Dues for Gamecock booster club increasing

[Turd Ferguson]

Dues for South Carolina booster club increasing
The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. --
The University of South Carolina has raised the dues for its athletic booster organization, the Gamecock Club, for the first time in 18 years.

The increases, which could generate about $8 million more in revenue, were approved Monday by the university board of trustees.

Gamecock Club director Chris Wyrick expects the number of donors to drop. He said about 20 of the club's 14,000 members dropped out before the increase was approved.

The increases, to be phased in during five years, will help the Gamecocks keep up with other Southeastern Conference schools, athletics director Eric Hyman said.

The lowest rate of giving, $50, will be increased $5 each year for the next five years. The highest donation level, the diamond spur level, will remain at $30,000 until 2011 but will increase by $3,000 in both 2011 and 2012.

Dues generate almost $14 million a year. If the number of donors remain the same, the increases will raise revenues to almost $22 million.

Since last fall, the club has held 33 meetings which were attended by 9,000 members. The members were told the increase was coming, Wyrick said.

"We will lose some folks, and that bothers us. We never want to lose donors," Wyrick said.

[Simple Man]

Join the crowd....

[Dook]

I, like most of the younger generation, am willing to drop an extra coin or 2 if it will improve the facilities and the recruiting.

I am upping ours to a Silver Spur.