Alumni Football Blog

Gridiron Alumni is happy to announce that they have hired Tyler Swanson to run their operations and put on alumni football games in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Tyler has worked for Gridiron Alumni for the last year, but recently moved to Texas to work for an energy company. While in Texas, Tyler has decided to start working for Gridiron Alumni. He will be responsible for putting on games in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Tyler is 25 years old. He was in the Marines from 2004 to 2009 and has served in Iraq. He is well liked by many and loves football. Tyler played football for his high school in Redding, CA, Shasta High School. He also played for the Marines while stationed at Miramar. His favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers and he rarely misses a game on television. He even wears his cheese head.

Chris Hall, President of Gridiron Alumni, was quoted as saying “Tyler will be a great addition to our team! He has a lot of experience putting on alumni football games. He is a really hard worker and he loves football. I think Tyler will help guys get to play one more time and raise a lot of money for schools and charities.”

When putting on alumni football games, it’s important to maintain research and development. The industry is changing and many are talking about concussion and protection. Recent ratings from Virginia Tech show that the Riddell VSR4 should no longer be used. This helmet is used by many high schools, colleges, NFL players, as well as another alumni football promoter. There are NO Riddell VSR4’s on our racks. We take safety very seriously.

After researching new helmets for the last 45 days, Gridiron Alumni decided to pick the newest helmet on the market, the Rawlings Quantum. It received a great 4 star rating from the Virginia Tech Study and provides comfort with a contemporary design, while still at a reasonable price.

Check out this video and you are sure to be impressed:

For many of you, Gridiron Alumni Football was an awakening. Many people have asked me how they can raise money for their alma mater. I have compiled a list of great fundraisers that can be both fun and profitable. Some are my idea and some are taken from other schools. Feel free to use them all and get back to me with feedback. If you have another great suggestion, don’t hesitate to contact us and maybe we’ll include it in our next update.

#5 Great Fundraising Idea: Adults Only Prom

The saying goes that “Youth is wasted on the young!” Why are proms only for kids? Put on an Adults Only Prom. After toiling with dirty laundry and messy kids all day, women love to dress up and get all gorgeous. The entry cost on this is really low. All you need to do is find a gym and a DJ. You might be able to get both for free. Find some local sponsors to help pay for the decorations. This can be a very fun and profitable way of earning money for the schools and making your girl happy. Tuxedos not required!

#4 Great Fundraising Idea: Alumni Softball Tournament

This is not a new thing, but done right, can yield thousands of dollars in revenue. The key to this is sponsors and beer. Because it is an alumni game, most folks will make the mistake of having it at the high school, where they can get the field for free. In Houma, LA, they rent a local recreation field and do beer sales. According to Terry Gold, South Terrebonne Alumni, the majority of the money raised is from the beer sales. Don’t miss out on a huge opportunity. What could be more fun than an alumni softball tournament with some good eats and beer?

#3 Great Fundraising Idea: Alumni Golf Tournament

Pretty much the same thing, but with golf. Most golf courses will give you a bulk discount on green’s fees. Just make sure to have an “after-party” somewhere really close where you can sell food and beer. The golf course can provide those things, but if you stay at the course, make sure they are willing to donate some of those proceeds to the cause. If not, take your part off the course where you can raise some more funds.

#2 Great Fundraising Idea: County Wide Poker Tournament

Texas Hold ’em is still a very popular game and many folks would love to play in a tournament. Have each school in the county find one or two local restaurants or bars to host the event. They will want to help because they will get increased business. Ask them to include the food in the tournament price. I suggest $100 per player with unlimited $50 re-buys in the first hour. Take the top 10 players from each tournament in the county and do a Tournament of Champions at a pre-determined restaurant/bar (aka BIG SPONSOR). Find local vendors to donate prizes for the Final Table. 90% or all proceeds can go to the schools and businesses will get patronage. Many will have a great time. (DISCLOSURE: Most states allow for charity poker tournaments, but you better check).

#1 Great Fundraising Idea: Steak Dinner Drawdown

This has got to be the most interesting and profitable idea I have heard while on the road. But don’t be fooled, it will take a lot of work to get it going the first year. The idea was explained to me by Will Warren of Pisgah High Alumni in Canton, NC. Some call it a reverse raffle. They print 300 raffle tickets, but they sell only 299 tickets for $100. he $100 includes one raffle ticket and 2 steak dinners at the raffle. The steak dinner is no joke either. They provide Ribeye steaks and all the trimmings. That alone is worth the price compared to some restaurants. The meal is a combination of donations and discounts from local vendors. At the raffle, the first ticket drawn is saved to the side until they are down to 9 tickets left. Every 3rd ticket receives a door prize (donated). Every 50th ticket gets $100 cash (their money back). Once they get down to the last 4 tickets, they run an auction on the last remaining ticket (Ticket #300). So any person at the dinner can bid their way into the Top 5. The Top 5 left are guaranteed a great door prize at the very least. Once the 5th ticket is sold, the Top 5 have a tough decision to make: Take $1000 each or go for it all. If they do not split, the 4th and 5th ticket get a great door prize, the 3rd ticket gets $500 cash, the 2nd ticket gets $1000 cash, and the final ticket wins $5000 cash. Will says they made over $60,000 this year on the auction after paying all the bills. It sounds like a win-win for everyone. Fun, food, and great prizes.

If you do use any of these suggestions, please go to our Facebook Page and let us know how it went. Happy fundraising!

As the old saying goes, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. Because of only a few guys, we have had to update our refund policy. Please be aware that our refund policy is the following starting immediately:

PLAYER REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN IF MORE THAN 30 DAYS AWAY FROM THE GAME DAY. IF A PLAYER REQUESTS A REFUND MORE THAN 30 DAYS IN ADVANCE, WE WILL REFUND ALL BUT 10% OF THE PLAYER FEE. IF THE GAME IS LESS THAN 30 DAYS AWAY, THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS GIVEN.

IF A PLAYER WAITS MORE THAN 6 MONTHS FROM INITIAL PAYMENT DATE TO REQUEST A REFUND, THERE WILL BE NO REFUND GIVEN. IT IS NOT GRIDIRON ALUMNI’S RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR YOUR PAYMENTS AND/OR REFUNDS. PLAYER FEES ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANOTHER PLAYER. IF FOR SOME REASON GRIDIRON ALUMNI CANCELS A GAME, WE WILL NOTIFY PLAYERS OF THE CANCELLATION AND THE PLAYER HAS THE RIGHT TO REQUEST A 100% REFUND. IF THE PLAYER DOES NOT REQUEST A REFUND WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE NOTIFICATION OF CANCELLATION, NO REFUND WILL BE GIVEN.

NO EXCEPTIONS, SO PLEASE DON’T ASK!

For those of you in wanting to play alumni football in California, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada, FALL REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

If you would like to play football one more time, register by clicking on the FIND A GAME tab!

We just spent the last few months in the Deep South, where football is KING! You all have big shoes to fill, but we know you can do it. All teams must be formed by July 30th, 2012 in order to get a date on our Fall schedule. We have openings only a few openings in August and September, so make sure to do it TODAY!

For those of you who played last year, you will really like our new pricing structure. For those of you who decide to pay early, it will cost you only $70. Early registration is for anybody who pays with the game date 30 days or more away. For those who pay with less than 30 days to game time, you will pay $100. For those of you who are already asking, “What if I pay, but my team never forms?” We will give 100% refunds to those players who do not have a team formed by July 30th, 2012.

There is no risk. You play OR you don’t play!

As always, we love your feedback, so if you want to post something, please go to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GridironAlumni

We’ll see you all on the Gridiron!