Fall 2023 Football Fundraiser

My name is Eric Lyons, and I am the head football coach at Olympia High School.

This will be our 5th annual fundraiser to support Olympia Football. I am very proud of how far our program has come over the past 5 seasons. In 2018, my first fall as the head coach, the school was on a 21-game losing streak and we had 27 boys on the entire team. Entering the 2023 season, we have approximately 60 boys on the roster and are coming off the school's first IHSA State quarterfinal appearance since 1985.

The main goal of this fundraiser is simple: make a top-notch football experience available to all kids within our program, not just top-notch for those who have the means to make it that way! While the school does a tremendous job of helping us with most of these expenses there are certain things we feel are necessities to the culture we want to create that simply cannot be covered within the constraints of the school budget. As the program has grown and inflation has increased, our needs have grown. There are players on our roster from families who the school district considers to be a family in need. I hope to reduce the cost of playing football for these families as close to zero as possible.

The following items are the things we hope to fundraise for this season:

Eureka College Team Camp- This is one of my favorite experiences for our players. We go to Eureka College, spend two nights in their dorms and compete and practice against other teams. This experience is critical to our success and is the culminating experience of the summer. The cost of the camp is $125 per player x 25 players is $3125

Gameday and Team Meals for the players- On Wednesday nights during the season we have a team meal. During this time, the boys often share their feelings about an upcoming opponent, share personal struggles they have overcome, or thank parents or mentors for the impact they have made upon their life. There is something special about spending that time with a teammate, a bond is forged during these times that leads to lifelong relationships. It has had a huge impact on the culture of brotherhood we are trying to create, and I believe is a critical element to our sustained success. The cost of this is approximately $10 per week per player; if there are 9 weeks in the season, and we have 25 families in need; the cost of this is roughly $2250.

Cleats and Gear for less fortunate families- Every season, we have a few boys who need help getting new cleats. They have cleats that don't fit or are worn down to the point they are ineffective and unsafe to wear. With record levels of inflation over the past two years. I expect this need to be even greater this year. Having this extra money allows us to purchase necessities for those who cannot. ($500 Annual budget)

Levels of giving:

Sponsor team camp ($125)- and we will give you 1 season pass for all of the home regular season football games.

Sponsor team camp and meals for an individual ($200) and we will give you 2 season passes for all home regular season football games.

Sponsor a team meal for one week ($500)- 4 passes to all regular season home football games, a replica helmet ($300 value) and two season t-shirts with our motto for this season.

Any donation will be accepted and trust me when I say, every little bit counts! Even a donation as small as $10 can help feed a kid for one meal. Every dollar we make using this platform goes right back into our program. As always thank you for your generosity, and with your help we can make the 2023 season one worth a lifetime of memories!!! Go Spartans!!!