Jenkintown board hears plan to add middle‑school soccer while weighing field, bus and coaching costs

The Jenkintown School District board on Jan. 13 reviewed a proposal to expand soccer in the district, including two new middle‑school teams, after administrators presented participation surveys and a cost analysis.

Administrators told the board the interest is strongest among middle‑school girls and that a two‑year pilot could build toward separate girls and boys programs at higher levels. The district’s athletic staff estimated the operational cost to start a middle‑school soccer program at roughly $25,000 a year and said transportation would be the clearest recurring cost driver: a commonly used vendor charged about $515 per trip and district fall transportation for athletics ran roughly $35,000 this season.

Why it matters: expanding soccer would create more playing opportunities for students but would require new recurring spending for buses and officials, potential rental of off‑site practice fields and additional coaching staff. Administrators said those pressures could force trade‑offs such as limiting some current middle‑school offerings or relying on off‑site practice for a transitional year.

Officials presented three interconnected constraints: available on‑campus turf/grass that meets PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) dimensions, sufficient coaching/staffing for simultaneous events, and reliable transportation at dismissal times. The district’s upper field is a multi‑use area (baseball, field hockey, football) and lacks the size to host a full PIAA JV/varsity soccer pitch without extensive site work; the stadium can host soccer matches but suffers accelerated wear when multiple sports use it in sequence, the presenters said.

The athletic director said staffing and safety were central concerns, noting PIAA guidance on spectator decorum and the responsibility to protect officials and visiting teams. ‘‘We need appropriate staffing in place that can handle crowd control, manage officials and be the face of our programs,’’ the athletic director said, while noting the district has begun using a site manager role to improve game‑day operations.

Board members pressed on alternatives, including off‑site practices, pooling buses to a multi‑field site and recruiting parent volunteers or booster support to offset short‑term transport costs. Administration said a standing bus contract could lower per‑run costs but emphasized the difficulty of securing drivers at peak dismissal times.

Public comment was broadly supportive of adding girls’ soccer; residents urged the board to prioritize student interest and community volunteer support. A local youth‑sports volunteer offered to help recruit coaches and find practice fields in the short term.

Outcome and next steps: administration proposed preserving varsity field hockey next fall so current seniors can finish their seasons, run two middle‑school soccer teams off‑site as a one‑year pilot if parents/coaches help mitigate bus costs, and return in February with a formal proposal for board action. No vote was taken at the meeting.

The board said it would gather more community feedback, refine transportation estimates and explore coach recruitment before a formal vote in February.