In the high school athletics scene, one of the most important groups of people that many times flies under-the-radar is the booster club. 

For many high school teams and athletic departments, booster clubs provide additional funds for items not covered by school budgets. 

BetterBoosterClubs.com describes the role of booster clubs as a “vehicle that provides the needed support for [...] athletic programs and serve an essential role to ensure that these extra-curricular opportunities are available for the kids.” 

Coaches are among the first to say how important booster clubs can be to athletic departments. 

“The Boosters do a great job of trying to assist in areas that can’t and/or aren’t be included in the budget,” said Oceanside head Baseball Coach Don Shields. “Every school needs a dedicated boosters program to make some greatly needed items for our sports team possible.” 

Heather Willis is the president of the Oceanside Blue Crew, the name of the school’s booster club, and works alongside a secretary and treasure to oversee and maintain the athletic department’s two concession stands, enlist and organize volunteers, maintain a concessions inventory, coordinate and order merchandise to be sold to parents and track the booster club’s finances.

The group holds biweekly meetings for parents of the student-athletes and maintains lines of communication with the school’s coaches to stay apprised of each team’s needs. 

When not doing booster club business, Willis is a medical assistant at a local family medicine practice and is taking two courses per semester to obtain her bachelor’s degree in nursing. To top her daily schedule off, she has four children heavily involved in sports and other extracurricular activities. 

With an already busy schedule like Willis’, why would anyone want to add more work to their plate? 

“As our children grow from elementary level to high school aged its harder to find ways to stay involved with their activities aside from attending games and transportation,” Willis said. “I’ve always felt having a presence during their years of education is important and thought boosters would provide a great opportunity for this.” 

Willis noted how gratifying it is for the booster club to be able to provide funds requested by coaches that are not in the school budget, in addition to providing college scholarships. 

“Joining and/or supporting boosters as a volunteer can be very rewarding,” Willis said. “Many hands make light work.” 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.