Minor-league football coming

Deal with team will aid students and the community

Mar 8, 2011 - Silverton, Oregon (Statesman Journal.com)

The football field at Silverton High's Schlador Street facility will see a lot more action this spring and summer.

The Portland Monarchs, a minor league football team, will play five home games in Silverton beginning April 30.

The team is owned by Silverton couple Heath and Michelle Wharton and is a member of the Greater Northwest Football Association.

Aside from offering Silverton residents the opportunity to root and holler for a home team, the Monarchs have formed a partnership with the Silver Falls School District that will benefit students and the community.
Twenty percent of net gate revenue and concessions revenue will go to the Silverton High School Athletic Department, and 30 percent of net concessions will be donated to the Silver Fox Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports youth athletic programs and activities.

Silverton Area Community Aid also will come out on top; game admission regularly is $10, but with a nonperishable food item, it drops to $7. All donations will be handed over to the nonprofit.
Greg Wharton said the Monarchs have a loyal fan base, which could benefit local restaurants and shops.
"We estimate bringing an average of maybe 300 people to Silverton for home games, maybe more," he said.
The team has a history of giving back to communities and schools. Games double as fundraisers, and because the Whartons' have lived in Silverton since 2005, they've decided to focus on youth organizations in Silverton and Mt. Angel.

"We want to put the money back into the place where we live," Wharton said.
In partnership with Nike and Brand Athletic, about $75,000 in equipment and apparel was distributed locally in 2010.

The Monarchs are funded by a player fee, preseason advertising and marketing, and gate receipts. The team costs roughly $20,000 to $22,000 per season to run.
"We make just enough money to support what we do, and everything after that goes to the community," Wharton said.

The team started as the Salem Monarchs in 2006 and became the Oregon Monarchs in 2007. Since 2009, the team has played home games at Milwaukie High School and been known as the Portland Monarchs.
Wharton said that if the first-year trial partnership with the Silver Falls School District works out, a long-term agreement could be signed and the team could be renamed the Silverton Monarchs.

"I have goals set for this community further down the road that I'd like to see realized," he said. "We need turf facilities here, and we need to improve specific facilities we will be using."

The Monarchs also will pick up the cost of field maintenance, Wharton said.

Greg Kaatz, assistant principal and athletic director at Silverton High, said this is the first partnership of its kind for the school district.

With budgets tightening next year, he said, any extra revenue for the athletic department will help.

"We've had to cut 10 percent out of our general fund (for the high school athletic department), and there are some items in there that we're going to have to find another way to fund," he said.