Manatee makes progress toward funding potential lacrosse teams

The Manatee High School lacrosse booster club remains optimistic it will have both varsity boys and girls teams for the spring of 2018 after presenting a check for $5,000 to school officials on Wednesday.

The booster club, which is funding the creation of a Hurricanes lacrosse program solely through private donations and fundraising, is more than a third of the way to its target goal of $70,000 it needs to fund a team for a year and a half. The number, which was suggested by the Manatee County School District, would fund both varsity and junior varsity programs for boys and girls. The booster club would need to raise about $60,000 to field only varsity programs, club president Matt Faul said.

“I’m an optimist. We’re going to have enough for both of those,” Faul said. “I don’t even want to talk about the fact that if we don’t raise enough.”

If all goes according to plan, the Hurricanes will not be the only public high school adding varsity lacrosse programs over the next few years. Lakewood Ranch begins its fundraising efforts Friday with a dinner at the high school. The Mustangs are also targeting the spring of 2018 to add lacrosse.

A $5,000 donation came Tuesday from Wagner Realty, for which Faul is a broker. Earlier, the booster club received a $5,000 donation from Paul Reynolds Law. Neither Faul nor Tracey Rosa, the booster club’s vice president, disclosed the exact total raised.

“We’re a little less than halfway,” Faul said, “but we’re just getting started.”

The booster club plans to play host to three more fundraising events in May and has a fourth planned without a set date. Next up is a golf tournament May 5 at IMG Academy Golf Club and then a black-tie dinner May 12. On May 27, the booster club will play host to a cornhole tournament. No date is set for a planned fashion show.

While the school and school district have both been supportive, Faul said, fundraising will still fall on the private booster club.

Faul said the school district has pledged $2,000 of funding once the booster club hits the $70,000 mark and Hurricanes athletic director Danielle LaPoint, who grew up playing lacrosse in New York, plans to apply to have the program recognized by the Florida High School Athletic Association. Phone calls to LaPoint on Thursday were not returned.

The booster club hopes to have all the money raised by Aug. 1. If they fall short, Faul said, the school could move forward with its plan to field lacrosse next year if the booster club is close enough to its goal.

Manatee would be the county’s first public school to field a varsity lacrosse program. Saint Stephen’s is currently the only Manatee County school with an FHSAA program. Cardinal Mooney and Out-of-Door Academy also have programs. Sarasota Riverview became the region’s first public school with a program last year.

If fundraising stalls, Rosa said, the booster club and the school could move forward on just a girls team in order to comply with Title IX regulations.

“We’re moving right along,” Rosa said. “We’re really happy, but we’re looking for more support from the community.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2017 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Manatee makes progress toward funding potential lacrosse teams."