Leading Question

»School officials believe the program, set to debut in fall 2011, will bring national exposure and more students to the first Catholic university built in the United States in 40 years.

“The most important aspect is the name recognition and market awareness that go along with having a collegiate football program,” athletic director Brian Scanlan says.

The Gyrenes expect to play as far as the country’s West Coast at least once a season, and the exposure won’t be just for Ave Maria. “The first question they [will] ask is, ‘Tell us about Ave Maria. Where are you located?’” Scanlan says. “It’s a great way to make people aware of this area.”

Some schools believe the exposure itself makes a football program worth the investment, says Ken Kavanagh, athletic director at Florida Gulf Coast University. FGCU recently announced that it’s also considering adding football to its roster of 14 other sports.

Adding football allows Ave Maria to attract males, particularly in talent-rich Florida, who might not have the means to attend the school without scholarships. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will provide it 24 full scholarships, which will be spread among 90 players, assisting with about 25 to 30 percent of their college costs, Scanlan says.

“[Scholarship availability increases] our enrollment, which is one of the great things about having a football program,” he adds. “The financial aspects of increasing your enrollment, you are going to have some additional tuition revenue, which you wouldn’t normally realize.”

The costs of starting and running a football program can be significant. A $500,000 anonymous donation to Ave Maria will help pay for the start-up costs.

But the expense of fields and stadiums, salaries, equipment, transportation, insurance and more can keep schools from starting a football program if the costs outweigh expected revenues. Some schools make money from a football program while others have a net deficit, Kavanagh says.