Found this on the Hawks site. I wish them all the best


11-18-08
Hawks - In Need of Funding
The Hawkeye Hockey Club is in desperate and immediate
need of funding. Due to recent unexpected costs and over
runs the club is in dire financial trouble. "We are actively
searching for some financial help to get us through this
period in time", explained GM Nick White. "Unfortunately
our budget took some hits that we did not anticipate and are asking the club members to pay
more dues to help cover these costs", he further added. If you are interested in helping out or
know of someone who may be interested please contact GM Nick White @ (563) 299-8722.

that sucks.................

Doesn't sound good and if/when clubs can't meet their obligations because of events like this all teams suffer.

I must confess I know little about Iowa's situation but I believe they play many of their games at a rink that is in a shopping mall. So this idea may have limited potential but I'll throw it out there.

The University of Kentucky tasks (at least they did a few years back) their players with marketing their team on game days. They go out into the campus with big signs and raise awareness about the team and the game that night. Their games are very well attended.

The quickest way to generate revenue is to put paying fans in the seats. Perhaps you can use the school's media to advertise the current plight of the club and solicit/generate fan support.

Good luck, (Sure sounds like you are representative of the world's economy right now!)

Just my .02.

You're observation is spot on...Iowa's home rink is in the Coralville Mall and there's no practical way to charge admission as it's pretty much in the center of the mall with no walls. Also, there's limited seating with only a single bench surrounding 3/4 of the rink plus the table seating associated with the nearby food court. A great place to watch your youngsters learn to skate, but far from ideal from a fan/revenue standpoint.

I am perplexed, however, why Coach White elected to broadcast the issue on Iowa's website rather than outline the problems in a letter to the players and parents.

That's unfortunate. I thought how could you be broke unless you mis-managed the money, but then I thought that perhaps they had funds in a CD or a bank went under, or someone took it?? I hope they can fundraise and continue. I'm sure people in their hockey world will come through.

Gotta wonder if taking on the JV team wasn't a factor. Especially if they are missing the revenue stream of ticket sales. (Apparently the don't have any finance guys in the organization!)

In these tough economic times they should go the route of the Big three and get in touch with washington for a bailout. its clearly a backlash of consumers not having money to go to hockey games with.

bring back Carter!!!!

Carter? you must be referring to Harter...and perhaps Harter would not blow the budget on performance T's and under armor

Some people like to blow their money, they think they will bring in all kinds of money to support their team and support all their great ideas. That is until they realize this is club hockey and there is a budget and the money train ends at some point. Harter for President

Don't think it was the Under Armor or the Black team that caused the shortfall. And while a applaud Coach White for seeking sponsors, I doubt he'll have much success with this avenue. Therefore, I would encourage Coach White to write the players and parents explaining the situation and outlining what's necessary to continue this exciting season without sacrificing ice time or other resources necessary to support the cause.

I made the original post when I found the article on the Iowa website.

I cant help but wonder the following things.

1- In order to attract more players did Iowa drop there dues for players for recruiting purposes and now realize they need to move equal or higher then where they were?

2- Travel budget- With transportation cost going through the roof for the first couple monts due to fuel costs did they figure travel based on last years numbers and fuel costs being 2x what they were last season (up until recently) did they maybe eat up their travel budget early in the season?

3- I am pretty sure Coach Harter volunteered his time. Is the new coach volunteer as well? or is he paid? Was Coach Harter paid or volunteer?

4- Ice rental- Did Ice cost go up like everything else and they may have under budgeted for that as well?

5- Is there equipment- Jerseys- etc. that Iowa purchased as perks to players but may not have been in the budget or under budgeted?

