events. The caveat is that each club or sport has to get off of their butt and work those events.
Couldnt all concession money just be split equallly among all groups that worked them throughout the year?
That's certainly reasonable but that's beyond my pay grade. Even when I've been an AD, the school has already had some system put in place for running concessions. I tried to adjust it at one school to get more student clubs/groups involved and it was turned into a mountain I wasn't going to die on. They had it set up so that each class was responsible for running concessions but various student groups were excluded; trying to tinker with that turned into a gigantic fight.
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