At the Feb. 12 School Board meeting, Coach Preston Pedersen and the Mount Vernon Booster Club presented a fundraising proposal. The proposal is meant to enhance the home game stadium experience while supporting the school’s athletic program. This initiative is to introduce assigned seating and parking at home football games at competitive prices with all proceeds directed towards student activities.
Coach Pedersen, who put the idea to light, highlighted the success of this idea in larger schools such as the ones in the Chicago area. The proposal offers assigned seating in the stadium for $150 per seat, along with reserved parking for $150, which would be sold separately although there are plans for a discounted package deal of $200.
There were some questions raised by the attendees regarding the equity of these offerings particularly if they were sold using the door-to-door sales pitch used in the past. However, Coach Pedersen remained focused on enhancing the pleasure and experience of game attendees while maximizing support for the students.
The proposed assigned seating would be that the attendee would be paying for a padded seat with a cloth-lined backing that will be set up by the Booster Club in a reserved location of the bleachers to maximize comfort for the community members that would pay for such seating.
To ensure transparency and fairness, the Mount Vernon Booster Club will possibly pair up with the Mount Vernon Fine Arts Association (MVFAA) allowing various community members to reserve seats and parking spots. Although concerns were raised about potential attendance issues, some students tend to leave their vehicles in their spots or are unable to attend the games which may lead to dissatisfaction from the members and attendees who would potentially pay for a spot that they would not be able to use.
In response to this, Coach Pedersen states that lanyards and cards would be used for seat and lot purchases, allowing them to loan their seats to members who could attend the games. Additionally, strategic placements of reserved parking and seating would solve the issue of students taking the spots.. Parking would particularly be near high-traffic and near-exit areas, whilst seating would be in Sections C and D, the first two to three rows in front of the spectator box. All of these proposals are subject to change.
While some voiced concerns about the demand for reserved seating and parking, particularly for the speculated less-attended games, Coach Pedersen remained optimistic about the potential revenue gain. The proposal estimates 100 seats and parking spaces to be reserved. The proposal also suggests that there will be a package deal totaling around 200 dollars. After the first year, the booster club would potentially make more of a profit due to the preorder and supply of stadium-style seats like those that can be found on the Mustang Stable.
Furthermore, the proposal emphasizes that the initiative is not meant to replace existing Booster Club events but to supplement them, providing additional resources for student activities.
As the plan moves forward, Coach Pedersen and the Booster Club board plan on collaborating and refining the details to ensure its success.
