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