Zach Mott is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North Canyon for AZPreps365.com

For many football programs, regardless of level, whether it be high school, college or professional, money plays a huge role. Whether it gets talked about a lot or not is a different story. At the professional level, ticket cost, concessions, parking cost and souvenirs are all big talking points among many fans. However, at the lower levels, especially high school, sources of revenue may be limited. So, how do high school football programs get their money? Is every program’s method different? 

For North Canyon High School, money has been somewhat of a struggle, even before the coronavirus shutdown schools and sporting events alike. In terms of where funds came from, pre-pandemic, North Canyon Football’s head coach, Adam Beene, says it came from a number of different places. “My first year we did a golf tournament that raised the majority of our money. We also did a discount card fundraiser, sold some pastries, and sold some team shirts. In year two (due to COVID-19), we didn't do a whole lot of fundraising.” For Beene, he mentions a plethora of different methods that North Canyon was able to utilize to raise money before the pandemic struck.

North Canyon athletic director Jacob Kluch said the school has previously raised money from “clothing flyers, advertising, candy sales” and anything else they were allowed to do. 

However, after the pandemic hit, like many things, the methods started to change. When the pandemic first occurred, it affected people in all sorts of ways. Money was something that suddenly became an issue for people and with uncertainty came hesitation from businesses and donors alike, causing challenges for North Canyon.

“This year we have not had big contributors to the school, before the pandemic, it was much easier to raise money,” said Kluch. Kluch also said it has been especially difficult to raise money this year because the school’s tax credit donations are down and businesses are not able to help as much as in the past.

In addition, a main concern for many schools was the possibility of programs having to shut down, as Derrick Smith of Cronkite News reported, the lack of money “could lead to cuts to equipment expenditures.” 

However, there is plenty of optimism and hope for the Rattlers to push toward normalcy as they look ahead. “Most of our fundraising comes from bringing in money from the community as opposed to having families support the program. We are starting to get back on track with that,” said Beene. He also said finding a big donor who could contribute yearly would be a huge benchmark for North Canyon to achieve. 

What does North Canyon have planned for this year? According to Beene, the school has several ideas in mind. The Rattlers booster club has been heavily involved in their efforts this year with plans to put together percentage nights at some local restaurants, as well as using a company that sends emails and texts in efforts to sell popcorn.

Continuing forward, North Canyon will have to get creative in their efforts to raise money. As Beene mentioned, the team will continue to hold out hope that a big donor or two will come through as it would be a huge boost for the program moving forward.