The Valley Athletic Booster Club endeavors support ASU, youth sports
The original name of this group may have changed, but its mission to support the hometown university and the local community has remained the same throughout the years. The Valley Athletic Booster Club (VABC) is inviting local sports fans to join its organization and contribute to the growth of Sun Devil athletics and youth sports programs around the valley.
“Our mission is very simple as we have three very distinct groups we support,” said VABC President Roger Blank. “One is ASU athletics and that’s all sports, men’s, and women’s, the next is Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale, and the third is all youth sports in the valley. Because we are a recognized ASU booster club, we have strict compliance rules when it comes to supporting youth sports.”
Originally founded in 1963 as the Scottsdale Quarterback Club, the VABC was formed in February 2016 with an expanded vision to provide contributions to youth sports throughout the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area as well as continuing a strong relationship with ASU. True to its roots, VABC continues to maintain the Scottsdale Sports Hall of Fame located at Scottsdale Stadium.
The Scottsdale Quarterback Club was formed when the late Frank Kush, the legendary head football coach at ASU, approached Gail Scott who was a Scottsdale businessman who was very well networked. Kush told Scott that he needed a way to bring the incoming freshmen and their families together and out of that 1962 conversation, the club had its first steak fry event a year later at the river bottom of the Rio Salado in Tempe. It was an annual tradition that continued up until ten or so years ago.
Different times necessitated a different approach and consequently a name change as well for the club.
“We changed the name due to a couple of reasons,” Blank stated. “One of the most interesting comments came from (ASU’s Vice President of Athletics) Ray Anderson two years ago. He said that with a name of Scottsdale Quarterback Club we were limited in our scope and asked us if we ever considered a name change. So that is one reason why we took a look at changing the name of the club.
“Also, our support of high school football in Scottsdale was no longer going to be in compliance with NCAA rules. So, in order to maintain our ASU booster status, we had to ask our members what means more to you? Supporting Scottsdale High School football or ASU athletics? The answer was virtually unanimous.”
Blank was indoctrinated into the Scottsdale Quarterback Club in 1985 and in 1991-2 he served as President. He remained as a board member for several years after. In 2014 Blank resumed his position as Club President and was naturally involved in the transformation to the VABC.
Pop Warner football, Little League baseball, as well as the Boys and Girls Club sports programs are supported by the VABC, as well as any youth program that has a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status and approaches the VABC for support. Youth basketball and its AAU structure aren't supported due to compliance reasons.
“We work very closely with (executive director for athletics compliance) Steve Webb at ASU,” Blank commented. “We make sure that we do an annual compliance review and Steve answers any questions we may have before we make any donations or take action.”
Another endeavor the VABC is heavily involved with is the curation of the Scottsdale Sports Hall of Fame located at Scottsdale Stadium. The late Barry Sollenberger, who was a noted historian of high school football in the state of Arizona and one of the first members of the Scottsdale Quarterback Club, came up with the idea of the Scottsdale Sports Hall of Fame.
“It’s under Barry’s guidance that this Hall of Fame got its start,” Blank noted. “Barry would head a committee every year that looked at Scottsdale athletes who were deserving of the honor. After Barry’s passing (in 2005) no one carried that torch forward, so last year was the first year the VABC inducted three individuals who were not just athletes but also contributed to Scottsdale athletics.
“The inductees were John Avianatos, Dr. Art Becker, and Jeff Berman. Three very deserving men. We had great input from people in the community and we will do this again this year.”
The VABC’s membership stands now at just over 100 members, and the club’s goal is to triple that figure over the next three years. The membership committee has been working on various events to attract prospect members and the club champions a diverse profile of individuals who wish to join their ranks.
“The Scottsdale Quarterback Club was very much a mature audience,” Blank explained. “We made it our goal to bring the age of the club down from a membership standpoint. When you look at our members there is always the common thread which is ASU athletics. So, it’s mostly sports minded people who have an affinity for ASU, who are professional businesswomen and businessmen not only in Scottsdale but all over the valley.
“So, our demographic is becoming younger.”
One of the main benefits of the VABC membership was access to ASU sporting events, as last year the VABC gave away tickets to each and every ticketed ASU athletic event. This year it plans to give away tickets to the major ASU sporting events.
“Another big benefit are our luncheons,” Blank described, “We have anywhere between 35 to 70 people at our luncheons which mainly take place on the Friday before an ASU home football game, but also throughout the year. We are drawing in two guest speakers each luncheon. One would be an ASU coach or a member of the athletic administration and the other can be a member of the community, media members with a focus on ASU, and former ASU players like Rudy Carpenter and Juan Roque who were excellent speakers.
“Another significant benefit is access to our tailgates. We have 9-10 tents set up with food and refreshments and ASU has given us great space at the North end of the stadium. We averaged 100 people at each of the tailgates and for the Arizona game we had 300 people come through there.”
Blank added that their free ‘pickem football game is a very popular contest among its members and prizes included everything from a round of golf to a two-night stay at a local resort.
The VABC holds an annual golf tournament as its major fundraiser and this event will be held on April 28, 2018, at Karsten, and will be one of the last golf tournaments held there.
Blank said that the VABC has established and productive contacts with both ASU football and the Sun Devil Club, and one of its actions had a direct benefit for ASU players.
“We donated 25 iPads for the football players,” Blank said, “not only to study their game film but also for their academic studies. This year not only we will donate more iPads but in conjunction with the Sun Devil Club, we’ll also donate soft helmets to be used in practice. That was a direct request of the football program.”
A tour of the new ASU football facility is one of the upcoming VABC member events and will also include a lunch in that facility’s cafeteria.
Any new or existing member is eligible to join the VABC’s executive board through the member elections. Non-members can attend the club’s luncheons usually as a guest of an existing member. Lunch is $20 for members and $25 for non-members and aside from the lunch it also includes two raffle tickets that have prizes ranging from ASU sports tickets to Sun Devil merchandise, etc.
The annual membership fee is only $75 per individual or $125 for couples. You can sign online here and this link also includes information on signing up paying by check for those who wish to utilize that method.
The VABC kicks off its fall event schedule with its Football Kick-Off Luncheon on August 25th. A full list of events can be found here
For More information on the VABC please visit their website
