Why Are Booster Clubs Important?

With the funding of sports in schools becoming more and more restricted and the cost of sports equipment ever on the rise, booster clubs have become an important part of the school sports landscape in recent years. Of course, there have been some controversies over the conduct of some booster clubs in the past and the activities of booster clubs are now regulated, but the well-run booster clubs can provide much more of a boost to school athletics than just funding. The organized support of parents and supporters can play a vital role in school sports in more ways than you might have realized. Here are just some of the reasons why booster clubs are so important to school sports teams.

Raise funds for equipment
The financial pressures on athletics departments of schools are huge and the cost of sports equipment is continually rising. By organizing fundraising events, selling merchandise and things like hot dogs at games, booster clubs can raise vital funds to pay for much needed equipment, such as new helmets for the football team, or an endzone camera, like the HiRise camera system, and video coaching software, like VideoChamp Sports, that can be used to great effect by all the sports coaches at the school.

Increased parental involvement
Every parent wants the best the best for their children and a booster club provides parents with the opportunity to get more involved both the school and their own child’s education. You don’t need to be a wealthy contributor to make a difference in a booster club; you can help at events, hold your own fundraising events, and actively promote the school’s sports activities to other members of your local community.

Increase community awareness
A booster club can make more people in the local community aware of the local school sports projects and that can lead to local business support and advertising. This can have a knock-on effect of encouraging more kids in the community to get involved in sports, which can be beneficial for the local kids and for the community as a whole.

Increase support within the school
A good booster club will also be able to increase the support that a school sports team gets from the rest of the school. While sports equipment is, of course, important, there is little that will spur on a young athlete more than seeing a crowd of their fellow pupils coming out in support their team

Encourage the athletes
Part of the role of a booster club is to support the athletes and many do that by providing awards or achievement. The third party recognition of achievement that a booster club can provide to school athlete can sometimes be more meaningful to a young player than recognition of the coach, and the receipt of an award could help encourage the athlete to take their sporting career further.

Improve communications
A booster club can also provide a forum for better communication between parents, coaches, students and school officials. While a booster club should not try to become a pressure group, it can be a conduit for the passing of ideas and opinions.

Booster clubs are important because they can raise funds for essential equipment, like HiRise Camera and VideoChamp Sports, and because they can help attract support from both within the school and within the wider local community. They are, in fact, increasingly becoming an important part of school athletics.