New season, new faces and now Penn Manor football has a new and improved website.
If you can’t wait until Friday nights, you can check them out on the internet – and maybe buy yourself a t-shirt while you’re there.
The website has everything from recruiting opportunities to apparel and anyone around the world, thanks to the beautiful invention of a certain thing called the world wide web, can access Penn Manor’s surging football program. The program broke yet another school record last year with ten wins and an appearance in the first round of states.
According to head coach, Todd Mealy, there are three specific concerns he wanted to address by the website: “communication, fund raising and recruiting.”
First, communication, which Mealy noted is vital in the 21st century.
Having information on this new website can mend or prevent miscommunications between the players and coaches, he said.
An interactive calendar with game-times and events is one extra in the communication package.
Another way that the website enables communication is that parents and/or fans can sign up for an emailing list that sends “constant reminders,” Mealy said.
Of course the website addresses fundraising. As everyone knows, you can’t run a program, company, a run for president, a lemonade stand – whatever – without some financial aid from the outside world. If you’re not following, ask General Motors, they’ll tell you all about it.
The website allows all sorts of ways to contribute to the group of talented young stars.
Mealy said he understands that the parents who aren’t enrolled in the booster club and who are busy with a job, carting kids around to another child’s game or dance recital and all the other “mom” and “dad” activities, just might not have the time to take a big part in the football program.
But there are easy ways to give some money, via the website.
First, you can donate anywhere from $5.00 to $50.00, and set up a monthly donation called the “recurring comet club tab,” said Mealy, who dubbed it that himself. The funds will be taken directly out of the person’s bank account, like a subscription, without them having to pick up a pen and write a check.
Hey, there’s always the chance of there not being any ink left and everyone knows how frustrating that can be…
Mealy also plans auctions on the web for autographed footballs or pictures. There is a nifty online store where students and other fans can buy Comet gear like t-shirts, sweatshirts/hoodies, caps – you name it – all in men, women and children sizes.
Mealy stated that he got a lot of influence from the ’08 presidential candidates who “set records” in financial aid in order to assist them with their campaign.
Third and finally, recruiting opportunities.
For high school, college and even the pros, it is important to foresee the future and to scout out new talent for upcoming years. This website makes it easy to go through the recruiting process with “instant recruiting,” as Mealy calls it, with a recruiting tab.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, though; users need a password to enter that portion of the website.
Penn Manor coaches and scouts can look up players from middle school on up to see what their future might behold and keep track of those players to encourage them to continue in the football program.
“(We) lost a lot of players (coming from) eighth to ninth grade,” Mealy said, “so you can bet this recruiting tab will be clicked on a lot in the future.”
Also, college scouts from all around the country can check out current Penn Manor players. They can sit in their Tweety-bird boxers on their computer at home instead of coming all the way to Lancaster county to get a glimpse of how much talent the team, or a specific player, has.
Whether you want the attributes of a certain player, the team’s schedule, a signed football, a Comets coffee mug or recruiting information, it all can be accessed with a single click of the mouse on www.pennmanorcometsfootball.com.
By Alex Geli
Very well written! I love his sense of humor also.