Besides Pay, What Do You Get?

[Tom Hinrichs]

Schools treat us pretty well in Southeast Nebraska. They really try to do what they can. We are usually greeted by someone from the school, have a nice place to dress, and offered water / gator aide at half time and following the game.

A couple of schools have fed us after the game when they had cook outs, and one school packs a nice sack lunch for the trip home.

Our interactions with the schools, and with the great majority of the coaches have been very positive.

As for pay, there is no standard rate, in Nebraska, schools (and conferences) establish their own pay rates.

[Scooby]

For the most part water/gatorade at half time, sometimes a hotdog and popcorn or if we are lucky pizza.
A couple of schools provide a box lunch.
Dressing rooms from your car to a nice locker room.

[bisonlj]

I must say most places we work have had very good hospitality. It seems to be getting better each year. We usually have an adequate locker room with showers (sometimes cold water) and towels. We usually have a cooler with water/Gatorade/sodas with enough to drink before the game, during halftime, and after the game.

Some schools take us someplace different at halftime because the locker room is far from the field. They will offer us candy bars or drinks at halftime and often have additional food after the game. It is usually left over concession food but we occasionally get a pizza or Subway sandwiches. Last week we had a meat and cheese tray at halftime! As long as we get a decent locker room, showers, towels, and something to drink, I'm satisfied.

I've also noticed the smaller towns generally have better hospitality than the bigger schools in Indy.

Pay here is decided by the schools during the season and it is fairly consistent ($60-$75). Once the playoffs start, the schools pay us but it is a predetermined amount by the IHSAA. I think the first round is $55 plus mileage (20 cents/mile) and each round goes up a little. Depending on where you get assigned in the playoffs it is actually a pay cut.

[Welpe]

It really depends upon the school here. For anything below JV, we show up dressed or dress in the parking lot anyways.

I had a JV game where they offered us a roomy changing facility with a couch, bathroom and shower. The next week, I had a JV game where they initially offered us a roomy area to change but then came in and told us we had to move and moved us to essentially a closet in the trainer's room.

[Texas Aggie]

We are treated anywhere from fairly well to very well in our games. The exception is 6 man games and games with schools who don't have a home field and have to play whereever they can find. Treatment there ranges from poor to OK.

At most of the subvarsity games, drinks are there for the asking, but we usually have to go to the concession stand to get them. In varsity games, drinks are usually provided and about half the time, so is some kind of food -- ranging from candy bars to fast food or cold cuts. Towels are available at about half the venues, but I always bring my own (old basketball habit).

We are treated tons better in football than in basketball. Hell, if they can find a decent dressing room for us in hoops, I'm happy.

[Welpe]

My company needs to hurry up and get me transferred to Texas.

I will say any football accomodation I've ever received has been light years ahead of baseball accomodations as a whole.

[RMR]

Most of the time in La. we are lucky if we get a Powerade. On occasion though we have been places that had pre-game sandwiches or something.

There are some places - typically at playoff time that will provide gumbo or jambalaya after the game.

Sometimes on the road we get really lucky and wind up with hot water for a shower but that's rare.

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I will say any football accomodation I've ever received has been light years ahead of baseball accomodations as a whole.

Time to buy a nicer car.