United ISD’s athletic director told trustees Tuesday the district is the largest athletic entity south of San Antonio for grades 7–12, hosts about 2,100 events annually and faces growing facility and program demands that make adding sports complex and costly.

Bobby Cruz, director of athletics, told the Board the University Interscholastic League (UIL) controls which sports are officially sanctioned, the timing of new sports takes years (pilot then realignment), and start-up equipment and staffing costs can be high. He estimated equipment-only start-up costs of roughly $125,000 per school for wrestling (equipment only), roughly $25,000 per school to start water polo (equipment only) and about $6,000 per middle school to begin middle-school swimming and diving. Cruz said those figures exclude coaching stipends, travel, officials and other operating costs.

Cruz said the UIL took no action this year on lacrosse and tabled girls flag football until 2028. He described logistical challenges including where to place new seasons in an already crowded calendar and potential conflicts with other sports that would force student-athletes to choose between activities.

On facilities, Cruz said many middle-school fields lack lights, restrooms, bleachers and scoreboards; several middle-school teams must play at outside stadiums as a result. He urged trustees to consider phased upgrades and to include athletics needs in future facility planning. Trustees and staff discussed financing options: maintenance tax notes can fund urgent safety or HVAC work more quickly, while bonds provide longer-term financing and spread costs over 30 years but require voter approval and broader community support.

Trustees asked about interim measures. Cruz said district and community partners — including Pop Warner, Boys & Girls Club and local course operators — sometimes provide practice sites or club opportunities, and some non-UIL sports have been staged as club activities funded by participants rather than the district. Cruz said the district will gather student interest surveys and study costs and facility needs before bringing proposals forward.

Board members requested the facilities assessment executive summary that officials said will be sent in the Friday board packet; staff also said maintenance tax-note projects completed this year had focused primarily on HVAC and life-safety items rather than higher-visibility athletics projects.