Some of you may laugh at this question as it seems there is always a fight for a bigger athletics budget, but this is a regular question that we get. Sometime around the start of May, athletic directors and coaches are wrapping up their purchases for the year, and they are getting a better feel for what kind of money they have left. For those that are fortunate enough to have some money left over, they need to come up with a project that addresses a need quickly to be able to get the PO written in time. School budgets typically turn over June first, but new POs are cut off at the end of May. It is not unusual for us to receive POs at the end of the school year for line items such as “graphics not to exceed $10,000” or some other amount. This type of generic PO allows the individual to use their full budget without losing it the next year while also addressing a school graphics need.
It is our intention to maximize any budget dedicated to us to make the biggest impression. By addressing graphics needs, you can make a significant visual improvement to your facilities that will be noticed by your athletes and fans. Below is a list of the most common projects that we do for customers who need to spend some money at the end of the year:
1.Record Board Projects: $6,000 – $8,000
Track and Field, Swimming and Basketball are the three most popular sports record boards that we produce, in that order. Often times, once we get one of those boards up in a school, the other sports want one as well. We make record boards for all sports and this can be a great opportunity to address the needs of all of your teams in one action.
2.Banner Projects: $2,000 – $4,000
Most of the banners we replace are old and tired looking. Fresh banners can change your gym space and brighten up the facility. It is very common to combine all of the individual league championship banners into more uniform Add-A-Year Banners for each sport that take up less wall space. For the bigger championships and accomplishments, we can create awesome looking championship banners that will stand out and recognize the significance of that moment.
3.Windscreens: $1,500 – $3,000
Chances are, your athletic facilities are surrounded by chain link fencing. This creates a great opportunity to put up some high-impact windscreen with graphics and make the space more visually appealing. Baseball outfield fences are the most popular spaces to address first. The average baseball windscreen we do extends from left-center to right-center and is approximately 6’ tall by 250’ long for about $2,500. Softball fields are the next priority followed by football entrances and stadium, and finally custom windscreens along entrance roads.
4.Locker Room Dry Erase Boards: $575 – $950
Give your athletes the professional look in your locker room with a custom dry erase board. All of our dry erase boards come with a lifetime guarantee, so your investment today will last far beyond the current teams. We can watermark a drawing of your field or court onto the board and come up with an ultra-custom look for you. These whiteboards always draw attention and are a cool and easy addition to your locker room.
5.Wayfinding and Facility Signs: Pricing Varies Depending on Scope of the Project
One of the biggest issues that facility managers have is visitors using the wrong entrances, wondering down the wrong halls looking for bathrooms and directing pedestrian and car traffic. By adding in some well-placed and easily-seen wayfinding signs you can get the flow of people moving in the right direction. With proper signage all visitors to your gym or athletic facility will know where the concession stands and bathrooms are without having to ask. Avoid conflicts by clearly labeling each part of the facility where home and visitor students and fans should be sitting. Depending on the size and number of signs needed, the price can vary greatly, but their functionality in helping visitors get to where they need to go will be invaluable.
Hopefully this brief list gives you some ideas for how you can use extra budget dollars. We are well aware that any extra budget is a luxury, but it is a luxury that has to be spent so that it is not lost in the next year. You have our promise to come up with a plan that maximizes the benefit you receive from any budget sent our way. Let us know some items on your long-term wish list, and we will get you some design proofs and quotes. That way you will have a game plan if there is any money left in the budget at the end of the year.