School sports are a fundamental part of the high school experience, bringing students together and fostering school spirit. But have you ever wondered how these programs are funded? At Bunnell High School, the financial landscape of athletics is shaped by budget requests, fundraising efforts, and the support of the Board of Education. Understanding how these resources are allocated can shed light on the true costs behind maintaining competitive sports teams.
To find out, I spoke with Mr. Thrall, the school’s athletic director. He explained that each team submits a budget request, which the Board of Education reviews to decide how much funding each team receives. “Each team submits a budget request outlining their projected needs and wants for the upcoming season,” Thrall said. “Those requests are prioritized based on necessity and what the allocated budget allows.”
Thrall noted that ticket sales contribute to the athletic department’s day-to-day needs, covering expenses that the Board of Education does not support. Major costs for the athletic department include bus transportation, coaching stipends, referees, event staff, equipment, and uniforms.
Teams can also fundraise to cover additional expenses, such as team gear, senior gifts, and end-of-year banquets. For instance, two years ago, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams raised enough money to purchase an automated shooting machine costing over $5,000. “They submit a fundraiser request form detailing how they intend to raise the money and what it will be used for. If they are doing an online fundraiser, a community service project is required to give back to our community,” Thrall explained.
However, the funding often falls short of meeting all teams’ needs. Dance Coach Amanda Bielen shared that while the school covered the team’s uniforms, most funds come from fundraising. “Every year, we fundraise through SnapRaise and other initiatives to pay for our competition choreographer, music, and costumes. We also hold a joint car wash with cheer to raise money for our Thanksgiving sweatshirts,” she said. Dance is a two-season sport, as is cheering for football as well as girls’ and boys’ soccer, swimming, volleyball, and basketball.
Head Football Coach Ty Jenkins mentioned that the team receives $1,500 from the athletic department, which primarily covers transportation, equipment, and referees. However, the team raises about $30,000 through SnapRaise, car washes, snack sales, and fundraising events like Stratford Day. “We spend around $6,000 on food for the players before each game and the night before. The remaining funds go towards additional equipment, with about $5,000 spent on safety gear, $8,000 for the banquet, and around $1,000 for senior night gifts,” Ty explained. He also noted that this year, the team provided 130 backpacks for students at the back-to-school fair held at Stratford High.
Cheer Coach Stephanie Falcone mentioned that her team raises $10,000 through fundraising for summer camp and is currently fundraising for competition uniforms. Although she is unsure of the exact budget from the athletic department, they were able to provide 24 cheer uniforms costing $1,700. The department also covers bus transportation for away football games, but competition fees were not included in the budget. The Board of Education purchased new game-day uniforms for the cheer team, but Falcone had to advocate for this, as she didn’t want to reuse uniforms for sanitary reasons. Unfortunately, new uniforms won’t be available again for 4-6 years, so she plans to use fundraising to cover competition costs. Her team benefits from fundraisers like SnapRaise, David’s Cookies, and car washes.
These behind-the-scenes efforts show the dedication of not only the athletes but also the coaches, parents, and community members who work tirelessly to ensure that student athletes have the resources they need to succeed.
Regarding the perception that the football team receives the most funding, Falcone commented, “As a coach and the parent of a football player, I can say that while I don’t know the exact budget, the football team does a lot of fundraising, and the coach encourages everyone to participate. They are the largest team in the school, with the most participants. Much of their extra gear, food, camps, and team apparel is funded through fundraising, which may lead the public to think the school covers those costs.”
In conclusion, while the football team does receive significant support and engages in extensive fundraising, it’s clear that many teams at Bunnell also rely heavily on their own efforts to meet their needs.
Editor’s Note: Kimberly Santana is one of Stratford Forward/Stratford Crier’s photojournalists. This article also appears in the Scribe, Bunnell High School’s newspaper, of which Kimberly is a reporter.
