The following article appeared in THE SWARTZ CREEK NEWS and on MLIVE.COM:

Athletic boosters leaving their mark on Swartz Creek sports

As fans around the Swartz Creek area begin to crowd into various venues with the start of the fall high school sports season, few will notice the financial paradox that surrounds them.

Football and soccer fans will buy tickets from a volunteer who is a member of the school's private athletic booster club.

Their soft-drink purchases will be handled by another booster volunteer, who works in a concession stand built with booster money.

Fans will take their seats in new stadium stands (funded by boosters) and check out the new, high-tech scoreboard (again, funded by boosters). They'll settle in to watch athletes sprint out onto new playing fields in new uniforms, courtesy of - you guessed it - boosters.

The games may be at taxpayer-supported public schools, but in many cases, they would never be played without the money raised by private athletic booster clubs.

With school districts strapped for funding from the state and voters hesitant to support tax increases in the downtrodden economy, the role of booster clubs has become vital to both sports and other extracurricular programs.

"Our booster program is set up to enhance our sports programs and fund the things our athletics budgets can't fund," said Swartz Creek booster president Bud Lane. "We know how difficult funding can be in certain areas so we try our best to increase our visibility within the community."

With more than 180 members, the Swartz Creek Boosters provide thousands of dollars annually in private funding for boys' and girls' athletics in grades 7-12. District officials use ticket and concession sales profits to pay the balance.

Lane said the increased involvement by parents and the community has allowed the boosters a great deal of flexibility within their program.

"Our community really steps up in support of our schools," Lane said. "It makes our job a lot easier when we have the support that we get from them."

Years ago, booster clubs typically played a less prominent role. Today, it is not unusual for these clubs to raise thousands of dollars with sophisticated marketing plans, hosting fundraisers and golf outings, selling lifetime booster memberships for $400 or more and raffling off new cars.

Proceeds cover everything from state-of-the-art turf at football stadiums to new uniforms for upwards of 40 teams at the average high school.

Non-athletic public school activities are also funded. Often, student clubs are financed from private boosters.

Eric Senter, who coaches both baseball and basketball at Swartz Creek, has seen first hand the good the booster club has done during the seven years he has coached at the school.

"I can't speak about the boosters from other schools, but I can honestly say the work our boosters put in is top notch," he said. "They make the most of the what they have to work with. They should definitely be commended with all of the work they do."

John Johnson, Director of Communications for the Michigan High School Athletic Association, said the number of booster clubs are rising statewide.

"The trend nationally is for schools to lean more and more on boosters' money," Johnson said. "There are some schools that rely pretty heavily on their boosters, but sometimes it's really necessary to do so."

Lane wanted to make sure people know the boosters mission is to be able to help all extracurricular activities.

"We are very equal in our distribution of funds," he said.

That goal to help all students, whether on the playing field or off, is one of the main reasons why Lane and the rest of the boosters stay involved.

"When everyone working toward the same goal, as they (boosters) are here, it strengthens all the programs for all the kids," he said.