Concession stand snacks are a popular item at a high school football game.
“Chips, candy, soda. All of the things you typically see in a sports stadium for a football game,” said Cicero-North Syracuse Football Booster Club President John Falgiatano.
But before the one at Bragman Stadium opens for a C-NS home game, quite a bit of work is needed from people like Falgiatano.
He's the president of the C-NS Football Booster Club, a group currently made up of about seven volunteers. The boosters do everything they can to raise funds for the program.
“Our main focus is to make sure the program has everything it needs to make sure this is a great experience for the athletes and we focus everything we do on enhancing that experience for them,” said Falgiatano.
The booster club orders and prepares snacks, then takes on tasks like making sure things like the cash register is working efficiently. Volunteers spend many days before game night getting ready to accommodate at least a few thousand fans at a Friday night home game.
“So it all depends on how well the team you’re playing against travels and we try to base our ordering on that,” Falgiatano said.
Kristen McDevitt has been part of the football boosters for more than a decade.
“We provide funds for things that the district doesn’t cover. So, additional coaches, uniforms, equipment. All of those things that are going to keep the kids safer and have them grow more on the field than off. The more coaches you have, the more interactions you have, the better it is for the kids,” said McDevitt.
In addition to providing funding for the uniforms, some members like Bill Golembieski spend hours each week in the stadium. He cleans the uniforms from the previous week then organizes them by number as the next game approaches.
“Whatever the coaches pick, they’ll let Bill know mid-week and then he starts prepping sizes, and then on Friday, tonight, or tomorrow morning, we’ll go through and start hanging them on the lockers and the appropriate helmet color that they pick too,” said Falgiatano.
No matter the task, these dedicated boosters will keep giving all they can while the main goal remains to help the C-NS football program succeed.
“This is such an impressive program. And, not just in its success on the football field, but making the overall student athlete, what they are,” Falgiatano said.
It's certainly a big boost on and off the field.
The C-NS Football Booster Club holds regular fundraisers throughout the year.
The group is always looking for additional volunteers so if you’d like to help at an upcoming game or learn more, just visit https://cnsathletics.com