Written by Kevin Trudgeon, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/04/2009 09:40:45 PM PDT
By KEVIN TRUDGEON
Staff Writer
REDLANDS – Every season, Redlands Junior All-American Football buys jerseys and updates equipment for each new crop of future gridiron warriors.
But this year, for the first time in a long time, that new equipment may have to be put on hold.
“Right now, in terms of sponsorships for all of our levels and teams, we’re nowhere near where we’ve been in the past,” said Redlands JAAF president Dan Carranza, who said that at a time when JAAF hoped to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 in sponsorships, they are sitting closer to $7,000.
“Year in and year out, we try to give kids new jerseys and we try to make sure that we don’t play with equipment that’s more than two years old, for safety reasons. But right now, we’re getting to the point where we just can’t spend the money because we don’t have it,” he said.
It is a problem in no way unique to Redlands JAAF. In a story on struggling car dealerships in San Bernardino County, Redlands Daily Facts reporters interviewed many youth sports leagues from Pomona to Yucaipa and found a growing trend.
Businesses, especially the bigger contributors from years past, are being forced to pull back on their sponsorship dollars as they struggle to keep their doors open.
But while some may view a dealership being forced to close as a sad story for just employees, the truth is that the impact is felt throughout the community.
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Restaurants, family businesses and corporations pour thousands of dollars into nonprofit organizations in their neighborhoods, especially youth sports organizations.
And nowhere is that more evident than in Redlands, where JAAF, Redlands Baseball for Youth, National Junior Basketball and the American Youth Soccer Organization provide leagues, teams, coaches and a sporting outlet for youth.
“One of the biggest things we try and do with the sponsorships we get is offer scholarships to kids who would not otherwise be able to afford to play,” said Redlands NJB co-chapter director Mary Wilson.
Offering a positive, character-building activity to kids, and helping get them off the streets, is one of the main functions of youth sports organizations.
Yet that function is being tested as sponsorship dollars appear to be drying up.
Wilson said she is struggling just to find businesses willing to donate prizes for NJB’s upcoming summer basketball camp.
“It’s frustrating, because a lot of places won’t even call you back or tell you `no’,” Wilson said. “They just keep saying that it’s being looked into or that it is being processed. We know that a lot of places are having trouble financially, but at least give us an answer.”
The news is not all bad for the four major Redlands youth sports organizations. There are no plans to cancel seasons or divisions – and some, like RBY, have exceeded their goals for this year.
“We’ve always tried to keep our fees low, so that kids from all over Redlands can afford to play,” said RBY treasurer Dave Eason. “And we’ve been able to do that because we’re very aggressive in our fundraising.”
“We used to bring in around $19,000 in sponsorships, but about eight years ago, we decided that any player who can get a sponsorship for their team will get their registration refunded. And since then, we’ve been right around $30,000.”
Eason said RBY lowered its sponsorship goal to $25,000 for last season, with an eye toward the struggling economy. RBY has currently exceeded that goal by more than $11,000.
“I would say, offhand, that for our regular season, we’re not hurting at all,” said Eason, who said postseason All-Star teams are responsible for raising their own funds.
“We have about 180 sponsors and I would say that about 40 or 50 percent of those come from outside of town, from parents of kids who work in other cities,” he said.
Redlands AYSO also lowered its expected expenses in anticipation of a drop in sponsorship dollars heading into last season.
“Redlands AYSO always strives to be a fiscally responsible and fiscally conservative organization,” said sponsorship coordinator Mary Ambriz. “We felt that funds coming into the region from sponsorships last season would probably be less that years prior so we adjusted our expenses to reflect this downturn.”
“We budgeted for a 5 percent reduction and ended up with about a 4 percent reduction in income from sponsorships. So we were thrilled that we exceeded our conservative, budgeted income for sponsorships.”
Ambriz said it helps that “soccer is not a sport that needs a ton of accessories or equipment” when it comes to lowering the expense budget. And receiving help from all involved in AYSO for sponsorships is a great asset, she said.
“As sponsorship coordinator, I do a lot of legwork but also rely on my coaches, team managers and wonderful community partners,” Ambriz said. “I think it’s important to note that we promote sponsorship as a way to actively support the children and youth of our community.”
Carranza said there has been a lot of brainstorming in JAAF, trying to come up with ways to raise funds to offset the drop in sponsorship dollars.
“Football is probably the most expensive sport to play, so we really rely on sponsorships to make sure we can get kids on the field,” Carranza said. “So it’s tough right now because everyone is a little hesitant to give money. Nonprofit organizations like youth sports go off of fundraising and sponsorships, and if there’s nothing there, a lot of us are going to struggle to survive.”
Wilson said parents of NJB players have had to help cover lost revenue from sponsors leaving, but the league is keeping its head above water.
“We’d like to get more sponsors, so we can offer a few sponsorships to some kids and help pay our gym fees,” Wilson said. “But for now, we’re just making do with what we have.”
All four league spokespeople said a prolonged downturn and deepening recession would eventually impact all the youth sports organizations – with the hope that improvements in the economy occur sometime in the near future.
“Research has shown that participation in youth sports is a significant contributor in helping our kids grow into responsible, caring young people,” Ambriz said. “It’s just a good thing to do and we are lucky enough to live in a community where the citizens see that investing in our youth reaps great rewards.”
To donate or find out how to become a sponsor for the four youth sports organizations in Redlands, visit their Web sites:
www.redlandsayso.org/
www.leaguelineup.com/redlands/
www.redlandsnjb.com/
www.eteamz.com/rby/
E-mail Staff Writer Kevin Trudgeon at ktrudgeon@redlandsdailyfacts.com
