Group says it would help local youth athletics, be a draw for tournaments
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
NORTHFIELD — The city’s athletics organization approached City Council May 18 asking for help expanding the sports complex at Birch Grove Park.
The Family Association of Northfield, or FAN, is a nonprofit “dedicated to betterment of youth sports programs at the recreational and travel level that will teach kids the fundamentals of athletic sports, including sportsmanship and teamwork.”
The group runs the city’s football, cheer and basketball programs, sharing the complex with the city’s baseball leagues.
“We are committed to building strong, unified teams where student athletes, coaches, parents and members of the community work together, as partners, to provide a positive and fun life experience for all of our children,” FAN President Angela Borini told City Council.
The group laid out its plans in a PowerPoint presentation, saying it wants to add basketball courts in the park, turf on the football field, upgrade the snack bar and bathroom facilities and repair or replace the tower at the football field.
Borini said there are about 200 athletes in the football, cheer and basketball programs and 500 in the baseball programs, meaning even with some overlap the organization represent 600 families in the city.
“We understand budgets. We know that you have discussed applying for grants,” Borini said. “We’re here to discuss some ideas and projects and why we think they are going to work.”
She said the work would benefit the entire community.
“If we work together, we can make some great changes,” Borini said.
FAN Vice President Chris Graves said FAN is completely reliant on Northfield Community School for basketball, since the city has no other courts, noting that when the school shut down last year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the program was dead in the water.
Graves said the group initially wanted to construct basketball courts on the parking lot and had talks with Councilmen Dave Notaro and Grege Dewees about the possibility.
He said he learned the parking lot wasn’t a feasible location but felt the city would be willing to get involved in another location.
The new plan is to build two courts near the playground.
“If we could get that going with new playground equipment, what better spot is there?” Graves said.
He said many of the city’s athletes attend clinics elsewhere and that if the city had the courts, the programs could be run at Birch Grove, bringing people to the town rather than somewhere else.
FAN Secretary Julie Pepper noted she has lived in the city her entire life, the youngest of five children in the Foreman family, and now is raising her own family here.
“It been an absolute joy watching them grow up here in the town where I did,” Pepper said.
She extolled the benefits of installing turf for the athletes but also for the programs and the city at large.
Pepper thanked the city for its recent work on the football field, saying it looks great with the new sod, but said there is a “major underlying drainage issue.”
According to Pepper, the junior football team had a great season last year and could have hosted playoff games and the championship, generating much-needed revenue from the snack bar, the group’s greatest money-maker.
However, she said, there was so much rain that the field flooded and they “lost the chance to make a lot of money.” According to the presentation, FAN lost $10,000 in potential revenue.
She said turf would provide a surface for multiple sports, including soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, allowing the group to offer clinics, playoff games and tournaments, potentially swelling its revenue stream as well as bringing more people to the city where they may get lunch or dinner at area restaurants.
Pepper said a better facility could generate more money in sponsorships and signage as well.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring people to our community? I’m tired of going to Mount Laurel. Why not bring them here?” she said. “It’s the Gateway to the Shore.”
Pepper noted there are COVID-relief grants available for upgrading recreational facilities, saying “time is of the essence.”
“If there are funds available, I think it would be something you should consider,” she said.
Pepper acknowledged the high upfront cost of a turf field and future replacement costs, stating FieldTurf would be willing to attend a meeting and lay out its expected costs and benefits.
Under the review of benefits, the presentation acknowledges that “turf is a high upfront cost and has future replacement costs, but it’s lower cost per hour of use and increased hours of use would be generating revenue for years to come.”
“Year after year the Northfield playing fields are deemed unplayable with a major drainage issue and increased costs of replacing grass,” according to the presentation.
FAN Treasurer Steve Malia detailed plans for the football tower, snack bar and bathrooms.
He said the tower needs immediate upgrades because the top is falling over and the garage door doesn’t shut completely, creating a nice, warm home for squirrels. Malia also said there are minor things that need to be addressed, noting FAN is willing to help fund and complete the tasks.
Malia said there is a lot of gray area regarding responsibilities and permissions.
“We need to have communication, back and forth, about what we need to do and what we are allowed to do and what the city can help us with,” he said, noting the group both lost revenue and the ability to hold fundraisers.
Malia said FAN covers the costs of general operations of each sport through registration and sponsorships.
The group said this vision could become a reality through the city and FAN working together.
Borini said City Council used to give the Northfield All Sports Association $10,000 each year but stopped doing so for the past 10 years.
City Council President Tom Polistina said that when NASA reorganized as FAN, it no longer could be covered under the Joint Insurance Fund so now the city pays that money for insurance coverage.
Councilman Frank Perri said it’s nice to see new energy from the organization.
Notaro said budget time is February and the two entities would get together between now and then to talk about the proposal.
Smith said council appreciated the presentation, saying the general consensus seems to be in favor of the ideas. He noted Pepper’s father was his T-ball coach in 1976.
Notaro said it’s great to have people in town who want to provide positive outlets for children.
“Without them we would have nothing for our kids. It’s time we start doing something as a city to take some of the pressure off,” he said.
FAN holds multiple fundraisers throughout the year, with one upcoming from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at Vagabond in Egg Harbor Township, a coin drop July 10 at the intersection of Shore, Mill and Tilton roads, and plans to sell engraved bricks. The organization would also have the opportunity to rent the field if it were turf, bringing in more money.
The group wants the city to submit paperwork for grants made available through COVID-relief programs, fund the projects deemed approved through various grant opportunities and allocate funds each year for the betterment of youth sports programs and facilities.
In other business, Notaro said the Cultural Committee met and reported summer concerts at the gazebo in Birch Grove Park will resume soon.