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Barbara J. Perenic
Fans pay John Klenke for tickets at Hallinean Field in Springfield.
Staff photos by Barbara J. Perenic
Bill Lackey
A crowd of football fans lines up for the concession stand Aug. 26 at Northeastern High School. Staff photo by Bill Lackey
Football key to prep athletic budgets
Receipts from Friday night games help fund other sports.
Hot Topics
By Michael Cooper,
Staff Writer
Updated 8:40 AM Friday, September 16, 2011
SPRINGFIELD — Friday night football games aren’t just important to the players on the field.
The ticket sales from area football games are the focal point of an athletic department’s finances, helping them survive throughout the year.
According to public records obtained by the News-Sun, area high schools made a combined $428,567 from Friday night football gate receipts last season — 34 percent of the total gate receipts from all sports during the 2010-2011 season. The area spent over $1.2 million attending sporting events for seventh through 12th grade athletics last season.
“Football is what carries you,” said Kenton Ridge High School athletic director Kris Spriggs.
The Greater Western Ohio Conference, which includes Springfield, charges $7 per person at the gate. The Central Buckeye Conference, which includes seven area schools, charges $6 per person, while the Ohio Heritage Conference, which includes eight area teams, charges $6 for an adult and $3 for a student.
The schools also sell presale tickets and all-sports passes at discounted rates to help soften the expense of tickets.
While it may seem as if the athletic departments are rolling in the dough, that’s not the case. Gate receipts are what finances the daily operations of an athletic department, along with boosters and pay-to-play fees — at schools which have that policy.
For example, at Northwestern, the school pays from coaches’ salaries, transportation and security, leaving the athletic department to foot the rest of the bill.
“We’re very cautiously watching what we spend on,” said Northwestern Athletic Director Jeff Hobby said. “That’s just the way it is.”
Several factors can play a role in large gates on Friday nights, such as weather, opponents and success on the field.
When the large gates do come, however, that doesn’t mean athletic departments can spend at will.
Springfield High School made $48,389 from walk-up ticket sales last season in its five home football games, not including presale tickets or sports passes. But the athletic department can’t depend on making that much money every year.
“As good a year as we had last year, as an athletic director, you have to be prepared for when you don’t have years like last year,” Stoll said. “It would be penny wise and pound foolish to just go out and spend all the money you made during that successful football season. You’ve got to put some away in a rainy day fund for when you don’t get good crowds.”
Where it goes
Area athletic departments pay for many things that go unnoticed by fans.
At Tecumseh, the athletic department spent $55,000 on:
- $26,000 for officials.
- $7,500 for entry fees.
- $4,500 for deputies.
- $4,500 for awards.
- $4,000 for field paint.
- $3,500 for medical supplies.
- $3,000 for equipment and other supplies per season.
“It doesn’t take long for that money to disappear,” said Tecumseh Athletic Director Craig Eier.
He said the Arrows’ athletic department spent $12,000 to recondition football helmets for its seventh- through 12th-graders last summer.
“It’s a safety issue,” Eier said.
Stoll said Springfield’s athletic department spent over $8,000 to recondition helmets — which must be done before each season.
“The helmets have to be recertified or they’re rejected,” Stoll said. “It’s typical to have 10-12 helmets per year rejected. You’ve got to get on a cycle to purchase 10-12 helmets per year.”
Some athletic departments must also pay for transportation, which can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 per year.
Spriggs estimated the Kenton Ridge athletic department spends between $8,000 and $10,000 maintaining its game fields and practice fields year-round.
The athletic departments also pay for game personnel such as ticket takers, ticket sellers, announcers and clock operators who help the games run smoothly.
There’s also costs that come up unexpectedly, like when something needs maintenance, like a scoreboard or athletic facility.
“It’s not cheap to get your scoreboard fixed,” said Shawnee Athletic Director Craig Isaac.
While the athletic department has many costs, they also receive help from the athletic boosters.
At Shawnee, the booster club takes care of purchasing all uniforms for the athletic department.
“It’s a huge, huge stress of off most athletic directors back,” Isaac said. “They do a tremendous job of supporting each program.”
Outlying factors
There are several factors that can keep fans from coming to games on Friday nights.
Athletic directors said weather can be the biggest factor in a fan not attending a football game.
“If you get one rainy Friday night, financially, we’re in trouble,” Eier said. “If you have two, it could be devastating.”
“We’re only one bad Friday night away from having to redo the budget,” Hobby said.
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