Youth Sports Get a ‘Boost’

This is not your mother’s bake sale.

At least, not anymore.

No more two-for-one cupcakes or a box of Entenmanns. 

Today, the role of high school sports booster clubs is far more involved and far more important. They are instrumental to the success of a program. Some might even say more sophisticated, given their responsibilities.

They are a support system.

Booster clubs take some of the weight off a coach’s plate – pardon the pun.

“Regarding their impact, they have been a tremendous help to our program,” said Haldane High School Football Coach Ryan McConville. “They provide critical funding for things like weight room improvements, act as our fundraising partner, and help us manage team accounts for everything from equipment to team dinners and the Haldane golf outing. Having that support system in place allows us to focus on the team and ensure we have the resources to keep moving the program forward.”

The Haldane Football Association is under the umbrella of the Blue Devil Booster Club, which arranges snacks for the boys at halftime, lunch for away games, flowers for parents, a teamwide end-of-season dinner, T-shirts for the boys, fundraising, and more.

“We do whatever the coach needs to make his life easier, so he can just concentrate on football,” said organizer Andrea Corliss, who has two sons who play in the program and has a family pedigree that runs deep in the community.

Asked whether she and fellow club members feel like they are making a contribution, she did not hesitate. “Absolutely,” she said. “This is something that is dear to my heart.”

Mahopac High School Football Coach Dominic DeMatteo has long praised the booster club. In fact, the Mahopac community has been very responsive to the football program. For instance, area restaurants have provided meals early in the season during double-session practices. And, like at many schools, parents have helped organize team dinners prior to a game – usually on Thursday or Friday nights.

But some schools and programs aren’t so lucky.

Brewster High School football does not have a booster club… officially, anyway. There is a de facto group called The Mama Bears that helps out. New Coach Ryan Cleary said they have been a big help.

“Their support is very much appreciated as they take some of the non-coaching responsibilities off of my plate,” he said. “This may be something we look to formalize in the future, because they do a great job for us.”

There are other factors as well. Mahopac, Carmel, and Putnam Valley have combined for years to have a girls’ swim team, which has made coordination difficult.

“I tried to get one started a few years ago with a mom, but it was way more complicated than it should be,” said Coach Erica Burlenski.