These are just some thoughts, I dont expect the Iowa reps to answer becasue I dont think they really need to answer to anyone but the players and the MACHA Board as to their viability. I wish them the best and good luck raising the funds

1. Dues were raised this year compared to previous.

2. not sure

3. Harter was a volunteer and believe white is also.

4. Ice rental may have gone up but is still very cheap in iowa city

5. No perks, everything is paid for by players if they want/need it

Actually item #2, transportation costs, has been a significant contributor to the problem.

so with Item 2 being a big contributor to the problem you take that x2 because of the second team and it beca]omes clear i think that like everyone the Iowa teams are a victim of a poor economy and increased costs

Actually, when we budgeted we were spot on, we budgeted for 45 players (24 Varsity, 21 JV). However, What happened is that with the 2nd team, we lost about 10 of the guys, and now our roster stands at 35 players. This brings our Player Dues down $15,000. Also, our team president decided to order about 4500 over budget without letting the team treasurer work this into the actual budget so he could look at over/under costs. The transportation was actually overbudgeted a little bit. Also, the Gold (Varsity) team left beer cans in the university vans, which resulted in the suspension of university supported traveling. So it really comes down to the fact that we lost 10 players b/c they didn't want to play in the end; and the failure of the President to consult w/ the treasurer about apparel costs before ordering. this puts us in the hole. It really was not the fault of the treasurer at all, more or less a result of bad mishappenings. Also, Coach White has done far more than Harter ever has. He has brought in enough money from outside sponsors to pay for new (ugly) jersey's for the Gold team. Also, he has donated a brand new $2400 team trailer; as well as donated over $7500 of his own money. Harter did not do this. Both were Volunteers.

Rather than spending this donated money on as you say ugly jerseys and a trailer it seems that the funds could have been used to help assist the team rather than be used on things that were not a necessity but rather wanted by certain members of the club.

Wow,

I gotta be honest when I made the original post I seriously didnt expect an answer. I appreciate your candidness and I think the whole situation seems to have gotten under your skin a bit. The beer cans in a university van is not a good scenario at all. I still wish you guys all the best in getting the problems fixed and heres to a great 2nd 1/2 of the season.

Many teams have a player board in which ALL items affecting the team goes through committee. This doesn't seem to be the case. Thanks for being candid, but much like the mortgage, financial, and automaker crisis, please explain why others should bail the team out for what seems like pure mis-management of funds?

Tough break on many fronts for the Hawks. The beer can issue was and apparently still is a problem. If you want to be treated like grown men, you have to act like grown men. It is really not that hard to pick up after YOURSELVES! It is not the responsiblity of someone else to pick up your trash. One of the main problems facing the team today, and a major reason I decided to pursue other avenues, is the total lack of respect some of the players have for coaches and teammates. This program came from nothing. Now there seems to be a sense of entitlement. Why? Who knows. We won a silver title my first year and nothing since. We are entitled to nothing. The leg work that went into programs a few years ago (Kich I know you remember) seems to be replaced by guys who were coddled in high school and constantly told how good they are. Now guys feel they are too good for the teams they play on (Every team has someone like that, except Wheaton)They also feel they are too good for the league so they get on here and talk smack behind a nameless post. I put 10 years into this league, so whoever said that I didnt do nearly as much as Coach White, with all due respect to Whitey, call me if he's still there in 9 years. I sacrificed a full-time job, stayed in the area when it wasnt necessarily the smartest move, and put every effort forward to help make this team what it is. Im not looking for a reward or a plaque or a cookie, I just want guys to know that what they have today was earned through the blood, sweat, tears, and effort of those that came before them. Be proud of what you have. I'm proud of MACHA. You should be too.

Coach - great post. I differ on one point. I don't think this is anything new. I've found this in hockey organizations for the past 15 years. I would much rather be around and coach B and lower A players than the "elite" kids. It always ties back to the parents. It is usually a one for one relationship. A screwed up self-absorbed kid/player almost always has a screwed up parent (or two!)

Well put Kevin.

I know when we played you guys back in the day, you may have had 12 guys and 2 goalies, and beat the hell out of us. Flash forward 5 years and Iowa can field 2 teams.

Everything you said about the coddled players couldn't be more true. We have guys that may have been snubbed from the Gold team or just belong on Silver, and at now the those guys have a decision to make. 1) Use this team as motivation, give 100% every time you step on the ice, show the coaches and players of both teams what your capable of. 2) Just get through the year, come to practice wasted, come to games 15 minutes early and try to make it through the year for a shot at tryouts next year. 3) Quit

We have guys who made decision 1, and were rewarded by being called up. Robert Zarko has flourished on the Gold team, got to play regular shifts in Ferris State and against SLU. Im not gonna air dirty laundry by naming names, but we have about 8 guys on Silver who made decision 2. They aren't better than the league or anyone on this team or even Wheaton, because they just beat us. A couple bubble players quit after tryouts, and there have been ample opportunities missed by not staying with the team.

