What can you do today to protect the future

of your Athletic Programs

SCAP Branch Conference

Myrtle Beach , SC

December, 2013

Tom O’Rourke Executive Director

Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission Charleston, SC 29412

www.ccprc.com/orourke

2025

Kemper, Billy Casper, and Troon manage 450 golf

courses owned by a city, county, or park district.

Hospitals partner with parks and recreation agencies

on a regular basis to either construct new facilities or

to have a community outreach element that includes

physical and occupational therapy.

Companies like Westport Pools manage swimming

facilities across the US. Many of these sites are owned

by a city, county, or park district.

Tennis management firms oversee local public

recreation agency tennis program.

Indianapolis has just gone out for Proposals for

Private Contractors to take over every element of the

Parks and Recreation Department. All Staff were let

go.

What are the Threats?

Funding

Outside Private Sports Providers

Not enough facilities

Support from Administration

Solutions

The Main Question

Will Youth Sports Participation Go Down in the

Future?

How to Protect Your Future

Have a VISION of what the Youth Athletic

Program in you Community will be.

Have a plan to make sure YOU are in CONTROL

of everything that goes on in your Community.

SELL the Greatness of your program

Vision

•A comprehensive Athletic program for all athletic

levels on great facilities, with great coach's, and an

emphasis on instruction, performance and fun.

•Control

Do You want to…

… be around in the future?

… make sure youth participants are being treated

fairly?

…get rid of idiot coaches and parents?

… have control over every single sport being

played in your facilities?

“Control” is guided by The Golden Rule

Whoever has the GOLD makes the RULES

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.

What Gold Do The Outside Providers

have?

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

ProgramsAquatic

ProgramsCamps

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

ProgramsAquatic

ProgramsCamps

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 • 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 coach's, 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

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

responsibility to protect them.

Thank You

ccprc.com/orourke

The End