THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 7, 1994 TAG: 9410050136
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
IT COSTS ABOUT TWICE as much to put on athletic events at the local high schools as spectators pay to see them.
And that is not even counting the salaries of the coaches.
But it's primarily the coaches and the parents of the participants who are keeping the programs afloat.
To field all the athletic teams at Wilson, Norcom, Churchland and neighboring Western Branch requires about $300,000.
A good ballpark guess at the gate income is $150,000. That's because of the state championship football teams produced at Wilson and Norcom. Normal revenue is much less.
Income at all Churchland sports events in the 1993-94 school year was $24,682, according to Churchland athletic director Bill Strickland. The previous year's income was $23,443.
``It's very much relative to winning and losing,'' said Strickland. ``Winning teams draw bigger crowds.
``This year our attendance is up considerably in football.''
Strickland pointed out that the coaches, students and supporters of the school actually raised more money to fund the athletic teams than Churchland made at the gate.
``It cost $77,913.78 to equip and operate all of our teams,'' he said. ``You can see the bulk of the money comes from fund raising.''
Western Branch principal Art Brandriff, a former football coach at Churchland, remembers the days when football revenue paid for the school's entire sports operation.
``Those days are long gone,'' said Brandriff. ``Now football doesn't even pay for itself.''
Brandriff said total athletic expenses for one year at Western Branch now exceed $79,000.
``Our total gate last year was $34,136,'' he said. ``To break even we had to sell a lot of candy and doughnuts and put on a lot of charity events.''
Brandriff said the 1992-93 football gross was $25,512. ``The expenses were $30,440.''
The biggest gate of the current football season was the Western Branch-Norcom game.
Western Branch sold 2,695 adult tickets and 556 children tickets at the game. There was a pre-sale of 1,657 tickets.
``We grossed $16,863,'' said Brandriff. ``But those kind of gates are rare now at any school.''
Wilson pulled in $72,749 in its 1991 state championship football season. No other high school in South Hampton Roads reached even half that total. Great Bridge was the second-leading moneymaker with a gross income of $33,091.
Norcom had an average home attendance of 6,500 last year in its state championship season, the area's best. ``We have a good regular base we draw from,'' said Charles Nixon, the school's former athletic director.
Manor High School was averaging about $16,000 in revenue before the school was merged with Wilson.
Athletic director Dave Willett said, after expenses, the school made about $500 from its recent game with Great Bridge.
``For our first game against Deep Creek we took in $4,734. Expenses were $2,067.71. Attendance dropped at the second game against Great Bridge. We grossed $2,451.50 and spent $1,929.55.''
Willett feels Wilson attendance would rise considerably if the school was able to have its own stadium instead of playing across town at Lawrence Stadium. When the school was Manor it played at Churchland, also a long distance from the students' home base.
Portsmouth schools pay 10 per cent off the top to the city for an amusement tax. Chesapeake schools do not have this tax. ILLUSTRATION: Churchland's Bill Strickland says fund raising is pivotal to an
athletic budget.
Wilson's Dave Willett says lack of a stadium hurts attendance.
by CNB