High schools fear missing out on football could bring financial issues

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The high school sports season is hanging in the balance after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association pushed back the start of the athletic calendar year even further. It has schools across the Cape Fear worried about what the financial impact may look like.

“Without those gate receipts it’s going to be hard for us to function as an athletic department because that’s that’s how we get our funding,”says Heide Trask High School Athletic Director Ronnie Pruitt.

High School athletic departments are beginning their final preparations for the start of the school year, but still so much is unknown. They are beginning to realize the implications that may come if football teams don’t take the field this fall.

“We’ll take a pretty good hit if we don’t play football in the fall,” Laney High School Athletic Director Fred Lynch said. “Here at Laney we’ll try make the most of it, if it comes to that. We’ll survive, but we’ll still do the things we have to do. It will be tough on everybody and we’ll have to make some adjustments.”

The financial impact could loom large, according to the StarNews, high schools in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick counties made over $300,000 from football alone in 2019. That is a number that may be missing in 2020, but one athletic director says with the help of the county they feel confident they can make it happen one way or another.

“We’re fortunate here in New Hanover that the board sees the value in education based athletics and they’re able to provide funding,” Ashley High School Athletic Director Kelly Lewis said. “In turn that makes us able to still have the certain necessities that we need.”

No matter the outcome of the decision by the NCHSAA in the coming weeks, the message among schools in the Cape Fear remains the same. They want to see their student-athletes back in competition because they know it is much more than just a game for some of these kids.

“Praying and just hoping that we have sports across the state and that our kids get a chance to shine when it’s their turn,” Pruitt said.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association says they hope to have a decision made on fall sports before August 17. As of August 7th, there is no date set for high school athletics to resume competition.