Goal Club Meeting Minutes
September 13, 2007
The members of the Goal Club board were present along with Coaches Barr, Cianciola, Conner and Lee. Special guest, Chip Russell, from RAPID-SuperKick was also present.
The meeting started with a presentation by Mr. Russell regarding a fundraising idea for Northview soccer. His company would partner with us to put on a sports combine at Northview High School for athletes in grades 6 – 12. This combine is a sports specific event which allows athletes to go through a series of drills/tests. They get a score which can then be entered into a database sponsored by NIKE called SPARQ, where they can compare their performance to other athletes around the country. The usual charge for this event is $15 per athlete in advance and $25 at the door, which RAPID would split with us 50/50. Coaches who bring in a team of at least 15 athletes will receive a bag with training equipment similar to what is used in the combines. North Atlanta Soccer Association (NASA) has done two of these events with RAPID, raising $2,000 and $6,000 for their soccer club. If we agree to do this with RAPID, Northview would have exclusivity over the event. It has been offered to Wesleyan, Norcross, and Alpharetta HS, none of whom have agreed to go forward at this point.
RAPID would also like to partner with Northview soccer in training our potential players, offering a package of training sessions for $12.50 per person per session (vs. $45 per session) at SuperKick in Norcross. They would include pre and post conditioning fitness testing, as well as injury prevention sessions. They also pre-screen female athletes for ACL injuries.
Russell Whorton made a motion that the Goal Club go ahead with the sports combine as a soccer fundraiser. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. Preliminary dates of November 10 or December 8 were selected, which Coach Cianciola will try to secure.
Further discussion once Chip Russell had left included the fact that there will be no Starlit Odyssey function this year because no one is willing to chair the event. This was our biggest fund raiser last year, yielding a profit of $5,285. We really need some means of raising funds, and this is something that is related to our sport and could be very profitable. Concessions could be sold, outside vendors could be invited to pay a fee and have a booth/table, etc. The main challenge will be marketing, which should include approaching Northview coaches, as well as coaches at other high schools, contacting the Jr. Titan feeder programs, and the soccer clubs in the area.
Additional soccer business was discussed:
Coaches’ report: Coach Lee will be the head JV boys’ coach. Coach Conner will continue as the JV girls’ coach; coaches Barr and Bourne will continue with varsity girls; Coach Cianciola and Mora will coach the varsity boys. Coach C presented the schedule for the 2008 season. It was also noted that he has been named Assistant Athletic Director. Congratulations Coach C!
Budget: A review of last year’s budget versus actual results revealed that the purchase of new uniforms, along with the turf payment and coaches’ salaries, made up the bulk of expenses last year. Uniform expense was planned and will not occur again for 3 years, except for replacement costs. Income fell short by about 20%, due to the lack of financial success of the golf tournament, and lower revenue from car washes and the pancake eat-a-thon. The Gala raised $3,000 more than expected, which offset some of these shortfalls. Since there will not be a Gala event this year and we have decided not to do the golf tournament again, another significant source of revenue is needed.
Player fees will be raised to $300 per player, with an offset for membership in the Titan Booster Club like last year.
In addition, expenses have to be reduced. Coaches’ salaries will be lower with fewer community coaches. It was decided to explore other location options for the banquet, as well as to have the Meet the Coaches evening at Northview instead of paying to use the Medlock Bridge Clubhouse. The Titantron will not be used except for scoring unless there is a private donation as in the past 2 years. The Pancake Eat-A-Thon will be held after the teams are chosen, rather than before, this year.
Some tentative dates for the upcoming season are as follows:
January 17 – Meet the Coaches night – NHS media center
January 28 – First day of Try Outs
February 4 – Teams announced
February 7 – Kick-Off-Dinner – NHS cafeteria
February 13 – Pancake Eat-A-Thon – IHOP
February 12 – First varsity games
February 21 – First JV games
