Developing a Strategic Plan for Athletic Facilities

By: Brian Lewis, CAA and Dr. William Roberson - Monrovia, Indiana

In the Spring of 2013, I was named the Athletic Director at Monrovia High School in Monrovia, Indiana. Immediately after being hired, I began a complete review of all phases of the athletic department. I was quite pleased with the vast majority of what I saw. The school had great support from the community. There were fine coaches and a great support system. A financial plan was well established and the personnel needed to maintain and grow a solid athletic department were in place. The one issue that I did discover was the need for major improvements in the facilities and infrastructure of the entire athletic complex.

The funding formula for athletics in Indiana is different than most states. State law requires athletics to pay their own way using funds garnered from gate receipts, fund-raising and corporate support. The statutes allow capital funds (from the general fund) to be used only on areas that have a direct impact on student instruction. The one exception is a state law that allows local school boards to spend 5 % of the yearly capital project fund on purely athletic facilities. School corporations are allowed to make changes and corrections to any facilities in the event of ADA issues using capital project funds. In our state, schools are also authorized to utilize a loan program designated for schools that offers low-interest and short-term loans (HELP loans) to finance construction. School corporations are also allowed to use funds from what is designated as a “Rainy Day” fund in the overall operating budget. Finally, schools can fund-raise and use sign advertising agreements to aid in the addition of scoreboards and other electronic signage.

A great deal of my first two months was spent talking to administrators, coaches, athletes, boosters and concerned citizens. I tried to collect as much data and input as possible. The goal was to find every area that needed improvement. A secondary goal was to also try to spread all improvements over as many sports and athletic groups as possible.

By the fall of 2013, my Superintendent and I had developed a five-year strategic plan to share with the administration and the school board. The athletic portion was a piece of a much bigger strategic plan for the entire school district. The impetus of the plan was to use all available resources that the law allowed and spread the improvements over five years. I was also made aware that in the fifth year of the plan, the Superintendent and board intended to embark on a major school building project. The project addressed a large number of issues for buildings and academic infrastructure. It also included some funding for renovations in the athletic area, some of which could be used by academic initiatives.

Working carefully with the Superintendent, district administrative staff, and financial experts, the school board was presented with a five-year plan for the development of athletic facilities. This strategic plan provided a visible and tangible plan that could be shared with all stakeholders and provided a transparent view of all phases of the plan, including the costs associated with the work.

The key to a solid strategic plan is to get as much involvement as possible. If all individuals that share responsibility and connection to your school and athletic department have buy-in, the success of the overall project has a much greater chance of success.

All too often, improvements and additions to athletic facilities are completed in a hap hazard manner. Concerns are addressed as they come up and there is often no rhyme or reason. It is imperative that a professional athletic administrator be organized and pro-active. The completion of such a five- year strategic plan, with the input of all involved, is the key to such thinking. As stewards of the public trust, it is our obligation to show our professional leadership in all we do. I feel the strategic plan approved and followed through by our board and administration is the perfect example of such thinking.

While the actual numbers documenting plan are important, they are not the most important area of the plan. Every state and district have different rules and regulations to observe in budgeting and spending. Regardless of the rules and regulations, the five-year strategic plan is most important as an example of disciplined and proactive work on the part of the athletic administrator. The concept of developing and executing a plan, rather than reacting to yearly moments of crisis, is the key.

As we continue to complete the 2017 budget year, the planning for the next strategic plan for both the school district and athletic facilities have already begun. The lessons learned from our past work will serve us well as we seek to better serve our students, athletes and community.