Do Team Managers Skim...

[Unregistered]

Same here. We've been managers twice now and only time we collected money was for a charity event, which was club-oriented not team-oriented; and a team dinner we ourselves decided to coordinate.

I don't want to talk money with people. Just turns into a sob story and I really don't care to listen.

As a manager one club wanted me to go after families for non payment. No freaking way. That's their job.

[Unregistered]

We've never asked, nor been offered, anything. I suppose I could've.

As for 'why'?, I'm a control freak and if I handled some of the logistics I know it's done to my satisfaction. It's a minimal amount of work.

Varies by club and how much a manager does. I got half off at one club but did all the game scheduling, team communication, hotel reservations - but never handled a penny of family money, the club did that. It wasn't terribly taxing but still a decent amount of time involved. I appreciated the discount. Elsewhere basically just did the team dinner/coach gift thing and got no discount - that's fine as it was nearly no work.

[Unregistered]

All three of the clubs we have been with have the manger collect a slush fund at the beginning of the year for extra tournaments, team meals and travel. It hasn't been a big deal, but kinda sucks for the manager.

[Unregistered]

All three of the clubs we have been with have the manger collect a slush fund at the beginning of the year for extra tournaments, team meals and travel. It hasn't been a big deal, but kinda sucks for the manager.

If I were a manager of that club, and asked to do that, I would turn in my badge and say "no thanks".

[Unregistered]

All three of the clubs we have been with have the manger collect a slush fund at the beginning of the year for extra tournaments, team meals and travel. It hasn't been a big deal, but kinda sucks for the manager.

Tournaments and coach travel should be included in your fees (usually 2-3 events), but if unplanned ones are added later then the money should be collected, not upfront. Preferably the club handles all that through their office. Team meals are separate. Be leery of slush funds and no accounting for where your money is going.

[Unregistered]

Tournaments and coach travel should be included in your fees (usually 2-3 events), but if unplanned ones are added later then the money should be collected, not upfront. Preferably the club handles all that through their office. Team meals are separate. Be leery of slush funds and no accounting for where your money is going.

Depends on what events and league you are talking about, more details please?

Local events, NPL, DA, ECNL cost of club, if you are paying $3000 plus I would say coaches travel is included for HS teams, if you are playing under 2400 for a HS team I would say
Coaches travel will be additional cost to the families

[Unregistered]

A former TM would put all the expenses on their credit card to get credit card points and have the treasurer reimburse them from the team account for hotel, air, car, meals, everything.

[Unregistered]

Different state but we had a team mgr that was obviously skimming and working many angles. All travel, hotels, food,transportation, etc. went through the team mgr. She’d send out a high guesstimate of the expenses for each trip which had to be paid to her before the trip. Other teams in the club paid a couple hundred dollars less per trip to start and were reimbursed any extra funds. They ate much better and had itemized receipts/expenses spreadsheet emailed after all was said and done. Not my dd’s team. She also collected all the hotel points for the team and then used them for her own personal use. It was so bad that other parents joked that she bought her dd a car with all the extra money! Parents didn’t make waves because she’d take it out on your kid.

[Unregistered]

At least they itemized items and emailed it out. I have no idea where our money goes. Especially irritating when TM asks for more team funds.

[Unregistered]

At least they itemized items and emailed it out. I have no idea where our money goes. Especially irritating when TM asks for more team funds.

Demand answers. You're the paying customer. Why any club would let a non employee touch any money (beyond a team dinner, and with receipts) is beyond me.

[Unregistered]

If the club has to budget travel to these events, then they are spreading it out over the entire club and every team is paying regardless if they are attending or not. I like that just the team traveling is cover the coaches travel expenses and not everyone else. Also how would a club know how to even budget for this, they would have to estimate that the teams get accepted and what the hotel, car rental and airfare would be at that time, some of these events are months away, that sounds like an impossible task and they would have to inflate the price so they do not end up loosing money. I agree if the club is covering these cost then they are spreading it over everyone, that seems unfair to the ones not attending these travel events.

