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Athletic director reports strong fall participation, new trainer and field challenges at Cohoes
Summary
Athletic Director Jeff Funo reported high participation numbers for fall sports, a part‑time trainer contract with TopForm and ongoing field and scheduling challenges tied to capital construction and community use.
Athletic Director Jeff Funo told the Cohoes City School District Board of Education on Sept. 24 that fall sports participation is robust but facilities and scheduling challenges persist amid a capital project.
Funo reported varsity football has 31 athletes and modified football 26. Boys soccer has 16 varsity and 17 junior‑varsity players; girls volleyball showed varsity 11, JV 13 and modified 11; game‑day cheerleading has 16. He said varsity cross‑country had four participants and modified one, and esports participation was down to four this fall.
Funo highlighted two operational changes. The district has contracted a part‑time trainer, Jennifer Tennyson of TopForm, who covers home football and other home contests and runs a weekly three‑hour injury clinic (Wednesdays, roughly 2:30–5:30 p.m.) for injured athletes. Funo said TopForm will provide more extensive treatments if the trainer recommends them and that those services are provided to families as part of the arrangement at no charge.
Funo praised the new Alumni Field and the district’s updated sound system and said night games have increased attendance. But he described other strains: multiple teams must share limited practice space because a capital project has taken some fields offline; uneven field care and unauthorized use has caused damage on the softball and baseball sides; and dogs have dug holes that affected bases and required repair. Funo said security camera footage showed people arriving by car and letting dogs onto fields; district staff have increased security checks and plan signage and a social‑media messaging campaign to reduce unauthorized use.
He also discussed logistics from night schedules: games sometimes run into the 9 p.m. hour and require field turnarounds between contests, which increases workload for custodial and maintenance staff. Funo recommended continued use of a single point of entry and night security shifts to improve building safety during after‑hours practices and events.
On coach communications, Funo said preseason meetings and a digital Google Site handbook are being used to centralize schedules, forms and procedural guidance. He and other board members discussed encouraging coaches to use district tools (ParentSquare or Schoology) rather than personal group chats for official communication and considered GameChanger for schedule syncs.
Funo and the board also addressed sportsmanship, asking for messaging aimed at spectators to support athletes rather than shouting at officials.
Board members thanked Funo for the presentation and for the work of volunteers and staff during homecoming events.
No formal vote was taken on athletics matters at the meeting.
