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Before the students and fans can stand on the sidelines and cheer for their new sports team, the college administration has planning to do and budgets to configure.

“One to the first things we did was survey the students to generate some interest and also find out from them what sports they would be interested in,” said Terry Wilson, vice president of student affairs at AIB College of Business.

About a year after announcing that the school would start a women’s basketball program, AIB announced plans to begin men’s and women’s golf teams for fall 2008 and spring 2009. With recently hired golf head coach Tony Giannetto and assistant coach Jim Brousard on staff, and the school’s first-ever director of athletics and activities, Dereck Hall, set to start at the end of March, AIB is gearing up for the golf season with its first men’s sport and second women’s team.

The intercollegiate teams will compete in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, Region 11.

“We thought golf would be a good sport, and that we could get the men involved as well,” Wilson said. “It will not necessarily (cost) a lot of money for us to get into, plus golf fits with our business education here.”

By starting golf teams, AIB administrators hope to create a better college experience for their students and possibly increase enrollment.

“This positions our school into the future; it puts us on the map,” Wilson said.

Breaking down the budget

After determining which sports program to add to the school’s activities, AIB administrators formed a committee to “go over some of the particulars,” such as the budget and where the teams would practice.

AIB set up an approximate $10,000 budget to run the golf teams each season. The largest single item on the budget, around $2,000, is allotted to purchasing equipment, such as bags, shirts and apparel, for the golfers. AIB’s administration is hoping to have between eight to 10 male and female golfers on the teams.

Money will also go toward traveling expenses, such as renting vehicles, entry fees for tournaments and perhaps “minimal” costs to practice at local courses. AIB is considering various courses in Greater Des Moines, but has not yet determined where the teams will practice or host tournaments. Coaches’ salaries and partial scholarships for the student athletes are not included in the budget.

“The budget is not high, but it is not really a revenue generator either,” Wilson said.

The committee also decided to create a golf club team during this spring semester to promote the concept among the students. “We want to generate some interest … to help us with recruiting,” Wilson said.

New hires at AIB

The college hired Giannetto, who began on March 1, as a part-time head coach for both teams. Giannetto is a former Marshalltown High School golf coach and an assistant golf pro at a West Des Moines course.

“I am a practicer,” he said. “I spend a lot of time practicing, more than I do playing.”

But before practice starts for the school’s golf season, Giannetto is working out the logistics of starting a golf program, including a budget (hosting tournaments can ease costs, he said), recruiting, and learning the rules, regulations and eligibility requirements for the teams.

“I am here to develop a program and develop athletes to compete,” Giannetto said.

Brousard, a member of AIB’s staff, has been hired as an assistant coach . He has coached boys’ golf at Grundy Center and Ames high schools.

As the sports programs grow at the school, so has the need for someone other than Wilson to run the programs at the administrative level.

“We (wanted) somebody who can run the day-to-day operations of the athletic program,” said José de Jesús, the school’s chief communications officer. “It is a good investment to hire somebody that is knowledgeable about the actual sports.”

At the end of this month, Hall will join AIB as the college’s first director of athletics and activities. Hall has been working at the Walnut Creek YMCA as program director and been involved in the administration of some basketball leagues in Greater Des Moines, Wilson said.

With Hall at AIB, there may be more room for additional sports in the future. Volleyball is one of the top sports the school would consider.

“We have to focus on getting (golf) off the ground, and that it is stable and steady,” de Jesús said. “After that, if we look and everything is going well, then we will certainly look into other sports.”

Football at Grand View

Football and wrestling teams will be new to Grand View College’s athletic program this fall.

“When you look at adding programs, you try to assess where there is a need,” said Troy Plummer, the athletic director at Grand View.

He said that the school came up with a “manageable number” for the budget through research and comparison with other schools based on location and program size. The school plans to offer partial scholarships and expand the programs over the next couple of years, Plummer said.

Grand View recently entered into an agreement with East High School; the football team will practice there and play in Williams Stadium. The schools have partnered in the past and are located near each other. A turf field is expected to be put in next year and a Vikings locker room will be built at East, Plummer said.

Grand View expanded its wellness center by adding on a weight room, a wrestling room and additional offices for the growing staff.

At the beginning of the month, Grand View hired Nick Mitchell as head wrestling coach.

“Starting from scratch is different than taking over a program,” Plummer said. “It is a tough deal to get (a program) up and running.”