Not that difficult to forecast expenses for upcoming year.
Small and large companies do it every year.
Start with what it costs last year, and tweak from there.
Clubs have a good history of what it costs per team and per player to send a coach to A, B, and C tournament. If not, they are poor at running a business.

[Unregistered]

I am a team manager and collect the slush fund from our families. I keep it in a separate bank account. Coach then submits receipts and itemized travel expenses to the club after tournaments. Once that is approved it is sent to me for reimbursement to the coach. It’s all documented and kept on a spread sheet. Any surplus left over at end of season is either split up and returned to families (which is a pain to be honest) or usually used toward an end of year team party. Although I have all supporting paperwork, no parent has ever requested to see it, but I have it if they want to.

Most of us managers work for nothing or very little to help your teams and are honest, fair people. Kinda get tired of all the accusations and “special treatment” comments that some of you continue to spout over and over again. How about you get off your ass and volunteer to be the manager. Oh that’s right, you can barely get your kid’s waiver in on time without us email and texting you 20 reminders.

[Unregistered]

I am a team manager and collect the slush fund from our families. I keep it in a separate bank account. Coach then submits receipts and itemized travel expenses to the club after tournaments. Once that is approved it is sent to me for reimbursement to the coach. It’s all documented and kept on a spread sheet. Any surplus left over at end of season is either split up and returned to families (which is a pain to be honest) or usually used toward an end of year team party. Although I have all supporting paperwork, no parent has ever requested to see it, but I have it if they want to.

Most of us managers work for nothing or very little to help your teams and are honest, fair people. Kinda get tired of all the accusations and “special treatment” comments that some of you continue to spout over and over again. How about you get off your ass and volunteer to be the manager. Oh that’s right, you can barely get your kid’s waiver in on time without us email and texting you 20 reminders.

Yay.

Truth is 98% of TMs are exactly like this. Honest, diligent folks that keep the team oiled.
But the horror stories become legend

[Unregistered]

I am a team manager and collect the slush fund from our families. I keep it in a separate bank account. Coach then submits receipts and itemized travel expenses to the club after tournaments. Once that is approved it is sent to me for reimbursement to the coach. It’s all documented and kept on a spread sheet. Any surplus left over at end of season is either split up and returned to families (which is a pain to be honest) or usually used toward an end of year team party. Although I have all supporting paperwork, no parent has ever requested to see it, but I have it if they want to.

Most of us managers work for nothing or very little to help your teams and are honest, fair people. Kinda get tired of all the accusations and “special treatment” comments that some of you continue to spout over and over again. How about you get off your ass and volunteer to be the manager. Oh that’s right, you can barely get your kid’s waiver in on time without us email and texting you 20 reminders.

Sounds like a job for an employee of the club, like a treasurer.
Let’s say for the 2% of the unscrupulous bad managers out there, what if they skipped town or claimed the bank account was empty at midseason. What recourse do you or the club have?
Since the TM is not an employee or doesn’t have an agreement with the club, it would be very difficult to investigate, fire, or prosecute the TM, nevermind get restitution.
Your club’s setup is ripe for fraud.
You might say, why would a TM do this and risk shame on their kid. That would be the family that is mad at the coach or club and is planning on leaving anyway.

[Unregistered]

Sounds like a job for an employee of the club, like a treasurer.
Let’s say for the 2% of the unscrupulous bad managers out there, what if they skipped town or claimed the bank account was empty at midseason. What recourse do you or the club have?
Since the TM is not an employee or doesn’t have an agreement with the club, it would be very difficult to investigate, fire, or prosecute the TM, nevermind get restitution.
Your club’s setup is ripe for fraud.
You might say, why would a TM do this and risk shame on their kid. That would be the family that is mad at the coach or club and is planning on leaving anyway.

Huh?

Well we know we would not you being our TM