Compensation for Legion Coaches

Not sure what the Hickory Post 48 coaches are paid, but the players don't have to pay anything. In addition, the players are all fed after each home game for free. Too bad Hickory can't attract the top players year in and year out.

 

Red Bear brings up a good point. Early in TBR, I was one of those that championed he importance of Showcase ball. I still believe in the importance showcase plays in the recruiting process. But I better understand the importance in the experience a player receives from participating in American Legion.

To be able to play with players you have grown up with and to defend your city, county or town against others is a pride you won't find anywhere else. For a city like Hickory, with it's storied baseball history, not to attract it's best players year in, year out is a shame. Not a shame directed at Hickory's legion team or the players that decide to do something else. But a shame that the story is not told about the advantages of playing for your town.

To me, Hickory should be the perfect city to have a strong team each year. The city is not too big to compete with professional sports, but large enough to have a strong pool of players to select.

I'm not sure if AL has become a little arrogant or simply does not care, but they do a poor job in competing with others to attract the best players in their area. They have a great story to tell and a great story to sell...they just need to do a better job in getting their story out there.

 

Unfortunately, it falls squarely on the local legion teams to get the word out and attract the best players. Your local media can help, but ultimately there must be someone in Hickory or wherever that gets the word out and sells AL so that the better players want to play for the local legion team. As many have discussed before, AL simply isn't as popular in some areas for various reasons, and lets face it nowadays players do have other options. But you would think cities as large as Greensboro and Charlotte would have legion teams running out their ears, but that is not the case. The teams in Charlotte that have done so well are led by "individuals" who have taken the reigns and made sure the word has gotten out about those specific teams. As with anything else, if folks just sit around and wait for things to happen, it will never happen. Go up to Caldwell County or Cherryville or Rowan County to a legion game and see why they are so popular in their respective communities,,, its because they have PEOPLE working, in fact NUMEROUS people who are excited about their teams, and those people work many hours to insure the team has the best everything, consequently players in those communities grow up wanting to be a part of that. Unfortunately there is nobody with a central office who goes around and does these things, its up to individuals in each individual community if you want to have something special like others have.

 

Cost about $50 to $75 dollars for son to play (don't remember which it was but this isn't much given the cost of things these days). Plus, team did a fundraiser that netted decent amount of money for some expenses. No travel costs for team, however, as each player is responsible for arranging transportation; most games are less than an hour away and many carpool to games more than an hour away. Don't know whether coach gets paid, but, if he does, it ain't much.

I don't think $250 is too steep, but it is high enough that it could prevent some kids from playing. But, with the costs of fields, umpires, equipment (heck, even baseballs are expensive these days), etc., I can understand why a team would need to charge that much. I'd say $100 wouldn't be out of line anywhere, but more than that in some areas wouldn't go over too well.

 

Our local legion team has a fee to pay - less than $200, but they also will help out w/cost in scholarship form, if the family of a player who made the team has financial trouble. Legion, overall, has been a much better venue for playing than showcase in our experience, but each has to go his own route.

 

HENDERSON COUNTY

We had to charge each player more than anyone has said here so far but we put together a program to sell ads to locals and took donations. What we have done the 3 years that my son played was to get each player to sell close to $800 worth of ads or donations. That is alot of money but we have no choice because the local post gives $0 support. We are working to have the $ raised before next year so the kids won't have to. Most of our games are too far away for the kids to drive so we have a bus chartered. The bus fee is what costs so much for us. We have new uniforms that are only 2 years old so we only had to buy socks, belts, undershirts and hats. We did pay our coaches. They give alot of time and they deserve it. I hate what the real pay per hour is for a high school coach. They work very hard for their money.

Some people might think chartering a bus is extravagant but who wants to assume the liability for transporting other peoples kids. I don't think it is a good idea to send a bunch of teenagers driving off 2 hours away and driving home at 1:00 in the morning. Our Legion hall used to have a bus of their own but the insurance was eating into their beer money so they got rid of it.

Most of the money problem comes from the local Legions not growing in membership therefore they can't support the baseball team. That is what has happened here anyway. We have only about 3 Legion members that even come out to watch us play. Those 3 though are the reason we do still have a team. The "Greatest Generation" is dying out.

When we told our players and parents what we had to raise they were shocked. It should not cost so much to have a baseball team. Another expense we had was that we had to pay about $300 a night to use the local high school field. We went in the red each night for home games as well when you add in the umpires salaries. With all the gas parents use and the food we buy along the way American Legion Baseball is boosting the economy pretty good.

 

Henderson County had a heckuva year. Keep up the great work, nitnak

I always get in trouble when I single someone out, but Randy Rummage (Pineville) has done a great job each year getting the players to come out for his team. I don't know how much longer he will remain, but as long as he stays involved, Pineville will always attract very good players.

By the way, whatever the Gaston Braves and South Rowan are paying their coaches...it's not enough. For a player on those teams to be coached by quality college coaches..well...I'd be glad to pay more.

 

David Wright at South Rowan has done a super job as their head coach this summer.

 

Legion Coaches get paid.....I must have missed that memo or the check is still in the mail.....

Our guys don't pay anything to play.....

 

Just to give some their props....

A certain local coach Whitey Meadows who coached the Mooresville Legion team for 35 years retired last year (2006),,,,,,,,,,, and one thing that he told me really stuck with me was that he never took a penny for coaching the Mooresville Legion team,,,,,,,,, that he did it for the players and his love of the game.

Just thought I'd share that about a former great coach, since other names have been mentioned.