Sayreville athletics director seeks a dedicated girls wrestling coach; budget impact limited to staffing

Miss Badami, the district’s director of athletics and supervisor of physical education, presented the 2026–27 athletics budget and program goals at the Feb. 3 board meeting, describing steady program growth across middle and high schools and near‑capacity participation in many sports.

Badami proposed modest capital and staffing requests: a digital scoreboard with connected display capabilities and a dedicated girls wrestling coach to formalize and expand the female wrestling program at both middle‑ and high‑school levels. She said the principal incremental cost to start a full girls wrestling program is hiring a head coach; uniforms and competition fees are already covered by existing budgets. Badami reported current girls‑wrestling numbers around seven to eight participants and explained that the Greater Middlesex Conference has different divisions (white vs. red) based on whether schools can fill most weight classes.

Board members asked for clarification on weight classes and scheduling; Badami said girls competition uses a similar structure with roughly 12–14 weight classes at the high‑school level and fewer at middle school, and she expressed confidence that a dedicated coach would increase participation and could move the program to a higher division. The presentation included plans to sustain rental fees for offsite sports and to continue a scheduled five‑year equipment cycle.