Beginning this fall, admission to Oxford home athletic events and fine arts programs will be free for children and students accompanied by a parent or guardian who pays the regular ticket price.
‘Due to the limited and restricted incomes that families are facing today because of the economic downturn we’ve had in Michigan, this is a little something the school district can do to help provide quality family entertainment,? said Superintendent Dr. Bill Skilling.
The board of education unanimously approved the change at its April 29 meeting.
‘We’d been talking about this for a while,? Skilling said. ‘Once we started talking about it, the board of education said we’ve got to find a way to do it.?
Right now, across the board, the high school charges $5 admission to its sporting events, while the middle school charges $2 per spectator. There is no admission fee for softball, baseball, cross country and golf.
Under the new policy, only the parents or guardians would be charged the regular admission price. Any students or children accompanying them would get in free.
‘The only exception to those prices would be any (Michigan High School Athletics Association) tournaments that we host,? said Athletic Director Pat Ball. ‘The MHSAA sets those prices.?
Oxford’s new admission policy only applies to those spectators residing in the 96-square-mile school district, which encompasses all of Oxford, most of Addison and parts of Brandon, Hadley, Dryden and Metamora townships.
‘Our visitors will be paying the full amount,? Ball said.
Skilling said the new policy also extends to fine arts performances, such as plays and musicals, but would exclude fund-raising events.
The whole idea is to increase community involvement and support for the schools and students, from the athletes on the field to the actors up on stage.
‘I think it’s great,? Ball said. ‘The more people you can have at a game, the more people get enthused and positive, the better the atmosphere is, so I’m looking forward to it.?
During the winter season, Ball noticed a ‘big? decline in spectator attendance at the basketball games.
‘I sat there some Friday nights in the winter and we wouldn’t have 100 people here,? he said. ‘And we’re not the only ones.?
From Brandon and Lapeer to high schools on the western side of the state, ‘across the board people are struggling with attendance at games,? according to Ball.
Part of this was due to the court-ordered switching of seasons for certain male and female sports, which began with the 2007-08 school year.
These changes increased the number of sporting events during the winter season, according to Ball.
‘We had a lot of people that were not going to come three nights a week,? he said. ‘If you have a family of four and you’re averaging two nights a week, you’re talking $40 just to get in the game ? that doesn’t include the hotdogs and everything else.?
Families tightening their budgetary belts seem to be a big reason for the decline.
Skilling knows of a PTO member’s family who only attends one sporting event a year (homecoming) together ‘because it’s too expensive? otherwise.
He also heard a heartbreaking story about a family of five who attended a varsity wrestling dual meet this winter, but didn’t have enough money for all of them to go in.?
?(The father) paid for his wife and three children to go in,? Skilling said. ‘He waited in the hallway and tried to observe through the doorway.?
His son was part of the Oxford Youth Wrestling Club and he was scheduled to compete during the intermission.
‘The father was standing out in the hallway, looking in to watch his son wrestle,? Skilling said. ‘Fortunately, the ticket-taker noticed what was happening and just let the father go in.?
It’s stories like these that motivated Skilling and the school board to ‘take away the economic barriers? for people who want to support the teams and enjoy family entertainment.
‘Reaching out to our families and helping them whenever we possibly can ? that’s what we should be about,? Skilling said.
Granted, this new policy is expected to impact the amount of revenue the district receives from admission to sporting events. During the current fiscal year, the athletic department budgeted for about $88,000 in ticket revenue between high school and middle school sports.
‘I think we may have a slight loss in revenue, but I don’t think it will be as much as you would think,? Ball said. ‘Anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000 (less) ? that would be a good guess.?
But officials are banking on the fact that making events more affordable for the whole family will draw more people.
‘I’d like to think with it being cheaper that they will come two days a week, maybe three days a week,? Ball said. ‘More people will say, ‘You know for $10 I can take my family of four over to watch Oxford wrestling. That’s a pretty decent night.??
Skilling noted with movie tickets ‘getting close to $10? each, Oxford’s now presenting families with quite an entertainment bargain.
‘For basically the price of a movie, you can bring your entire family to a sporting event or a fine arts performance,? he said.