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Football enthusiasm that’s taken fans by storm over the last several months and events created by what can be termed as a perfect storm is garnering needed funds .That perfect storm has evolved into something even more tangible and that being revenue streams like something never before seen for football at the University of Kentucky.
Of course, when the UK Athletics Association sustains an injurious loss of 16 to 20 million dollars in ticket sales over the last three years, something’s got to give. Desperate times call for desperate measures. When stranger Mitch Barnhart first arrived at the university the old guard didn’t exactly cotton to him and he wasn’t the easiest guy to warm up to the locals in the areas he needed to.
But now he is reaching out to people that’s in the position to help the cause of big time football development. It’s understood that a program can’t stand against the wiles without financial backing. It is now publicly known that Joe Craft, who previously was all basketball, is now heavily involved on the football side. Some overtures have been made toward donor’s ala the locker room at the Nutter Practice Facility. At the conclusion of it’s renovation a list of approximately ten names went on the entry door headed up by the name of Dick Barbella. Other football projects have been headed up by donors.
Fund raising gatherings and functions have taken place in recent months. It’s surreal what’s taking place on the heels of the recent football enthusiasm generated. Very recently and a function was held in Eastern Kentucky entitled “Friends of the First Trust Bank of Hazard and London.” Several of the heavy-hitters were there at the First Federal Building located at the Hazard Community College. In addition to the 150 or so people in attendance Mark Stoops, John Calipari, and Mitch Barnhart were present.
Stoops and his troops (coaches) have created a perfect storm. This obviously led to the state legislature loosing up on the bonding power for the UK football program and other projects. The question may be posed by some of why the need for the extra funding. It’s believed that Barnhart is a little skittish over how the pricing for fans after the renovation of Commonwealth Stadium is going to be received. He wants nothing to stall out the projects he has on the drawing board. Fund raising these days is likened to attempting to buy a house and your credit level is good but you have to pay cash.
The University of Kentucky’s budget twenty years ago was fifteen to twenty million dollars and UK recently announced a 140M dollar budget. So let the cash flow continue because Stoops generated enthusiasm may eventually be a template for much more than the investment.
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