Letter from the Treasurer:

Canadian Minor Football is easily the most expensive and complex sport to run financially. $650 Rep and $450 House registrations sound like a lot, but the fact is that most new clubs run into the red consistently in their first couple of years - with dramatic consequences to parents.

 

Before opening our doors, the OMF board went to great lengths to ensure that we didn't get into financial straights by building a 25-page five-year business plan and a sophisticated decision support tool that proves to us that we can afford to run each season before we announce it. Oakville Minor has a registration break-even at around 130 kids at $650 rep and $450 spring/$365 fall house league. We were fortunate to field 150 kids last year - and our registrations are running 50% higher this year than last. This means that we came away from 2009 with the $12k that we needed to advertise for 2010 – and then have a good operating base of funds for our second year. So we are in good shape.

 

There are four confirmations that every parent should be able to get from their minor football club to ensure that their season will run as expected -

First, Finances - look at the club's year end statement; preferably audited - or with a Trillium Grant application accepted - because the Province's governance is rigourous now after the emergence of thinly disguised for-profit minor sports companies over the past several years.

Second, Unpaid Debts - you should be able to call the club's equipment vendor to confirm that commitments are being met. Its not unheard of for an unscrupulous club owner to collect your fees - and then fold your season without recourse. If you feel that something doesn't seem right, insist on this. The OMF Titan's vendor is T.Litzens company at 905-628-3344 (Matt or Ryan administer our account).

Third, Refund Policy - once you pay for your season, you won't get a refund from some clubs - so protect yourself with a little due-diligence. OMF gives full, immediate refunds if any of our programs don't run ($5,000 last season) - everytime; and we adhere to a refund policy that's on our application form and here on our website. Other clubs don't give refunds - and may even insist you play your 7 year old against 11 year olds (in tackle football, this raises serious safety concerns) - so find the refund policy; and ask for references that have collected refunds in the past from the club as well.

Fourth, Hidden Costs - OMF doesn't charge hidden costs - others definitely do. Whether for Insurance, travel days, equipment, or other costs - some clubs charge up to $750 per house league player; and much more for a rep player. So make sure you understand the costs.

 

Managing the spending is daunting because the number of players is relatively low and the cost per player very high. To give you an idea, our expenses include:

• Player Equipment - a rep helmet costs $215; Shoulder pads $55; Game Jersey $75; Practice Jersey $25; Game Pants $48; Practice Pants $30 – and the kids keep their Jersey at the end  of the year. Every three years we have to have each helmet recertified at a cost of $30 per Helmet. Storage is $300 - $400 per month in 2010 (our equipment storage is climate-controlled to ensure max lifespan and that equipment is properly sanitized) = $4,000
• Field Equipment - $8,000 in Post pads, blocking pads, chain measures, team tents, water buckets, etc
• Referees – there are 4 or 5 per game (at $65 per ref per game) x 8 games; x 3 age groups
• Paint - $100 per game
• Buses – both Coach and School buses  - these cost us $7,000 last year and will cost more this year.
• Fields – cost either $180, $120 or $25 per hour and gym & dome time costs us up to $120 per hour in Oakville – and Oakville has the highest use/lowest availability of available gyms in the country - so competition for facilities is steep. This year, there are just 3 football fields available to us to use from the town.
• League Costs - $3,000 per year
• Insurance - $20 per player, board, coaches, members, etc.
• Coaching gear – Jackets and golf shirts for 20+ coaches cost us $1,200 + last year
• Office & Storage – paper, printing, computer & web costs, etc. $6k
• Advertising $4,200
• Trainers and First-Aid Gear $6,100 - OMF has certified trainers at every practice and game.
  
• Trophies $600 - $900
• Mileage – for pace cars and out of town coaches $4k

 

Compared to other football groups:  OMF doesn’t charge hidden costs - and the OMF doesn’t require fundraising by parents (the Burlington Stamps take a different approach and are very up-front with parents to require that Rep families generate $400 per player in fundraising). Fundraising makes a better experience for the kids – no doubt about it - but we've given our parents the option to run a great, basic program if they strongly prefer not to fundraise.

Compared to other sports:  Soccer charges $205, has 15,000 players, gives players a $3 ball and $20 uniform, pays $13 per hour for fields, has one referee per game, no trainers. Frankly, a first year university kid could probably make that financial puzzle work, even with their 8 full-time staff included. Rep Hockey - incurs much higher costs than our football programs.

OMF 2009 Actuals & 2010 Budget

Our 5 Year Plan forecasts...

 

Add to all of this financial work, a gargantuan logistics and volunteer coordination effort by 35+ community members – and you get a sense of what it takes to run a quality football program for Oakville.

If you have any suggestions for improving our financial story, please recommend it  – and savings ideas, and sponsorships, are always welcome.

 

Call with any questions - or for more info contact:

 

Ed Tilley

 

VP Finance, OMF

416-993-8835