Handling of team/player finances

[badmonkey]

We're with a new org this fall. We received an email itemizing the fee breakdown for tourneys, practice facilities, league, balls, etc. (Volunteer coaches, BTW) When I added it all up there was a discrepancy between the fees paid by the players, and the total costs. I'm going to find out why.

Seriously, where's that $6.00 dollars going? Coach Sharon had better have a good answer.

 

[_MIA_]

Some people have a reading comprehension problem it appears.

Everybody who would be ok with having a 0% interest savings account with money, in variable (unknown) amounts, transferred into it every 3rd month from your checking account but you do not have easy access to that Savings account balance, raise their hand...

While I think transparency is a good idea regardless, if I knew all my money was being spent for something, it wouldn't be as big of deal.

 

[uncdrew]

Silver has to be either a coach or a parent of a 10u or lower child with no older children!

The simple fact is, the only way to run a travel team is to be 100% open about EVERYTHING! Why? Because parents will find SOMETHING to bitch about. Finances should never be a part of it. If you're joining a travel team then you are joining, essentially, a "commune". In such an idea, everyone's finances are pooled together to reach a final goal. If little Suzy doesn't attend 3 out of 10 practices, that's too bad. Her finances went to fund the purchase of field time, regardless of whether she makes the practice or not. Same with tournaments. Doesn't matter if she makes 10 of 10 or 3 of 10. She (or parents) agreed to be a part of the team and all finances were figured out ahead of time for a team of xx number to compete based upon practice and tournament time cost.

The problem comes when Suzy's dad starts questioning the costs and how much he spent. "I never agreed to pay for that tournament we signed up for, 11 of 10!!!" So you always have an open expense sheet showing how much has been taken in and how much has been spent. Period. End of discussion. Let's go for drinks. (Not on the team's cost of course!)

Suzy is off the team!

 

[TopCatDad]

I do our team finances on Quicken. I carry a report of income and expenses with me to every practice and every tournament. Not once has anyone asked to see it, but it is with me. And truthfully the expenses are usually more then the income at times. Especially when you have to pay tournaments almost a year in advance(18u showcase) So the money isn’t just sitting in a account somewhere. And we have had to pull out of a tournament before with zero refund.

At the beginning of the season I map out what things are going to cost and divide by the number of players. We give each player a copy of this so they know where the money is going. You agreed to a price and it shouldn’t change. But we run pretty close to what we budgeted.


Remember I am a volunteer. Our organization has checks and balances I have to adhere to. Our Non Profit has things We need to stay on top of.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[texasheat]

but all the focus was on the elite/premier/A team, the rest of us were there to provide cash flow for those teams.

This is how all the bigger orgs are. Just the way it is. Nature of the beast. I don't like it nor do you but they still exist and even prosper so I guess a lot of people don't mind as long as they get the cool jerseys.

 

[bmakj]

I guess a lot of it comes down to size of the org as well. around here, the "big" orgs have maybe 10 teams, mid size org have 4-8, and then there is everybody else. if you are in the dozens or more of teams in an org, it is more like a business. you can nail down prices for everything a lot better (ie tourneys, unis, bags, etc.) because you have a lot more history to use to gauge things.

and if my team has parent coaches (ie no paid coaches), then they damn well better to be able to account for every penny. lucky, most teams we have been part of have been pretty much transparent on where the money goes, in fact current team, coach indicated without prompting this would be the case.

we would shy away from any parent coached team that would not be transparent on costs.

 

[The Man In Blue]

My daughter played for an organization with over 100 teams last year.

An organization of that size should be professional enough to provide accounting and accountability.

Can you imagine how big of a pain in the rear it would be to run the finances of 100 teams the way your team is being run?

And THAT attitude is why. Not picking on your opinion, but saying if an organization of 100 teams has that attitude, I am really getting cynical. Scale is a reason to provide more transparency, not an excuse to avoid it. I’m not saying something is askew; I’m saying larger orgs like that provide more opportunity for something to go wrong.

My point of view comes from someone who has run a program of 200+ kids and has had to deal with financial improprieties more than once (including being falsely accused by a Treasurer who was covering his own tracks after he paid his rent and utility bills).

 

[Silver 2200]

An organization of that size should be professional enough to provide accounting and accountability.



And THAT attitude is why. Not picking on your opinion, but saying if an organization of 100 teams has that attitude, I am really getting cynical. Scale is a reason to provide more transparency, not an excuse to avoid it. I’m not saying something is askew; I’m saying larger orgs like that provide more opportunity for something to go wrong.

My point of view comes from someone who has run a program of 200+ kids and has had to deal with financial improprieties more than once (including being falsely accused by a Treasurer who was covering his own tracks after he paid his rent and utility bills).

We are going to have to agree to disagree. The organization said you will be getting X for Y amount of dollars. Everything was spelled out clearly in the contract that the parents signed. If you don't like the deal go play somewhere else.

Nowhere in the contract did it say if you want to see an itemized financial report for the team we will show you that. Maybe if you were the coach of the team they would share some of that info.

 

[Silver 2200]

Silver has to be either a coach or a parent of a 10u or lower child with no older children!

You would be wrong. I no longer coach, and my daughter is older than that. I have an older son. You pretty much completely missed on that one.

On the bright side. I am a parent. You nailed that part.

Your post made me think of these old commercials.

 

[djcarter1966]

One thing that is an absolute must is transparency....I don't care if it's scribbled on a napkin you should at any time be able to show me what the organization/team/individual accounts are depending on how it is broken up for the org you play with.

After that it's up to me to decide if I want to be part of the organization that spends its money in that way....the end