Travel Ball Organizations Making Big $$

[Sweet Lou]

I get some profit and higher dues especially in the older age groups. Not seeing many college scouts @ 10U & 12U tournaments.
Most parents have no clue what's going on. It's still a game families should enjoy.
I get the business side of TB without it there is no team.

I believe there are still smaller teams/orgs that don't do serious travel or charge big money at the 10U & 12U level. You can always focus on those.

 

[softballphreak]

I get some profit and higher dues especially in the older age groups. Not seeing many college scouts @ 10U & 12U tournaments.
Most parents have no clue what's going on. It's still a game families should enjoy.
I get the business side of TB without it there is no team.

You might want to find out how much it costs to run a TB organization. Some of the expenses include the cost of playing in tournaments—the tournaments are not free!! Training/practice facilities aren't freebies, either. Uniforms aren't free, either.

Many organizations, probably most, operate primarily with volunteer coaches. Those that have paid coaches should be held to a higher level of expertise, IMO. That doesn't come cheap, either.

The money is hosting the tournaments. Check out how much each tournament costs per team.

 

[riseball]

You might want to find out how much it costs to run a TB organization. Some of the expenses include the cost of playing in tournaments—the tournaments are not free!! Training/practice facilities aren't freebies, either. Uniforms aren't free, either.

Many organizations, probably most, operate primarily with volunteer coaches. Those that have paid coaches should be held to a higher level of expertise, IMO. That doesn't come cheap, either.

The money is hosting the tournaments. Check out how much each tournament costs per team.

This would be a great exercise for many. Our uniforms are $255 and it costs another $250 per player for insurance, sanction fees, practice fields, cage time, etc. So for a new player they are in it for just over $500 to walk onto the field. Then showcases run $600 to $1200. We split this over 10 players (we carry 12 - 13) which gives us some extra cash to take care of incidental costs, equipment, and such. End of the year we have a party. Depending on how much is left over it is either hot dogs or steak.

However, the costs for playing usually are much less than the travel costs incurred which this year included HOF in Oklahoma City and ASA Nationals in Montgomery AL.

 

[JAD]

A lot of organizations get greedy and add more teams than the local talent pool can support, and they end up with a bunch of watered down teams that do not fare well, but the top people in the organization are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Slappers]

I'm not an organization so it's easy for me. Uniform jersey was $42 a player. They need to have black pants and white pants. Most of them had those already. They are pretty sharp too I must admit. Anyway, dues for 7 tournaments, insurance and practice facilities run each player $350. We are traveling to one tournament in the fall so they will incur those expenses as well. Looking at about $250 each for a winter gym and another $350 for the summer. So you are in it for about $1000. I make no extra. I actually end up footing a tournament or two myself. Stupid? Definitely. Worth it? Hell yeah. I don't like when the season ends so I pick up more tournaments. Maybe I should just plan better lol.

Instead of a fundraiser for us this fall, we are helping out with a school supplies drive for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

 

[Freak13]

A lot of organizations get greedy and add more teams than the local talent pool can support, and they end up with a bunch of watered down teams that do not fare well, but the top people in the organization are laughing all the way to the bank.

Exactly^

Monthly dues cover practice facilities, tournaments, equipment.
Registration fee covers uniforms, assoc. fees, insurance, misc. admin
Fundraising & Sponsorships help cover bigger tournaments/showcases, travel expenses for staff
At least that's how all the team in Org. Do it

But hey if little Suzy's parents want to chip in extra to help pay for Org. Presidents New Bass Boat .... That's there choice

 

[fastpitch5]

This is interesting, as my family and I are bucking the system starting his fall and getting away from the big name clubs.

I think there is a place for these power house clubs. These are the girls that will likely play high level college ball. So i see the point of the more expensive programs that include paid coaches, etc. My dd will never be one of these girls, she is not interested in college ball, but she is a pretty darn good player. We are getting away from these programs b/c we don't feel they are what she needs based on her goals. Does that mean she's gotta play rec? We are finding plenty of good independent teams that are capable, and do from time to time, beat these club teams. So I am learning that, at least for our needs, the high dollar clubs are a waste. We will play a. Molar able number of games (granted way fewer exposures), practice about the same amount, and probably end up with a decent season under our belts when it's all said and done.

