How much help should a Rec. league give?

[Bchbum54]

So one of our All-star teams won State and made it to Nationals. After a long and expensive All-star season the team has asked the league for help. Nationals Is a week long and is being held about a 9 hour drive north from us. the team is planning on traveling together and staying in the same hotel. Our league has already pledged a donation but its one of those things where some people feel it's not enough and others feel its more then enough. What do you guys think is a fair amount to help a team representing your league get to Nationals. Right now I heard the teams goal is to raise $14K. Our league can't afford that much but the league has done what they feel is enough to get them started.

 

[Sweet Lou]

I'm sure you'll get all kinds of opinions but I think any assistance the rec league offers the team should be happy to receive it. Unless the league made promises earlier (like if a team makes nationals we'll donate $X) that it is backing out on now I would say the league has already done enough.

This an experience for the girls much more that the league itself and the team should be doing the fund raising if necessary.

That's just my opinion though, I'm sure others will vary wildly all the way from - league shouldn't pay anything to league should pay everything.

Have you tried local business for sponsorships?

 

[JJsqueeze]

So one of our All-star teams won State and made it to Nationals. After a long and expensive All-star season the team has asked the league for help. Nationals Is a week long and is being held about a 9 hour drive north from us. the team is planning on traveling together and staying in the same hotel. Our league has already pledged a donation but its one of those things where some people feel it's not enough and others feel its more then enough. What do you guys think is a fair amount to help a team representing your league get to Nationals. Right now I heard the teams goal is to raise $14K. Our league can't afford that much but the league has done what they feel is enough to get them started.

Congrats...I'm of two minds here. I think the league gets a lot of benefit from having a team get to this level, at the same time the experience is for a few select girls. $14K sounds like the fundraising goal is targeted to cover most of the overall costs of travel etc. I think the league paying the entry fees and being there to support families that cannot afford the trip is about right. Families that can afford it should just treat it as a weekend away and foot the bill. That is not to say that you shouldn't fundraise your butts off in the meantime to try to get as much paid for as possible, just that when all is said and done it is the individual families that are getting the experience and having the rest of the girls families (league) pay for too much of that is unfair.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Is this a rare occurence for your league or is it fairly common for some teams to advance to Western Nats each year? If it isn't rare, there should be an official policy on it. Absent an official policy, it depends on how they've handled it in the past and what kind of precedent they're willing to set for the future.

The league should pay the team's entry fee. They should also assist with fundraising by using their email list and accepting tax-deductible donations for the team's expenses

 

[NorthMS]

Unless the league is so large as to the 14k represents a small percentage of the operating budget, they won't be able to help with the majority of the budget.

As the president of a rural sports association, that operates as one of multiple associations within one league, we wouldn't see 14k in 2 years.

Our league pays for the patches, helps with fundraising, and around $200. Our association gave an extra donation to the teams represented by our community. Now, our all star tournaments are relatively local, so 14k wouldn't be necessary.

The one year I carried a team to the World Series, we raised almost 4k in just under a month. All travel expenses were the parents responsibility.

 

[marriard]

Whatever they give is really bonus money... Opening up email lists, etc should be just common courtesy.

One exception: If the league is both baseball and softball and they provide or have provided more in the past to the baseball side. Then there would be a big, big issue.

 

[Elk Grove Hurricane]

Our league helped a little, but mostly private fundraising paid for the entry fees. Roseville is less than an hours drive for us, though. For hotels, look for something in Sacramento, off of Gateway Oaks- its an easy drive to Roseville and probably a lot cheaper for you. I think there's a Residence Inn out there. Maidu Park is about 25-30 minutes from Sac. if you drive like me.

 

[Bchbum54]

This is the first time in my 6 years involved with the league that one of our teams has been this successful and has had to travel this far. Last year we had a who backed in to Nationals and it was held in Santee only a 40min. drive. I don't recall the families asking for assistance but that gets thrown around and some people don't want to acknowledge that it was 2 different situation and one team asked for help. The other didn't. Ask and you shall receive is what I say. I just wanted to get a feel for what other outside our league think in this situation.

 

[Momo'sDad]

What an exciting opportunity for your girls!

The unfortunate thing about ASA Nationals/Westerns is that it's a week-long commitment and many families coming out of the rec programs aren't prepared for that, especially when it comes to scheduling time off work and budgeting for an extra vacation.

Like Elk Grove Hurricane said, there are plenty of low-cost lodging options within 30 minutes of the fields, with some decent places as low as $50/night.

Because it's what amounts to a home tournament for our local league, we've been preparing for a couple of years now, so the parents of this year's All-Stars were mostly aware there would be an extra couple weeks of softball and the added expense for trading pins.

The league should pay the entry fee, but I'd argue that's the only obligation. The experience of going to a national event is for the girls and their families, not for the league. Hopefully your coaches have given all the girls playing time this summer so that everyone will want to make the trip.

Good luck to your team. With over 80 teams, it should be a good tournament - hope to see them out there later in the week.

 

[mann]

Same boat for me.

Cept I pay for equipment, uniforms, chalk my own fields, supply game balls, arrange my games, arrange umpires,supply transpotation over a mountain range to play in league,, put up the kids in motels and campgrounds to play at state, and we won state, now I must fly the whole team to tuscon arizon, at an 8000.00 bill, put them up for a week, supply transportation, and food, AHAHAAAAAAA%%$#$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
When I get old, I am going to have to live in my bat bag.