It may not be initially obvious, but your school's athletic facilities significantly influence people’s memories of their time in school. A CDC study over 20 years found that approximately 56.4% of US students participated in at least one sport during high school. Whether playing a sport or using it for other events such as graduation, students spend a lot of time in athletic facilities, shaping their overall thoughts about their time in school. If you’re planning to build or upgrade your facilities, here are some considerations to make sure you have the funds to do so:
Figure out what’s possible for your situation
As much as you might want to create a stadium that fits 10,000 people, only a few schools will require that large of a facility. Given your district's size, you’ll want to check over your budget and determine what’s sustainable. You’ll need to consider all the aspects of the facility and provide the needs of various sports. You can spend your time creating an impressive outdoor stadium, but what does that mean for indoor sports or sports requiring a different surface? Without securing more land, there is only so much space to build more facilities. Remain realistic about what you can do, and work towards additional goals as opportunities allow.
Determine your long-term plans and value to the community
With any large-scale project, you’ll want to create a roadmap as far as you can envision. Because you need the buy-in from school officials, community members, and other partners, take great care in planning and executing your new project. Providing a 30-year plan for building your facilities will go a long way versus just asking for an upgraded building in the next three years. Will the new facilities save costs over the long run? What do you need to do for maintenance over time? Can you expand the facilities with school growth? Show that this is a serious project, and your stakeholders will be more likely to assist with your funding efforts.
You’ll also want to show the community how this project will reflect the community. Ensure your facilities encompass your school’s pride and celebrate hard work and achievement. Making this a welcoming place will create an excellent impression for your community and visiting guests. Show that you’ve thought through traffic use, spacing, tradition, cleanliness, and more to make it a space to be proud of.
Fundraise through a variety of means
With facilities and equipment requiring a considerable cost, you may need ways to gather funds outside your usual budget or referendum. What you can do will change based on your school size and community outreach, but here are some ideas to consider as you look for additional funding:
Gameday fundraising: Have an admission price, introduce a raffle, or have a food truck available for a fee
Sponsorships from local donors and businesses for naming rights, advertising, or providing equipment
Have parents start a “booster club” to lead fundraising efforts
Grant Writing: Check which public and private grants you can apply for, such as facilities, lighting, and surfacing
Leasing or opening to the community for parts of the facility or utility areas
Displaying print advertisements, such as through our vendor partner, Ad-ucation Media
You’ll need to consider your unique situation, but these are examples of what some schools do to ensure the athletic program is well-funded. Just be as flexible with your funds as possible, as plans and price quotes can change at any time.
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In the end, schools require plenty of funding to provide a well-rounded education for students. However, part of student life involves an active lifestyle and competition, something outside traditional academics and test-taking. Providing a great athletic facility will allow your students to express themselves through their sports, performances, and more, so do your best to give the building and tools for a successful education.
Check out Our Vendor Partners!
Ad-ucation Media
Ad-ucation Media is a cutting edge, state of the art, media company that raises money for school districts. Ad-ucation Media produces, positive, inspirational media messages that are strategically posted in, and around the schools. We then contract with businesses to sponsor, and support the messages by placing there logo on the school message. We then offer creative graphic design services with the assistance of local high school students. The students help participate in the actual planning and implementation of an Ad-ucation Media customer advertising campaign. All of these services are offered at NO COST back to the school districts. Ad-ucation Media is “Positively Creative”.
Beam Clay
BEAM CLAY® is the brand of infield materials that have been recognized as the standard of excellence from bulk plants nationwide for baseball/softball infields for many years. In addition to infield mixes, infield conditioners, mound/home plate clays, warning tracks, we supply thousands of other sports products including bases, wall padding, windscreen, ball netting, rain covers, batting practice covers, athletic field marking materials & equipment, maintenance/field grooming tools, and more!
Hellas Construction Inc
Hellas Construction, Inc. was established in 2003 and has grown to be one of the largest sports construction contractors in the United States. While specializing in the general construction of sports facilities and synthetic surfaces, Hellas also champions innovative artificial turf manufacturing, base construction, field, track and tennis planning, installation and maintenance.
NExus Solutions
Because instruction drives construction, we recognize the way school buildings support the delivery of quality education is transforming in significant ways. More than ever, you need a proven, reliable partner that can act quickly to help you navigate challenging decisions. At Nexus Solutions, our only focus is schools.