Bob CollinsIt’s going to cost high schools that send athletes to state tournaments in Minnesota now.
The Minnesota State High School League has voted to suspend reimbursements to schools to help defray the cost of getting to state sports tournaments, the Star Tribune reports.
At one time, the MSHSL took in about $1 million in tournament revenue, but that’s been falling to a fraction of that, particularly in soccer and football, according to the paper.
Once the Metrodome was bulldozed down and games were moved outside, football revenue dropped 50 percent.
Fewer dollars looks like this: After 2013-14, Eden Prairie received $5,775.42 for participation in 22 state tournaments. Based on the figures from 2014-15, the Eagles would have received just $636.89.
The league faces one more fall of playing 12 soccer games and 21 football games in the state tournament outside. But moving those games into the U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Vikings, in 2016 has league executive director Dave Stead optimistic.
“The weather was horrible last year and that’s why the numbers were down,” Stead said. “Once we get in the new building, I’m sure a number of people are going to want to come … see the tournament[s] so the numbers are going to come back up and our reimbursement opportunities will be coming up as well.”