People who make the second decision make life a living hell for coaches, and the guys that leave it all on the ice. Luckily for me, my focus is on the goaltenders, and all of them leave it all on the ice.

what happened to the good ole days of throwing the emptys in someone's bag. It isn't that hard to dispose of beer cans.

Amazing, players leave beer cans in a school provided van and the former coach goes off on them FOR NOT PICKING THEM UP??? What about the fact that the beer cans are there in the first place? Talk about growing up...if the coaches know/knew players are drinking beer on the road, in university vans or otherwise, sounds to me like the growing up has got to start at the top. Open containers and underage drinkers while driving in a University van? How irresponsible can you get?

Sounds to me like every player needs to pay $300 before Christmas and problem solved. $300 x 35 = $10,500. Enough of a bail out?

Per player that's less then a pair of skates that they would generally get from Santa (mom and dad). So the players themselves or the parents of the players need to take responsibilty for the shortfall. And oh yea, replace the president of the club but be sure to collect his $300 first.

What amazes me is the the former coach, and a couple of other posters here, are focused on the players NOT THROWING THE BEER CANS AWAY. Why is no one focused/concerned about how the beer cans got into the University provided van in the first place? If the coaches know/knew beer was being consumed in University vans or otherwise, then it seems to me the growing up needs to start at the top of this organization. Talk about immature...open containers in University vans + underage drinking on the highway. Gimme a break.

Oh and yeh, send the bill home to mom and dad, but also include a little explanation as to why/how this happened along with a budget for the remainder of the season. That would be the mature thing to do.

First off, no one said anything about underage drinking. I beleive it was actually an of age member of the team that left this behind. Remember this, we as coaches are not parents. we can give direction and advice, however, we cant be everywhere watching everyone all the time. you have to trust that members of your team are going to make the right choices. that is not always the case. sometimes the actions of a few affect the whole. this is the current situation. I know that I used to ride along with those that i felt needed a little more guidance, leaving another 7-10 guys unsupervised. Do you think i know everything that was going on in that van? Hell no, but as adults i trusted them to make the right decisions. soemtimes they did, sometimes they didnt. that is a risk you take with 20+ 18-23 year olds. So before some of you get off your high horse of judgement, walk 10 feet in a MACHA coaches shoes. Not a mile, just 10 feet. That will be more than enough.

Just to clear this up for you buddy, as much as your simple mathematics might make sense to you, you have no idea what is going on so don't just throw out stupid comments about something that obviously has been thought of already. IF it was as simple as charging everyene an additional 300 dollars there wouldnt be a problem. The thing is we were told a certain price, and now cuz of some **** we have to pay more even though it was at no fault to the majority of the team. If an additonial 300 was charged to us, Iowa would NOT have a team for the remainder of the season. Don't tell me how I get my money, just cuz mom and dad give it to you for ACHA hockey does not mean thats how it is for everyone. When actual players who pay themselves are told they need to scrape up another 300 in a matter of days, Iowa would lose half its players and essentially be done.

Hope the beer on the van was worth it. This shouldn't be allowed or tolerated. Nor should any coach turn their head to it. A good captain also wouldn't allow this. To the iowa player or players that are so upset, you win and you lose as a team, both on and off the ice. Keep working at ways to get money, unite as a team and you may just find that things will be ok.

I agree with the hawk player that you cannot just charge kids 300 dollars more when you are told what it is going to cost at the beginning of the year. It is unfair to kids who pay for their own hockey. I think you guys need to choose who is going to making your financial decisions with a little closer detail.

The only problem with the finance issue is that too many kids quite within a week or two which left us short on budget. It is not the fault of any finance member of the team. Also, the President failed to consult w/ the finance member before the President ordered the apparel, which ended up costing too much. From now on, the Treasurer will just handle everything including purchases (This was how it was supposed to be anyways, but the President failed at this).

