This article is excerpted from ‘Black Shoes and White Shoestrings’ by David Buchanan, a frequent contributor to AFM and AmericanFootballMonthly.com.
When we got started at Mercer County in the spring of 2015, our financial situation was not very good. There was little money to buy the extras. In fact, the QB Club had bought the footballs the season prior to my arrival. It is never a good practice to depend on boosters, parents, and fundraising to pay for the basics. The potential for conflict of interest and inappropriate outside influence on a program is substantial.
In the spring of 2017, we have our house in order. Our football program receives a budget from our athletic program. We are fortunate to have an outstanding, pro-active athletic director in Donald Smith. That budget is funded by our gate receipts and pays for basic equipment and reconditioning. Our QB Club pays for our gear, banquet, senior night, travel, and other miscellaneous extra items.
And, our sponsorship program has been able to increase the funds in our school football account to the point that we have been able to make some significant purchases for our program.
We have sponsors for the following: games, field signs, football events and players of the game.
These sponsorships have created a steady stream of income. Just in the past month, we have been able to buy four tackling rings and two sets of plyometric boxes. Those purchases will immediately impact our program and help our kids improve. We still have a long way to go, but our finances are definitely headed in the right direction. We try to have a balance of spending now for what we need, but also putting back money for when we get hit with a big ticket need. As an example, if our sled falls apart, we have to have a plan to buy a new one. The fall of 2017 will be my 26th year as a head coach. I have had a lot of practice in figuring out how to pay the bills so you can get what you need for your kids. If you would like more information on our sponsorship programs, you can email me at coachdavidbuchanan@gmail.com.
Being a football coach is much more fun when you are on the field than when you are paying the bills. Our sponsorship program has given us an effective way to get the extras we need while keeping our focus on what happens between the white lines.