***Please take the time to read all of the below***
Being a part of a club ultimate team has a financial obligation. It is important to communicate how finances are handled for the team so that you can make an informed decision for your commitment to the team. The easiest way to describe how team finances are handled is in a Question-Answer format. If you have any additional questions or would like clarifications on any of this, please let the captains know.
CONTENTS:
· Everyone has an individual team "account". You are expected to keep your account balance at zero.
· All team members' accounts are charged $120 at the beginning of the season; this is sum of (NEW!) team dues & a deposit to the team that is generally credited back to your account at the end of the season.
· Team-related expenses are deducted throughout the season as they are incurred.
· Periodically, you will be provided with your account balance which you are expected to pay to bring your balance back to zero. Your balance will usually be provided shortly after tournaments since that's usually when expenses are deducted from your account, but your account balance can also be provided upon request.
· At the end of the season, your deposit ($100) is generally credited back to your account.
· At any time during the season, you can request any positive balance in your account to be refunded to you.
· One month after the end of the season, if a request for refund is not received, any positive account balances will be donated to the team. Negative account balances will remain active and due until fully paid.
These are non-refundable funds that will go into a discretionary account managed by the leadership. The idea is that these will be used to build up an account for "long-term" Crucible expenses. See question later on about 'Team Money'. If finances are a concern for you, reach out and we can work out a deal!
Generally, expenses that are deducted from your account are expenses that you have specifically incurred, though some items are "team" items that are split amongst everyone on the team. Here are some samples of expenses:
· Tournament fees: Each tournament we attend (even the club series) charges a fee to the team for participation. For tournaments designated as try-out tournaments, the tournament fee will be divided evenly between those players that attend the tournament on a per-day basis, however tournament fees can still be deducted in some fringe cases (e.g. if you bail on the tournament at the last minute - 48 hours notice in most cases). For regular-season and club series tournaments, the fee will be divided evenly amongst the entire team roster (this includes players who have not earned a "series roster" but are still competing for a spot) -- whether or not you attend the tournament -- excluding those designated as practice-only players.
· Lodging: The team usually shares hotel rooms with the costs split amongst those staying in the rooms (see below for how this cost is split) and in some cases if you bail on a tournament at the last minute.
· Field permits: The team has permits for field space. This cost is split evenly amongst those on the team (including practice players).
· Jerseys, shorts, and other merchandise: Everyone on the team is required to have the appropriate team uniform (two jerseys and shorts in the latest design we use -- i.e. if we change designs, returning players will need to buy new uniforms). Additional merchandise will be by request only.
· Travel expenses: This can include gas, tolls, rental fees, etc. for tournament travel that are shared amongst team members and for which I've been requested to collect for reimbursement to those that incurred the expense (see below for details about requesting collection)
· Meals/Food: This may be a team dinner or team sideline food or other similar items
Yes, at a 50% discount. This will mean a $50 refundable deposit and a $10 team dues fee. All team members, even if not on our club series roster or injured and unable to physically play in games, are strongly encouraged to travel with the team and assist with the many sideline roles that help our team succeed. You may also have team expenses for jerseys, field permits, or other items. So, a deposit is still required of you.
Generally an average tournament cost is $80-$100. Depending on your preferences (floor sleeping, cheap meals, etc) a player could spend on the low end $50-$60 per tournament and on the high end $125 per tournament.
An active player should expect to pay between $500 and $800 on average for the season. This includes a player's share of tournament lodgings, tournament bids, travel costs, field costs, jerseys, and miscellaneous team supplies. It does not include your meals. In 2014 the average cost for an active player was $570 with a low of $270 and a high of $870. In 2015 the average cost for an active player was $567.21 with a low of $260 and a high of $870.
A full jersey kit costs on average $75. There are also generally some additional small administrative costs for other team purchases.
A practice player's cost will depend on the tournaments traveled to and will include a share of the practice field permits, jerseys, etc.
Yes. Just ask and I'll give you details on how I arrived at your account balance.
PayPal, Venmo, or checks are preferred – we will not provide receipts for cash. PayPal remitted to @KLoughery, Venmo remitted to @Katelyn-Stavinga or checks should be written out to Katelyn Stavinga and can be hand delivered at practice or mailed upon request.
Under special circumstances, cash can also be accepted in person, but please don't put cash in the mail.
Remittance via PayPal/Venmo should be initiated by a Personal Transfer / Friends & Family (this is free -- do not use a transfer that charges you or the team a fee). If using a credit as source of funds or any method that generates a fee, then you are responsible for paying the fees (2.9% + $0.30). If you fail to do so and the team is charged, then your balance will be increased to cover the amount charged to the team.
You should pay your balance (via paypal/venmo) as soon as possible after receiving your balance, but at the very least try to pay within two weeks.
Partial payments are acceptable.
Communication is key. If you don't have enough to cover things right away, pay what you can immediately and talk with us about what your difficulties are and arrangements can be made for a payment plan of some kind.
