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Published August 19, 2008 08:49 pm - Feeling pain at the pump High gas prices and long road trips putting financial sting on local football teams, high school sports fans By Justin Graves jgraves@cullmantimes.com In the past, Good Hope High football fans have always traveled well.
It didn’t matter where Good Hope was playing, the team’s fans made sure their presence was felt. That could change this season. And if Good Hope’s fanbase isn’t able to create a strong presence this season, Chris Moss will understand. The Raiders coach knows it’s just economics. Gas prices have risen considerably in recent years, and almost everyone is feeling the impact — including high school football teams and the fans that follow them. After last season, the Alabama High School Athletic Association realigned its football regions. And with the change, Good Hope finds itself in a tough situation. This year, Good Hope has five road games — traveling outside Cullman County three times. While the amount of road games isn’t unusual, the distance Good Hope will travel this season is far from normal. The Raiders have road games at Winfield and Hamilton — two schools that are located in Marion County, which is near the Mississippi state line. “It’s going to be tough,” Moss said. “It’s tough on the school and it’s tough on the fans. I was talking to Dr. (Anita) Kilpatrick earlier this week, and she said it was going to cost us $1,400 just to travel to football games. That’s a big number for travel.” Good Hope isn’t the only local football team that will log a high amount of highway miles this season. Hanceville has to travel to Winfield, while Cullman and Fairview both have multiple road games that are more than one hour away. “It’s not an easy situation,” Moss said. “For the fans that travel, they have to pay for gas, tickets and food. That can get expensive. “On top of that, it’s expensive for the schools. We have to pay $1.50 per mile when we take a bus. With these long road games, it’s getting tough.” Long road trips for high school football games hasn’t always been a problem in Alabama. Before the AHSAA implemented the region format, playoff berths were decided by area games. With the old format, teams were placed in four team areas, meaning the AHSAA determined who three opponents would be. This meant coaches could use the seven other open dates to fill the schedule with geographical rivals — which typically brought in more money at the gate. 
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