Program building and charging kids?

We don't charge the kids for the weightroom, but the school does pay the coaches to supervise.

We charge the kids $30 for our 4-day camp. They get a t-shirt and the rest of the money goes to pay the coaches (about $20 a day per coach).

When I was a young buck, I thought it was wrong for coaches to make money off of an activity that kids are essentially required to do. However, I have learned over the years that paying coaches for their time is the norm and is a great way for the head coach to show his assistants a little appreciation for their time.

If there is anything left over after paying for t-shirts and paying the coaches, the rest goes into an account that we can use to buy the kids pizza, pay for blank DVDs so the kikds have a copy of the scouting report, and other stuff like that.

The hardest working kids that come out of our program are almost always the poorest.

The kid from the hills, who has worked hard all of his life, football being one of the only things he has.


You can go all the way from 7th grade in our program and never pay a dime. This may offer our students less services (we don't think so). But our program offers everything for free, because we thrive on those kids that football is one of the only things they have.


You need to spend more time with your boosters and the school board if you are in such financial distress you can't pay for a t-shirt.

We ask for money, mostly to raise some funds. We are way behind the times and the school does not provide for much in the budget. We only charge for camp and we give them a T-shirt and shorts. If they can't afford it, they can still come. They just don't get a t-shirt or shorts.

We basically have to raise funds however we can and in a small town you really have to rely on the parents.

My only problem with this is...


You guys are either.

1. Not giving the kid the materials from your camp. (which automatically singles him out)

2. Or having him or his parents approach you about not being able to afford something (which automatically singles him out).


How many people walk away from your program, rather than facing the reality of not being able to pay for these things. Maybe you are in a richer part of the country, but 10-15 bucks for a shirt is a lot for some of my kids. (30 bucks for a camp is clothes off some of our kids backs) Their parents work hard, and don't like to accept hand outs, and we definitely wouldn't expect them to come to us telling us that.

Your community is probably a lot different than ours. But we have plenty of kids that take pride in how hard their parents work (even if they don't have too dimes to rub together) and such things aren't compliments, they are humiliating.


If it works for your program, more power to you. There is a reason why we all don't do it the same, because where you live has a lot to do with it.


(over 50% of our team is on free and reduced lunches)

none. We're not turning anyone away - and I don't believe anyone else is either. But then again, if we had sugar daddies in administration or boosters, we could get away without charging. Half the time, I think parents like the camps because it is a cheap form of 'baby-sitting' for them

We normally don't give out shorts & shirts until the completion of the camp, anyway.....
1) because they usually don't get in until then (lol)
2) because those low-income kids usually wait until the last day of camp to pay
3) because it is a reward for 'surviving' the duration of the camp

How fair is it for us to do fund-raising and some kids don't pull their weight in sales? Is it not fair for their own actions to single them out?

Do I like fund-raising? It is the worst thing to do short of dealing with know-it-all parents....but if it doesn't come from the Admin or boosters...it's gotta come from somewhere.

Who charges for practice packs?

How much and what do you give?

Shows how little you know! Like I said, no kid is EVER turned away...our community is SMALL. We do football camp in July, but the signup is in May. So, we know, WELL IN ADVANCE, which kids are not coming to camp. When we realize that a kid who "should be there" hasn't turned in their camp form, we talk to those kids and try to find out why they aren't coming. It is usually evident if the reason is financial. If it comes out that the reason is financial, we don't even mention money. We just call the parents and tell them that we expect Little Johnny to be at camp. In every case I can think of, those kids are at camp.

You are being ridiculous. Where are you coaching football? Tennessee during the Great Depression or something?

How many of your kids who can't come up with $30 for football camp have Ipods, Playstations, satellite TV, and $75 shoes? The simple fact is that it is a matter of priorities. There is a big difference between being from a working poor family and living in poverty.

I doubt it. Kids are kids, no matter where you are, although, in your case, the kids who live in your community must be invalids or mentally challenged if they can't mow a few lawns or flip a couple of burgers to make $30 to go to football camp.

Cute. You spend 95% of your post ripping on coaches who charge for camps and then you try a little "but it's cool if you guys do it" at the end.

Just curious, but in what state do you coach and how many state championships have your teams won?

This makes me wonder.


Does anyone have the High School team sponsor your youth football championship?


And how do you break up the real young ones fbdoc, do you just keep them all together?

When we have players who cannot afford it, or players we know will have trouble paying for camp, we have them work at our youth camp and pay for them to work it out of the youth camp money. That way we know they have the money for our camp and can get the few things they need to pay for (practice jersey, t-shirts, ect...) Seems to be a nice way to help them out so they have the opportunity to be in camp and get what they need with out being singled out.

I don't understand why this is an issue. Seriously, if you have been running camp, weights, lift-a-thons, etc. for years and have been successful, then why should you have to be made to feel guilty. It is an "holier than thou," type of attitude.

There are always going to be coaches who try to make a buck off of everything and screw their kids over. However, 98% of them would never do that. And I am sure most of the coaches on here evaluate what they are planning on running for money. If parents/players did not think they were getting their money's worth, they wouldn't pay for it. PERIOD. Not every school has a big budget to play with. We have things to buy and nothing to do it with.

I can't even begin to think of how much money I have spent for my football teams. I have spent more than I really am able to. I have debt that I should have paid off, instead of buying the extra footballs we need for practice, the supplies for the games, the gas for travel. I have done this because I love the kids and football. I will spend the money, even if it means that I will have a tight budget that month, because I want to see the kids succeed. I know that as a parent, I would do the same for my son, (soon to be sons. I would be willing to chip in (just like my parents), even if it meant that I was going to have to beat a check that month. Do not act like the parents and players are so downtrodden over this. My Dad still comments to me that he doesn't regret driving us miles and miles to and from practices. He doesn't regret that we ran low on money, because I needed shoes. He looks at those things with pride. He is filled with joy because he put himself secondary to our needs as his children. Was it easy, no. But it was satisfying.

As for giving the kids scholarships,etc. I am a little hesitant on that. I know that as HC I am responsible for running our fundraiser and buying our equipment/supplies. I take into account that we have several poor kids in our town. I know that some kids do not have the means to afford things. I know some of them do not want everyone else to know that they can't pay or participate. But, that is why I have an office/classroom where the kids can come in and talk privately. I normally, offer them a way to cover their end of the bargain (do some work/etc. if they want the t-shirt, shorts, whatever). I can't change their situation. I think that despite their being poor, they need to work for their scholarship, not get it for free.

We too often look at kids who are poor and we take pity on them. We just say, "Here, have the stuff. I know you can't afford it." But, what does that do for them. It gives them something for free and it includes them in the team, that's it. But, what about empowering them to change their situation. Teach them that they can be more than just a poor kid who can't afford a camp. Show them how to earn something. If we just give them handouts, they will sit there and wait for more. It is a disservice to bend the rules for them. Feeling sorry for them does not change their situation. Stand up and make them deliver. THAT is what will help them.

I think I have talked to much. Plus, my soapbox is starting to cave in.

ANSWER- Because they are LOSERS and want to make a buck. Pay me with championships and with knowing that you will become a good man.

thank you huey