My son is a similar example. Started 2014 fresh off an independent AAA/major team (that's typically the higher end baseball teams) and moved to a club team with paid coaches and all kinds of professional experience. We lost all but 6 games this summer. So did the $4000 get him anything? Did he progress forward in his skills? Nope. My point is that $$$ does not equal quality. But the club director had a decent payday!

I get that some of these clubs are money-making businesses. No issues there. I get tired of the attitude that if you don't play for a high powered club you're not worthy.

 

[Slappers]

This is interesting, as my family and I are bucking the system starting his fall and getting away from the big name clubs.

I think there is a place for these power house clubs. These are the girls that will likely play high level college ball. So i see the point of the more expensive programs that include paid coaches, etc. My dd will never be one of these girls, she is not interested in college ball, but she is a pretty darn good player. We are getting away from these programs b/c we don't feel they are what she needs based on her goals. Does that mean she's gotta play rec? We are finding plenty of good independent teams that are capable, and do from time to time, beat these club teams. So I am learning that, at least for our needs, the high dollar clubs are a waste. We will play a. Molar able number of games (granted way fewer exposures), practice about the same amount, and probably end up with a decent season under our belts when it's all said and done.

My son is a similar example. Started 2014 fresh off an independent AAA/major team (that's typically the higher end baseball teams) and moved to a club team with paid coaches and all kinds of professional experience. We lost all but 6 games this summer. So did the $4000 get him anything? Did he progress forward in his skills? Nope. My point is that $$$ does not equal quality. But the club director had a decent payday!

I get that some of these clubs are money-making businesses. No issues there. I get tired of the attitude that if you don't play for a high powered club you're not worthy.

Lots of good stuff there especially the bolded part.

 

[JJsqueeze]

This is interesting, as my family and I are bucking the system starting his fall and getting away from the big name clubs.

I think there is a place for these power house clubs. These are the girls that will likely play high level college ball. So i see the point of the more expensive programs that include paid coaches, etc. My dd will never be one of these girls, she is not interested in college ball, but she is a pretty darn good player. We are getting away from these programs b/c we don't feel they are what she needs based on her goals. Does that mean she's gotta play rec? We are finding plenty of good independent teams that are capable, and do from time to time, beat these club teams. So I am learning that, at least for our needs, the high dollar clubs are a waste. We will play a. Molar able number of games (granted way fewer exposures), practice about the same amount, and probably end up with a decent season under our belts when it's all said and done.

My son is a similar example. Started 2014 fresh off an independent AAA/major team (that's typically the higher end baseball teams) and moved to a club team with paid coaches and all kinds of professional experience. We lost all but 6 games this summer. So did the $4000 get him anything? Did he progress forward in his skills? Nope. My point is that $$$ does not equal quality. But the club director had a decent payday!

I get that some of these clubs are money-making businesses. No issues there. I get tired of the attitude that if you don't play for a high powered club you're not worthy.

See the experience that Ken shared about his IMT Castaways team. http://www.discussfastpitch.com/kens-softball-tips/15778-results-iomt-castaways-experiment.html

 

[FP26]

This is probably unpopular with most travel teams, but we keep an "open book". If any parents have questions about where the money is going, we are happy to show them. We keep track of all fund raising and then compare it to all costs involved; tournament fees, registration, equipment (we try to keep this low, but there are things that are necessary), gym time during the winter, field time during the rest of the year, end of year party, etc. Very few parents ask to see our books. The ones that do are typically surprised by the cost involved. After the end of year party and gifts, we plan to have less than $50 left to keep in the account.

NOTE: All of our coaches are volunteers and most of us spend additional money on the program (balls, scorebooks, etc.) in addition to our time. Not complaining, but this is another aspect that some other parents don't fully understand.