410 Forum — Opinion
Club Sports Need Money Up Front
By Amy Wann
Club sports teams at the University of Northern Colorado should receive more financial support during the challenging start-up periods.
The women’s club volleyball team received no financial help from UNC during its formation; this should not be the case if we hope to obtain more club sports in the university’s future.
According to the UNC club sports Web site on how to start a club sport, one must find at least 10 individuals willing to pay dues. This is a staple in club sports and is acceptable, but I think the university should help start the club teams and allow the players more time to raise money. Starting teams off with a financial boost would allow teams to become more grounded before having the stress of finances threatening to end them before they begin.
The same Web page states that dependent upon the time of year a club sports team is started, they are ineligible for club sport funding until they have been a club for one year. This is not a benefit to the school as the university only does this simply to ensure the club can/will make it through one year. A larger number of clubs could do so easily, if they are helped out at the start of their existence when money is most needed.
According to the founder of the women’s club volleyball team, the team started with no money and still has no money. The main reason for this, she said, is because of the amount of time playing the sport takes, on top of finding time to hold fundraisers.
“Nearly all of my girls work and with all the other things to pay for in life, it’s hard to find money to pay for a sport,” said Michaella McGurk, president of the women’s club volleyball team. “As president, I’ve tried to put in more, but if the school could’ve helped us get started we’d have a better chance at keeping this team for longer.”
So, why wouldn’t the University simply give new club sports teams the jump they need to ensure survival? Well, according to Aaron Freimark, head of club sports at UNC, the other side of this conflict is that the University has better things to spend money on. UNC does give club sports financial help, if eligible, after the first year, though. If they can help after the first year why can’t they help at the very beginning of a team’s life? Another counter argument, brought up by Freimark, is that the university wants proof that the club will be able to maintain itself financially through reliable team members, thus making a more reliable team. I believe teams need to support each other in all ways but expecting members who hardly know the team yet to pour money into it, is a little far fetched.
All in all, I have not found a solid reason as to why UNC could not allow any financial help they give to be given in the first months of forming a club team. McGurk said she thinks her team would be better off and less stressed about whether their team will be there the next semester if they received help up front. The women’s club volleyball team, not yet a year old, has still not received financial support from UNC and McGurk says she wonders if they ever will.
Denying club sports teams money for a year means struggling teams might dwindle off before their time for financial aid even comes. UNC should be excited about the prospects club sports can bring to the school, help further them in any way possible, and ensure the ones already in place can play tomorrow.
