Sponsor signs will hang at Lehighton football field – Times News Online
Published on March 12, 2022 at 07:02
Sponsor signs will eventually be hung on a football field in Lehighton.
Borough Council, in a 6-0 vote on Monday, agreed to allow Lehighton Soccer Club to hang the signs at Sixth and Coal Soccer Field.
It came after council heard from Lehighton Football Club secretary Ashley Moser and member Anika Frey.
Moser said the club currently has three pitches and a storage shed, none of which are in the same location.
She told the council that they would like to have a central location, but have not yet been able to find the amount of land they would need which would be mostly flat.
Currently, Moser said the club’s storage shed is not on the same property as any of his pitches.
She said they were looking to put storage space on the Bethany Wesleyan Church lot (in Franklin Township) and the Sixth and Coal lot.
After the meeting, Moser said storage would be for things like extra soccer balls, paint and liner for boundaries, storage for goals during the winter, extra supplies such as bibs, ice packs, which are necessary to make the field easily accessible. .
“This progress cannot happen without funding,” Moser said. “We will be applying for a grant, a development grant, to hopefully receive funds to improve the club for the kids and the coaches.”
Councilman Ryan Saunders said he thought it was a “good idea”.
After the meeting, Frey said the number of panels will vary.
She said the group had 19 teams ranging from U5 to U16.
Frey said he has 14 local businesses who have graciously sponsored the club’s young players this season.
She said current sponsorships include the sponsorship company printed on the back of the team’s shirts.
“What most of our community doesn’t realize is that football is growing at an increasing rate,” Frey said. “Every season we add teams.”
Frey said the upcoming spring football season has more than 230 kids signed up to play, and noted the costs of maintaining equipment, buying uniforms, paying referees and insurance are rising. also.
“The highton Area Soccer Club does not have a centralized location; we are heavily dependent on the Borough of Lehighton; Sixth & Coal, The Lions Club – Chapel Field and Bethany Wesleyan Church – Franklin Field to help make this youth football program work,” she said. “We are at a huge disadvantage compared to our neighboring football clubs as due to this logistical issue we are unable to maintain a concession stand. Concession stands generate a good chunk of revenue for any non-profit organization. »
Frey explained that in an attempt to cut costs for his players, the club needed a new way of trying to generate revenue.
“Starting with our 2022 Fall football season, we will be rolling out (details have yet to be finalized) an additional option that would give sponsors the ability to not only sponsor a team as they have done in the past with the company’s name on the kid and a coach’s jersey, but also a banner displayed on the pitches,” she said.
