Forming Haven’s 2024-2025 sports budget is a challenging task.
The way this budget is split up, accounting for the seventeen different sports Haven offers with unique equipment, uniforms, transportation, and fees, is a complicated process that roots the functioning of these sports.
Director of Athletics and Activities Ms. Lynelle Mosley finds that communication between each sports team and the athletic department is integral for a successful year of funding.
“Each year, we ask each coach what they need, so we make sure that they have whatever equipment is needed to support their team throughout the year,” Mosley said. “They give us a list of equipment and if they need new uniforms.”
The necessities of equipment allow for smooth practices and potential for growth in sports. As for the uniforms, they play a substantial role in representing Strath Haven, whether it’s on the field, court, ice, or turf.
Mosley has recently initiated a structured uniform system to ensure new uniforms for each team.
“We are starting a uniform rotation so that every three to four years, [teams] are getting new uniforms,” Mosley said. “I just got new golf shirts, I just ordered girls and boys basketball uniforms, the track got new tops and bottoms, football got new home jerseys last year. We list each year we get a different sport new uniforms so that they’re always on a rotational basis.”
Boys and girls tennis coach Mr. Andrew Perella praises the system. He finds that it has improved upon a previously unstructured uniform distribution.
“For the longest time, the boys and girls tennis teams, we would purchase [the uniforms] individually, and you would just keep them,” Perella said. “It’s only been maybe the last five or six years where we were getting uniforms. The athletic department is bringing our uniforms up to date.”
While the budget for each sport may not look identical, many elements affect what each sport’s budget goes towards, such as the type of sport and associated equipment.
“Each year brings different scenarios, like if a team goes a little further into states and districts. Football, they have a lot more numbers and equipment. Our track teams, they do a lot of traveling for different meets, but their equipment doesn’t cost a lot,” Mosley said.
Perella agrees that equipment plays a large part in sports funding; he acknowledges that the two teams he coaches are funded evenly.
“We need tennis balls and a uniform, and that’s pretty much it. So, the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams will be evenly funded,” Perella said.
President of Strath Haven All Sports Boosters, Maresa Mahoney, further explains the two aspects of sports funding. The straightforward one is what students may directly see.
“Student-athletes pay a yearly fee of $30 if they play a sport that goes towards funding,” Mahoney said. “During football games, we raise money by running the Pit, so all those proceeds go to funding.”
However, the funding process has a lot more to it than that.
“When we decide to spend money, everyone collaborates on what it should be spent on,” Mahoney said. “We try to make purchases that will benefit all the sports and gym classes.”
Other than that, Mahoney explains the recognition of ASK and Title IV in Strath Haven’s funding process, which helps kids who cannot pay for their sport(s) expenses and ensures boys’ and girls’ sports are equally funded. While each team’s sports budget provides insight, it is important to note that the numerical value does not accurately represent the amount of care the department has for each sport.
“This year, I have so many lacrosse balls, so I won’t buy any lacrosse balls. Now there’ll be minus that much money, so it’ll look like they didn’t get as much, but it’s just because we have enough of them,” Mosley said.
The allocations of funds often fluctuate year to year, but on a long-term basis, teams have consistent funding. While some sports spend more of their money on meet fees than others and some on equipment, the equal and well-thought-out funding of the teams allows for Haven’s sports program to grow.
“Funding isn’t easy, and it’s not cookie cutter. It is very unique every year, and no year is ever exactly the same because teams always do different things and in different ways,” Mosley said.