It's fixed, we have set up ways of generating profit and I'm confident we will be okay. But, one of the MANY ways we are generating profit is by asking graciously for donations through our website; it's working too! (We don't get revenue from ticket sales since we play in a mall.)

First of all, sorry about the double post re the beer cans in the van not being the issue. They're both mine and I thought I screwed up the irst one as I didn't see it so I reposted.

Coach Harter, my comments were in response to your's where you said, "If you want to be treated like grown men, you have to act like grown men. It is really not that hard to pick up after YOURSELVES! It is not the responsiblity of someone else to pick up your trash."

Note how your emphasis was on not picking up the trash vs something to the effect, "If you want to be treated like grown men...don't endanger the program by bringing alchohol onto the team vans!" You made the point twice that the problem was not picking up the empty beer cans. Reads like tacit approval to me. And whether underage individuals imbibed or not (got 50 to 1 odds on a c-note they did) the fact is it's open containers in University vans and I'm guessing it's on the highway???? Your ommission of condemnation of this behavior sticks out like a sore thumb, kinda like any report of any players being suspended as a result of this. Haven't seen/heard anything about that, have we?

To the players upset about an increase, I understand and support your situation. However, the big problem here seems to be the result of defections by dissatisfied Black team players, not something coaches/management can predict. With that said, I still think a note to the players and parents explaining the problem and asking for additional funds is the right course. If players can't afford it, that's cool but I'm certain a number of the families can and that's where it should start.

Anyway, Hawks, congrats on a great start to the season and I truly hope you guys can put this crap behind you and continue to focus on the stuff that matters...kicking ass on the ice, and behaving off of it.

Peace

to the last poster. Very well put just one question. Your last statement says write a letter explaining the situation cuz many families will be able to scrape up the funds...many isnt all. Lets say out of 20, 5 cant do it, u just say those 5 cant play now cuz they cant pony up additional 300 than what was told. doesnt seem fair to me but apparently not how u see it

Good point/question hawk player. In a word, "no" that's not what I'm saying.

To clarify, what I'm suggesting is that 1) explain the situation to the team/parents and lay out what is needed to sustain the program through the season based on the current facts ( I qualify "current facts" cuz things can still change...playoffs, bail money, etc.), then 2) ask the players/families to contribute the shortfall and 3) based on feedback from the players/families, determine who needs a "scholarship".

As for players who simply don't have the additional funds, absolutely they continue to play. Again, and without mentioning names, the manager/treasurer/president should go back to the team/parents and say, "we are $1,500 short so we're asking for an additional $50 from each family" and what tends to happen in these situations is parents will band together and/or perhaps a few fortunate ones come forward, to make up the difference. If this fails, then go to the web, hold a beer bash, sell blood, pimp your girlfriends or whatever else you can come up with to raise the funds.

Like many/most of the players and families who have enjoyed this awesome sport over the years, we're used to coughing up extra $$ for travel tournaments, clothing, and other unforeseen expenses. Not that it's an open checkbook, and there needs to be an understanding/agreement regarding expenditures, but yeah, the players/parents should be the first "go to" for these kind of issues, not the website IMHO.

Now get out there and kick some ass.

Peace

Well, said. When players get on an ACHA team like Iowa or any other it's a "club" team. That means the members pay for the "clubs" needs in good times and in rough times. If you have belonged to any "club" you understand that you have certain rights and as long as those rights are extended to you fairly, like voting for President, VP, Tresurer etc. and reviewing consitutional by-laws once a year then I don't see the issue in giving a "levee" to the members asking them to pay more for their "clubs" expenses. I guess that you could ask the players for money and make it "optional" but it really depends on what the by-laws say.

It sounds harsh but, you have options as a member of a "club" to stand and fight together or to quit. If you quit, you were not really a committed member in the first place and will probably repeat this over and over again throughout your life so a recommendation to those that give up on their "clubs", don't join in the first place because dues never remain where a "club" starts them. And that is not limited to ACHA hockey clubs, it's just the nature of any private "club" and that's truly what these ACHA teams are.