WALLED LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Student athletes and parents in the Walled Lake Consolidated School District are fighting to keep middle school football alive.
The district stopped funding the sport in 2014 to save money.
A GoFundMe page was started in hopes of raising more than $11,000 for Walled Lake's middle school football program, which four schools are involved in.
According to Boosters who started the fund, in addition to the pay-to-play fee, they now need to foot the bill for the entire program, or it will end.
Clifford H. Smart, Walnut Creek, Geisler and Sarah Banks middle schools all have football fields and equipment, but Boosters are looking to raise money to pay for things like coaching, field maintenance and equipment repair.
According to the district website, middle school football costs a little more than $400 per athlete. Football is the only middle school sport not full funded by the district, according to the GoFundMe. However, varsity sports like water polo and lacrosse are also self-funded per the district website.
"We support the parents' efforts to fundraise and hope they're successful," the superintendent said.
The superintendent said the district needs to put the classroom before extracurricular activities right now.
