Securing victory • The need • Making a gift Securing victory These accomplishments were made possible in part by significant investments alumni and fans have made in the program over the past few years. The new turf in Carson Park, provided through the generosity of community supporters and UW-Eau Claire students, now gives us true home field advantage in one of the most picturesque playing venues in the WIAC conference. Locker room renovations, upgraded video equipment and other enhancements have helped give us the competitive advantage in recruiting players. The results are evident in our success the past year. The John Kell Football Endowment Fund is providing a reliable income stream to supplement the program’s operating budget. Being consistently competitive at the conference and national levels is well within the program’s reach. We are progressing toward becoming one of the top Division III programs in the nation.
Blugold Football currently receives annual support from three sources:
This annual budget supports a 100-player team, community coaches, graduate assistant coaches, travel, recruiting, equipment, uniforms, etc. While there are no scholarship expenses in this budget, operating a competitive program still requires significant funding. Budget considerations limit the program’s recruiting territory to Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota, and coaches often use their own funds to cover recruiting costs. Players pay for their own shoes. Team travel is very basic, and the program relies on gifts-in-kind of food to feed players who arrive early for training camps. Compared to the most successful programs in the conference, UW-Eau Claire is short on general amenities that give a program its competitive edge. Each year, players contribute nearly $500 per person for the opportunity to play Blugold football. This includes food and lodging expenses for pre-season training camps, shoes and other incidentals. If they remain with the program, the team covers these costs their senior year. Since scholarships are not allowed in Division III, the program has little flexibility in helping a player or providing an incentive for a top player to play for the program. The main incentive for players to participate at the Division III level is the opportunity to continue their playing careers, to compete against some of the top Division III and to travel to different locations to play teams outside the conference. An additional challenge is maintaining a base of support for the coaching positions. None of the eight coaches holds a full-time position with the Blugolds. There are four assistant coaches and four graduate assistant coaches, all of which must be funded through the football operating budget. Several of the coaches receive nominal stipends or nothing at all except the privilege to participate in a top quality university football program. Our coaches and players truly are involved in Blugold football for the love of the game. Our conference is one of the most competitive in Division III. Because we offer no scholarships or financial incentives to students to come play at UW-Eau Claire, various elements such as where we play and our locker room and meeting facilities are what make our program competitive in attracting great students and great players. The Carson Park and locker room improvements, along with the high quality educational experience students receive at UW-Eau Claire, have positioned our program at the top of the WIAC. We already are seeing the direct results of these program enhancements in the quality and quantity of the student athletes we are recruiting. The First and 10 Campaign will secure the long-term future of Blugold Football by ensuring reliable annual funding and elevating opportunities and expectations to the next level. This is the one key ingredient necessary to secure a consistent national reputation for the UW-Eau Claire football program.Learn about naming opportunities you can invest in now to ensure an exciting and successful future for Blugold Football. If you would like to make a gift, go to the First and 10 giving form and find out how to make your gift by check, credit card, pledge or electronic funds transfer or you can make your gift online.
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The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Football team is poised to make the move to a new level of competiveness and success. The Blugolds once again had a successful season in 2008, finishing third in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Prospects for the 2009 season and beyond continue to look bright.
