Tom O’Rourke Executive Director

Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission Charleston, SC 29412

www.ccprc.com/orourke

Taking Back Your Youth Athletic Programs

2013 NAYS Youth Sports Congress

San Diego, California

November 2013

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand the components of a Comprehensive Athletic program that will make everyone happy…(The crazy people and the normal people)

• Examine the pros and cons of administering youth sport programs in-house or through a youth sport provider

• Learn techniques to give you control of everything that is taking place on YOUR athletic fields.

Is this a problem?

GETTING IT ALL BACK

• You have a great relationship with the youth athletic provider,

but you would like to have it back.

• You have youth providers that are crazy, but they are just a pain

to you, not so much the elected people.

• The inmates are running the asylum and the Elected People are

letting, and supporting them.

IDENTIFY THE MAIN ISSUE

•Control

Sports Providers

You

THE G0LDEN RULE

Whoever has the GOLD makes the RULES

ADD UP THE GOLD - PROVIDERS

• The families of the Athletes - Votes

• Good Stories – Newspaper Articles

• A good program

Add up the gold – You have

• The Fields – HUGE!

• The staff that maintains the fields

• Access to public financial information

• Bonding Capability

• Ability to raise all the money you want! Yes that true.

• Ability to do what is BEST for the actual participants. ( Is that going on now?)

• Ability to remove idiotic, self-serving, non-athletic, moron coaches.

IF YOU TAKE IT BACK – You can have all of their

GOLD

• The families of the Athletes - Votes

• Good Stories – Newspaper Articles

• A good program

SO HOW DO YOU TAKE CONTROL?

• Win the Elected People

Speak the language of taxation

Understand Capital Bonding

KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR CITIZENS ARE

PAYING IN THE WAY OF TAXES

TAXATION EXAMPLE

RECREATION DEPARTMENT BUDGET

County or Municipal Government

Total Taxable Income $10 Million

Total Rec. Dept. Budget $ 1 Million

1

2

Total Budget

Rec. Budget

10%

$1,000,000 RECREATION DEPARTMENT BUDGET

Familiarize Yourself with the Following;

• What is the total tax bill on a $200,000 home.

If a citizen pays $400.00 year in taxes, and the Recreation

Department gets 10% of the total budget, this person

REALLY, pays $40.00/year for Recreation Dept. Taxes.

NEXT – Know what that person is getting for their $40.00

CALCULATING WHAT THAT PERSON GETS FOR

THEIR $40.00

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

PassiveParks

YouthPrograms

AdultPrograms

YouthAthletics

AdultAthletics

SeniorPrograms

SpecialEvents

ArtsPrograms

AquaticPrograms

Camps

Breakdown of the $1,000,000 Budget

CALCULATE THE FEES YOU COLLECT

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

PassiveParks

YouthPrograms

AdultPrograms

YouthAthletics

AdultAthletics

SeniorPrograms

SpecialEvents Arts

Programs AquaticPrograms

Camps

Front Row = Budgeted Amount

Back Row = Fees Collected

ANALYZE THE DATA

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

PassiveParks

YouthPrograms

AdultPrograms

YouthAthletics

AdultAthletics

SeniorPrograms

SpecialEvents Arts

Programs AquaticPrograms

Camps

Front Row = Budgeted Amount - $1,000,000

Back Row = Fees Collected - $ 246,300

UNDERSTAND BONDING

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BUILD

THIS FIELD?

One Full Size Baseball Field Minimum 300’ to Fence

• Baseball Field

• Electrical General 1,000

• Lighting 160,000

• Underdrain/Drainage 16,000

• Clay 6,000

• Fencing/Dugouts/Backstop 21,000

• Foul Poles 4,500

• Furnishings 5,000

• Irrigation 22,000

• Sod 44,000

• Rough Grade 38,000

• Fine Grade 18,000

• Clearing/Grubbing 14,000

• Total - $349,500

Soft Costs – 8% = $27,960

Contingency – 10% = $37,746

TOTAL FOR PROJECT

$416,206

HOW DO YOU PAY FOR IT?

You first need to know EXACTLY

how much you need You need $ 416,206…Right ?

NO !

INSTEAD OF $ 416,206

• Assuming a 5% interest rate

• Assuming paying back over 20 years

• $ 2,937 / Month

• $ 35,244 / Year

IF YOU NEED $1,000,000

• Assuming a 5% interest rate

• Assuming paying back over 20 years

• $ 7,048 / Month

• $ 84,576 / Year

BOND COSTS

• 1 million - $84,500 / year

• 5 million - $422,500/year

• 10 million - $845,000/year

• 20 million - $1,690,000/year

WHERE DO YOU FIND THE MONEY

• Learn the details of your

Capital Budget

NEGOTIATION TIME!

• What they need – Fields and Money

• What you need – Control over the program

FOCUS SHOULD BE ON...

WHAT DO THE CUSTOMERS NEED?

• A comprehensive Athletic program for

all athletic levels on great facilities,

with great coachs, and an emphasis on

instruction, performance and fun.

COMPONENTS OF A QUALITY COMPREHENSIVE

ATHLETIC PROGRAM

• Separate Enterprise Fund

• Advisory Group of Experts for all Sports – You choose, limited terms

• Expert Administration – Registration, Financial, Team Selection, Scheduling

• All Levels of Play satisfied – ALL LEVELS

• Expert Field maintenance

• Annual Reports

LEVELS OF PLAY

MENU

Ask yourself these questions…

BASEBALL

Recreation League

•Q: Has your child ever become discouraged or lost interest because he/she does not get to play enough?

•Q: Has lack of playing time affected your child ’s development within the game?

Q: Is your child fearful of competing against some of the larger or more advanced players?

•Q: Does the idea of a more recreational approach appeal to you and your child, and what you are trying to accomplish?

•Q: Does your child complain about never getting to play the position he/she wants to play?

If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, the Recreation League may be just what you are looking for.

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL 8-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18

• Q: Is your child looking to play in a competitive baseball league offered in a

recreational atmosphere?

• Q: Does your child look forward to the challenge of practice and playing

against the good competition?

• Q: Is playing baseball a high priority to your child during the season?

• Q: Does the idea of a more competitive approach appeal to you, your child,

and what you are trying to accomplish?

If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, the Little League may be just what

you looking for.

TRAVEL BASEBALL LEAGUE

• Q: Is playing baseball a high priority for your child during the season?

• Q: Is your child looking to play in a competitive atmosphere with tournaments scheduled throughout SC with occasional tournaments outside of the state to include invitational, regional, and national championships?

• Q: Would your child look forward to playing in as many as 25-40 games throughout the spring/summer season with multiple practices during the week?

• Q: Will you and your family be willing to work with the Diamond Warriors Booster

• Q. Will you help in fundraising efforts to help offset the travel expenses for your child?

If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, the Travel League may be just what you looking for.

If creating your own program is not for you, then at least get “CONTROL”

over the people that are on or in your facilities.

You can Still have control over…

• Your Philosophy

• Your Mission

• Your Values

• Love of Competition

• Need for Standards

How to get some limited control…

• Memo of Agreement / Memo of Understanding

• Youth Sports Provider Handbook

• Council of Youth League Presidents

In Summary – Get back the control

• Total Control or Limited Control

• Don’t ever say…”We don’t have any say so over

the youth sports, a private group is responsible.”

• Don’t ever forget who the customers are…

Don’t ever forget who you work for, and always understand that it is your responsibility to

protect them.

THANK YOU

ccprc.com/orourke