Establishing budget goals and expected fundraising outcomes are critical to the health of your youth football league.
For the Mid-State (
Over the years, the sandwich, rooted in Southern cuisine, has become a stable at concessions stands for the youth football program that serves more than 5,000 boys and girls throughout
“One of the keys to success for any concession stand is identifying a specialty item that people look forward to and can only get at your concession stands,” says Mid-State Youth Football League president Ron Word. “The specialty item for us it our fried fish sandwich. People throughout the area, who don’t have any youngsters playing youth football, show up at our concession stands for the sandwich – it’s been a great money maker for us.”
With more and more children playing youth football, league presidents and administrators, like Word, are continuously exploring and finding new funding opportunities to keep up with the growing demand and costs of shoulder pads, helmets and other protective equipment. One constant, however, has been the concession stand.
According to Jeff Callahan, a board member of the Junior Football League of Central Illinois, a properly managed concession stand can supply funding for an assortment of operating costs from equipment purchasing to the post-season banquet.
“Our concession funds help cover additional equipment costs and give us flexibility in our budget management to prepare for future growth,” says Callahan, the club commissioner of the McLean (
Vienna (Va.) Youth Football commissioner
Successful concession stand operations, however, is one of the most challenging tasks for a youth football program.
“Obviously funds derived from concession sales are very important for youth football organizations,” says Word, who has been involved with youth football for more than two decades. “For a great number of organizations [concession stands] are the principle fundraiser. Most organizations have other fundraising such as selling [candy], but those are one-time situations that don’t add income consistently. That’s why a good concession operation is extremely important. It is, however, a challenging task and should be a priority of the youth program.”
When arranging your concession stand operations and other fundraising plans, remember an organized, simple, yet effective, approach is the best way to develop a strong bond between your community and youth football league.
Basic steps of a successful concession stand include:
Appoint a Concession Stand Manager
“Establishing a concession manager should be a top priority during the off-season,” Word says. “This is a 12-month job, it’s a not a position that a person takes just before the start of the season. This should be a permanent position within your league. This person is responsible for the overall operations of the concession stand. You need someone who is capable, dependable, and knowledgeable.”
Responsibilities for this person include working with the director of football operations or event manager for your youth football program. Additionally, this person appoints one representative (typically the team mom) from each team to schedule duty for the concession stand.
“It’s important that everyone associated with your program – coaches, parents, volunteer staff – knows how valuable the concession stand is to the youth program and therefore does their part in volunteering time. In our program every team is responsible for supplying volunteers to assist throughout the day,” Word says.
Specialty Food
It is important that the youth football program connect with the local community and families of their players and cheerleaders. One way to do this while adding sales to your concession stand is by selling a specialty item that the community enjoys.
For Mid-State Youth Football it is a fried fish sandwich. An Italian sandwich loaded with Italian cold cuts, such as, salami, pepperoni and ham, is the specialty food item for the McLean (
“Our approach it to always keep it simple,” says Callahan. “We have had success selling Italian sandwiches made by a local restaurant. People who attend our games look forward to those sandwiches.”
Word acknowledges, “We do something that you don’t find at a typical concession stand. People look forward to coming to our concessions stand because they know there are going to be some things there that are unavailable elsewhere. We have people from all over town showing up at our concession stand for the fish sandwich – often times they stay to watch the games – this definitely helps add value to your program and your bottom line.”
Consistent Menu
While developing a specialty food item may be a bit of a challenge initially, having a consistent menu should not be a problem. Establishing a consistent menu and purchasing the appropriate amount of menu items is typically the job of the concession stand manager. Common steps to ensure consistency include: analyzing what sold well last season, keeping a tally of non-perishable items that can be bought and stored throughout the off-season, and constructing a weekly concession stand food purchasing list.
“A consistent menu is key for success – it should be a process that is planned out throughout the off-season and consistently updated during the season by the concession manager,” says Hirsch, who views the concession stands operations as part of the overall youth football experience for youngsters, family members, coaches and volunteers.
Check with local health department officials
Anytime there is food involved it is important to consult with local county health department officials. In most cases, each concession stand must have a person in charge (concession stand manager) that has attended a Food Safety Workshop recognized by the Health Department. Additionally, the local health department will have operating guidelines for concessions stands. In most counties there is no charge for the Food Safety Workshop. It is advised that both the concession stand manager and the league’s director of football operations or commissioner attend the workshop as one person who has attended the workshop must be present at all times during concession operations.
Thank volunteers and customers for their contributions
It is important that the concession stand manager thank all volunteers for their assistance in providing a great environment for all associated with the youth football program – parents, players, coaches, administrators, and volunteers. Additionally, customers should be thanked for their contribution to the program. Decorating your concession stand with league and team colors, logos, photos, and sponsorship groups helps parents and community members feel they are part of something special. In return, they are more apt to give back by volunteering or assisting in other activities that benefit the program. This sense of belonging creates a positive environment which makes each Saturday feel like a festival.
“We do this for the kids; and [the concession stand is] part of the youth football experience the kids have,” says Hirsch. “When our kids aren’t involved with their games they hang out at the snack bar, play, socialize and watch the other games. So, the concession stand is part of the overall atmosphere of the event. Leagues should take advantage of this environment by centering their football events and festivals near the snack bar.”
Keys to Winning Concessions
1) Sufficient volunteer staff
2) A responsible Concession Stand Manager
3) Proper Health Department paper work
4) Adequate facility
5) Friendly service
6) Properly cooked food
7) Consistent food and price menu
8) Reasonable Pricing