Staff Writer

Changes made to the Scarborough Football Club aim to provide more opportunity for parents to volunteer.

The club, which works as a fundraiser group to help supplement the high school program, as well as fully finance the middle school and youth league football teams, are reducing the size of the board of directors from 20 to 12, as well as starting four individual committees.

Board member Sharon Pino said the move was to make meetings easier, as she said communication during meetings had become difficult because board members all asked for funds for the three football programs.

Pino said there now will be a committee for the youth football league, middle school, high school as well as a fundraising committee.

Club President Marty Brown said each committee will be comprised of six to 10 parent volunteers, who will determine what needs to be funded for each program. He said this will help the board of directors, as they can focus on the needs of one committee at a time, instead of all the different program needs at one board meeting.

Brown said having four committees will also give opportunities for more parents to be involved with the football club. He said the idea for committees will work “in theory,” but said he understands there can be issues with volunteer numbers.

“I’m a football guy,” Brown said. “I enjoy it at all levels, but some parents are more busy than me.”

Brown said the move would also help parents focus on needs for their child’s age level.

Brown said the high school booster group works as a way to supplement money for the junior varsity and varsity programs, as the teams are already funded by the school budget. He said the club needs to receive permission from the school board for all high school fundraisers, to inform the board what aspect of the program they are raising money for, such as equipment, where as they can fundraise for whatever they wish for the youth and middle school levels, as they completely fund both programs.

Brown said the fundraising group will be in charge of finding corporate sponsorship. He said Scarborough football has “loyal” sponsors, but he said it will be difficult to raise money from corporate sponsors this year, due to the economy.

Brown said the club’s next fundraiser is a golf tournament, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 18 at Riverside Municipal Golf Course in Portland.

Brown said although there will be committees representing youth, middle and high school programs, all funding decisions and fundraising ideas must still be given approval by the board of directors.

       The club has recently been mired in controversy.  Scarborough Police Det. Sgt. Rick Rouse said the police department was made aware in 2007 of alleged financial misconduct by the football club. Rouse said the investigation is still ongoing, however at this time he said further investigation appears to be “stuck.”

According to their Web site, the Scarborough Football Club began in 1997 as a group of parents who wished to see football programs offered within the town. In the same year, the group immediately funded a middle school program. In 1998, junior varsity football was officially offered at the high school level, followed by a varsity football program in 1999. It was also in 1999 that the club was able to raise money for youth football for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students. Youth football is currently available for students from second grade through sixth grade, according to the Web site.

Pino said any parent whose child participates in Scarborough football, from the youth league through high school, is considered a member of the football club and is allowed to volunteer. She said she hopes having the committees will keep parents more informed about football programs.

“You wouldn’t believe how much trouble I have getting kids registered [for football] on time,” she said. 

More information on the golf tournament can be found at the football club Web site, www.scarboroughfootball.com.