Touchdown Clubs and Athletic Booster Clubs

It is with great pleasure that I take this moment to welcome you all to this forum. The forum will be based on the issue of supporting the football teams and clubs in our schools. As we all know, football is one of the extra curriculum activities in many schools and people should not look at it as a waste of time and resources. It is through these activities that the students interact socially and it is an activity that brings people together after the daily routine of reading books.

It is sad to know that many of the management teams look down upon these extra curriculum activities during the allocation of the money in the various departments. In most cases they will allocate in order of preference and apparently most of them regard the football clubs and other clubs as the last preference. They find the extra curriculum activities as a waste of time and this should not be the case. It goes with the saying that “All work without play makes Jack a dull boy.” Children should not be denied their time of playing as this is what gives them the energy and the motivation to work harder in class work. If we were to take a look at the school performance statistics the schools that perform well in their studies also do very well in the curriculum activities. This shows how physical activities are very essential in the determination of the school work performance and should therefore not be assumed.

As Clover Touchdown Club we have discovered that there are kids who have the potential to become great footballers but do not have the opportunity. The reasons can either be the school does not have the resources to fund the football club through buying the necessary kits and equipments or the school has the resources but neglects the whole idea of supporting the team. These are some of the children that we would love to support as a team so that we can help in the building of their talents. However we are not in the position to support all these children on our own because we also have our own needs as a team. These children will require training which as a team we are ready to offer voluntarily. They will also require the necessary football kits and this means another expenditure on our part. We sacrifice to use the savings that are available to fund these requirements so as to ensure that the team members are comfortable. However we cannot fully depend on the small savings available as these should be in store for future emergencies. This was the main reason as to why we called upon for this meeting in request of the school’s management team to assist in the funding of the football club.

As leaders we know it is essential to place the first priority as the education. This is the reason why we only take a small percentage of the overall learning hours to train the students as this also provide physical exercise. Our club has always strived to become and maintain the position of a booster club. Such a club is one which will always raise money not for their well being only but for the well being of others too. A booster club usually puts 100% of all the money raised to the school programs to assist the young potential footballers. However we cannot manage all this work alone and that is why we are calling upon the school to act as a sponsor towards the Clover touchdown club and if possible to access other external sponsors who are willing to support the team. As you all are aware, the Clover touchdown club comprises of the alumni, past, present and future parents of the players. These are the first people who should be working towards the well being of this team and am sure that many of you are present today. Let us not look at the team as burden among our needs but rather an obligation among our needs. This is a team that is present to build the future of your children both physically and education wise.

Sometimes many schools have reason to have that attitude towards the games especially during the competitions. This is because in other cases the competing teams will be required to make certain contributions which will be used to reward the winning teams. If for example Clover school does not win, it is a loss to them as they will not get the money. Conversely, they should not have a bad attitude towards the loss as they have the potential to take the lead next time. This is one of the issues that have led to many schools neglecting the games and cutting out sports completely so as to cater for other tighter budgets. We should not advocate for such an attitude because not one team will always win. This also goes with the saying that “One man’s luck is another man’s loss.”

Many are the times we have thought of making sales in the schools so as to raise funds but the Clover school has discouraged us from this activity. It is not fair to the club when we are called upon to raise the necessary funds and yet the ways to raise them have been limited. We are ready to assist in any way possible because our main objective is to volunteer to aid even financially. The Clover touchdown club comprises of a group of valuable people who volunteer to ultimately assist the kids in the best way possible. As a team we also recognize and support the team athletes and the staff involved in the particular games. Our volunteering also involves assisting the needy children financially through buying them the necessary equipments and kits for the football activities. For example we provide a 2500 scholarship to a football player every year as a way of their recognition.

As a team we are aware that the school management cannot cater for the football expenses fully as they are too many. That is where we come in and assist in reducing such costs. We volunteer to train the children for no costs and once the students advance to better levels, we recruit them into our club. We work through this having one goal in mind, to assist and support the football players and program as much as we can. In respect to this, Clover touchdown club members want to cooperatively work together with Clover school district and Clover athletics boosters to sustain the Clover High School Football Program. However we need the support of the school management so that we can be a strong and united team. That is why I will take this opportunity to request the schools not to deny the students the rights in participating in the extra curriculum activities. Let us work together to ensure the well being of our children through supporting them because as we all know they are the leader of tomorrow. Clover touchdown club will continue to offer its support both physically and financially with positive attitude.

Nevertheless, whether there is support or not, Clover touchdown club will always work to maintain the programs by way of encouragement of activities and presence, in form of financial assistance when need be and providing volunteers when necessary. This is the only way to fulfill our objectives and goals.