PATRONS OF UNB VARSITY REDS SOCCER
A partnership between UNB and Friends, Fans and Alumni of the Varsity Reds Soccer teams,
to promote athletic and academic excellence at UNB.
In recent years, a group of UNB Soccer Alumni has supported the UNB Varsity Reds Soccer program. Through various fundraisers and individual donations this group has managed to provide some $40,000, through the UNB "Friends of The Varsity Reds" account, to support both the men's and women's programs. This money has been used primarily for scholarship support.
In early 2005, the group was formalized as the Patrons of UNB Varsity Reds Soccer.
The Patrons goals and objectives are:
- To assist in the recruitment of high calibre students/athletes to the UNB soccer program,
- To promote soccer programs of excellence and elevate the visibility of UNB programs both within the community and nationally,
- To provide financial support to varsity soccer teams at UNB,
- To assist in the mentoring of students/athletes and providing a supportive environment for the students/athletes in Fredericton,
- To encourage institutional partnerships within and throughout the soccer community, and,
- To promote the lifelong commitment of friends/alumni of UNB soccer through networking and social interaction.
- To foster and promote a nationally competitive soccer program at UNB.
To this end, an Executive and Board of Directors meet monthly, establishing goals to achieve these targets and monitor progress. Committees have been established and are now actively working in the areas of 1) Finance/Scholarship, 2) Team Liaison and Home Game Events, 3) Membership, 4) Legal and 5) Field Development. The Finance/Scholarship committee has established the Gary Brown Family Merit Award. In fact, in the late fall of 2005, the Committee learned of an opportunity for an anonymous Alumni donor to match alumni contributions and in a three week period raised $18,000, which was matched, giving a total of $36,000 towards the programs. Going forward, our objectives for the Finance/Scholarship Committee is to establish a strong financial base of support.
In addition to the Finance/Scholarship fundraising outlined above, The Patrons are currently working on four key initiatives that need to be developed in order to accomplish their objectives, namely;
- UNB needs a turf field to compete. The urgency of this initiative cannot be overstated. Six of the ten universities in the Atlantic conference have turf fields. Such a facility will facilitate training, top calibre play and generate sufficient revenue to be self-sustaining to the university. The Patrons Field Development Committee is actively working on this initiative.
- The soccer program must be competitive. Coaches, Miles Pinsent (Mens) and Andy Cameron (Womens) are well on their way to building competitive programs with the support of Kevin Dickie (Athletic Director) and the Kinesiology Dept. Financial support provided by the Patrons for scholarships will continue to help. Prospect identification from Patrons, is another excellent source of talent for the programs.
- Home games must be an EVENT involving the University and surrounding Communities. The Patrons Team Liaison and Home Games Events Committee will work with the Athletic Department and where appropriate are prepared to take the lead with programs that are designed to make each game an experience.
- The Patrons must have a large membership base. The Membership Committee has been charged with generating 100 members by 2006 and 150 by 2007, not only from the Alumni ranks but from the Soccer community at large
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