Generally, I'll probably be pestering you about your account balance, so sanctions shouldn't come as a surprise if you continue to fail to pay your balance. Sanctions may include, but is not limited to the following:
· Public shaming
· Forfeiture of deposit
Team money, which differs from your individual accounts, is received from your team dues, donations and other means (e.g. forfeiture of deposits, sanctions). Our policy is to only spend team money on items that directly benefit the team (current team or the team in future years). Examples of such expenses may include: "scholarships" for players in financial need, shared team expenses like cones, speakers, or a sideline tent, sideline food/water/Gatorade, and/or reduction in costs at Regionals or Club Championships. Team money could also be used for covering costs such as extra jerseys (for mistakes in the order or just to have on hand) and team discs for use at practices and tournaments.
Who is your favorite musician?
Please email pghCrucible@gmail.com and let us know your favorite musician right now. Please use the subject line of: music. Why? Van Halen’s standard concert contract included a provision that required a bowl of M&Ms to be provided backstage, but with all the brown candies removed. The provision was not included because they were capricious divas, but because it served a practical purpose to determine whether the technical specifications of the contract had been thoroughly read and complied with and would help prevent problems from arising during the show. Previously, Crucible would ask 'whats your favorite m&m color' - but too many of you know this trick now, so we had to switch up the question!
First, communicate your preferences -- that is, do you want to always sleep on the floor, or are you ok with sharing a bed with someone else, or do you want a bed all to yourself, or do you want an entire room to yourself? We will use this information to determine the appropriate number of hotel rooms that are required and will book the rooms and divide the room costs amongst the team based on the sleeping preferences.
· If you have a full room (e.g. families), you will usually pay the cost of the full room, though we try to use hotel reward programs for the occasional free room and thus in some cases, your cost may actually be less than the full cost of the room. Only certain hotels provide such rewards, so this doesn't happen very often.
· If you're okay with sharing a bed with another person, you pay the "standard" per-player rate. You pay this rate whether or not you end up with someone else sharing your bed with you (though generally there will always be someone assigned to share the bed with you).
· If you request and guarantee yourself a bed all to yourself, you will pay twice what shared-bed sleepers will pay.
· If you sleep on the floor, you pay a rate less than what the shared bed-sleepers pay (7/12ths the standard rate).
· If you squeeze three people into a bed, each of the players in the bed would pay 1/3 the total of two standard sleepers and one floor sleeper. Basically, if a floor person crawls into bed with two other people, only the costs of the three in the bed will affected by the arrangement (the "floor" person pays a little more for the benefit of being on the bed, the two in the bed pay a little less for the inconvenience of having a third join them).
If you agree to attend a tournament and cancel with insufficient notice (48 hours in most cases) or without any notice, you may still be charged for your share of the room.
Shared expenses, such as gas or tolls, may optionally be added to your account to simplify payment (i.e. only one person to pay for things). If you want to me to collect team-related money for you, email me the total amount for your "car" and the exact amounts you wish to be collected from each individual person. Make sure those individuals know that I will be collecting that expense from them on your behalf. Generally, you will need to get this information to the captains within a few days of the expense. If you wait too long, you will likely have to collect the money on your own.
Car owners will be compensated $25 for each tournament that requires the use of their cars. The sum of these compensations will be split evenly among all attending players at respective tournaments. For example: If 25 players attend a tournament and 6 cars are used, each of the 25 players will be charged $6 worth of maintenance fees. The 6 drivers will have $25 credited to their account to compensate for mileage put on their car. If you’re a driver and would like to opt out of receiving the car maintenance fee, please tell us prior to the tournament.
There are often committed coaches that help make the season run and put a lot of time into practices and tournaments in the form of planning, coaching, stat keeping, line calling, logistics, etc. The team covers the cost of their travel, food, and lodging expenses for a tournament weekend for these fine folks. So, that means that their share of the hotel room and their share of gas and tolls is shared among the entire team. These individuals are still responsible for other personal expenses. Generally these costs are not high, but ranges from $2-10 per player per tournament.
Generally, this is the same question as the previous one, and yes, it's generally possible to do so. But if someone dishes out money on your behalf and prefers you to pay them back in cash (especially for something that isn't team-related), that's their right. You'll want to discuss this with them. If there's any disagreement or difficulties or anything like that, come talk to us and we can try to help resolve the issue.
Your deposit will generally be credited to your account at the end of the season. This will usually result in a credit on your account after other expenses are factored in, and in such cases the credit can be refunded to you upon request (via PayPal/Venmo). If you resign from the team prior to the end of the season and are still in good standing with the team, your deposit will be credited prior to the end of the season and your account closed out early.
Please be a reasonable human being. Don't violate the trust everyone puts in you as their teammate. Examples of such violations include leaving in the middle of a tournament without telling anyone you are leaving, failing to show up at practices for extended periods of time, failure to pay your account balance in a timely manner, or otherwise egregiously leaving the team in a lurch. As long as you're communicating your issues with us so we can actively work to resolve them, you shouldn't have anything to worry about regarding losing your deposit or any other sanctions.
Thanks,
Pittsburgh Crucible