Athletic director previews fall season; district to stream home games on NFHS network

At the Aug. 25 meeting, Athletic Director Jeff Puleri outlined fall-sports planning for Hoosac Valley Regional, describing roster numbers, one-year cooperative agreements with other schools contingent on participation, and league realignments intended to reduce travel and balance competitiveness.

Puleri said the district has been buying uniforms on rotation with district funds so booster clubs do not bear all uniform costs, and he presented an athletic budget for higher-cost programs. He announced a new athletics website that will centralize schedules and ticketing and said, "All games on the football field and in the gym will be broadcast LIVE on the NFHS network this year." The committee discussed referee availability, future field utilization for underused softball/baseball fields, bathroom access at the softball field, and the challenge of providing food access during long road trips; Puleri indicated these operational issues vary by sport and sometimes involve booster-club support.

Puleri also said gate receipts are expected to rise with league realignment. The minutes note that online ticketing will be available via the new site and that students will help with the site's start-up and upkeep.

Next steps: The athletic office will continue to monitor team numbers for year-to-year co-op agreements, publish the new site and ticketing, and pursue solutions for field and food-service operational issues.