Tanner Bonheimer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arcadia High School for AZPreps365.com.

The 4A Desert Sky region titles reside at Arcadia High School, where the boys and girls soccer teams each won them for the first time in four years.

While the players and coaches combined to find a winning formula, the on-the-field product would not have been possible without the contributions from the boys and girls soccer booster clubs.

“As many don't know, the high school and school district only provide certain resources to their sports teams and their players,” said president of the boys soccer booster club, Matt Arria. “Because of this the booster provides the resources and logistics to support the team throughout the season.”

The boys and girls booster clubs fill in these gaps by providing the teams with resources including: practice jerseys, pregame and postgame meals, team dinners, senior night activities, and a postseason banquet.

“A lot of people come together as a part of the booster club to contribute to this [girls] team,” said president of the girls soccer booster club Lisa Henry. “Multiple people staff the snack bar, others prepare game day meals, some families volunteer to host team dinners. It is a collective effort of more than a dozen people.”

These contributions are vital in creating an off-the-field environment that is most conducive to on-the-field success. The booster clubs ensured that the players were well-fed, and that the infrastructure was in place to be able to host fans at games. This means that the booster clubs not only provided what is necessary for the athletes to perform well, but they also provided something for the athletes to play for by providing the hospitality necessary for fans and parents to watch the games.

“I got a personalized ball on senior night that really showed me how much I was appreciated,” said senior forward Gael Hernandez. “Just little stuff like that showed me how much people cared to watch us play, and I felt like it gave me something to play for.”

While the players may have gained a sense of how they were playing for their families and the fans, the booster clubs provided the teams with another reason for the athletes to play: for their teammates.

Both the boys and girls teams utilized team dinners hosted by volunteer families as opportunities for players to tighten bonds made throughout the year. By joining together in a context outside of school and soccer, the players are able to become that much closer. Connections like these may make the athletes play that much harder, since nobody wants to let down their friends and teammates.

Evidently, these motivations worked, as the boys soccer team won its first region title in four years, and the girls team won its fourth region title in six years. 

“It's great when the boys are successful in their pursuits,” said Arria. “When they have a successful season it provides some satisfaction that these small things the booster does make a difference in their experience competing for Arcadia.”

That is exactly what the boys and girls booster clubs do: making a difference for the teams on and off the field.