Refund thread

[Unregistered]

But when the shoe fits, they say they are full time coaches. Like when the club says your fees are high, because you get the benefit of being taught by full time coaches.

If their club files a 1099 for them (for independent contractors) instead of a W2 (employee) then they will be denied unemployment benefits. I don't know if the quality with the various Congressional bills for those one time checks, hopefully so

[Unregistered]

I would love some sort of a refund or credit for next year but agree that coaches and full time staff should still be paid.

This is something we should all get behind...

[Unregistered]

You are a moron if you believe that. 365 million US citizens. Less than 6,000 sick.

Oh, Look...we found an expert on the situation.

<gets out notebook>

Please, go on.

[Unregistered]

All clubs should lay off their coaches, so they can collect unemployment, and refunds can be given to their players. No different than any other job. In fact, I’m sure that most coaches are already getting unemployment benefits right now, just like any other job that has lay offs.

I love how this person thinks that coaching is the majority of a club's staff only job. Collecting unemployment isn't an option if lets say the coach is a teacher by day, then coaches two teams at the club.

Woah

[Unregistered]

But when the shoe fits, they say they are full time coaches. Like when the club says your fees are high, because you get the benefit of being taught by full time coaches.

The bigger clubs, the coaches are "employees"

The smaller clubs, the coaches are "independant contractors"

[Unregistered]

Yes they definitely will. Better to give back at least some money to keep players. I have three kids playing and all the parents on all the teams are planning to leave if we don’t get at least partial refunds. Especially tournament fees that were paid.

Questions for Mr. Tough Guy

On a team of 20 you paid $50 for a tournament. You've surveyed all the families on all 3 teams? Where will all these players go if a lot of other clubs don't do refunds? Do you think your player will make another team? Would you take a credit towards the fall so your club can pay coaches now?

[Unregistered]

You are incorrect. The majority of coaches are contract workers, not employees. They have a contract which lays out the terms and are generally paid by stipend. That means self-employed, no collecting UE benefits.

The new stimulus package cares for contract workers.

[Unregistered]

I for one am expecting a refund of at least unplayed tournament fees, especially since my kid will not be playing for the club next year, so a credit is useless.

[Unregistered]

I for one am expecting a refund of at least unplayed tournament fees, especially since my kid will not be playing for the club next year, so a credit is useless.

Tournament organizers are grabbing a relatively small ($50-$75) admin fee for refunds. I think this seems fair, and also that it is fair to spread this out over the players on my team.

[Unregistered]

Yes they definitely will. Better to give back at least some money to keep players. I have three kids playing and all the parents on all the teams are planning to leave if we don’t get at least partial refunds. Especially tournament fees that were paid.

Are you expecting any clubs to provide refunds?

[Unregistered]

I don't expect a refund. Nobody should from any small business. We need to cut our losses. Small businesses will go under if we all expect refunds. If restaurants go under are you expecting your gift certificate to be valid? no and they will. Looking for refunds right now isn't going to help.
Ask your club to extend the season into the summer or give you credit towards fall season if you plan on coming back or if your kid makes the team.

[Unregistered]

I don't expect a refund. Nobody should from any small business. We need to cut our losses. Small businesses will go under if we all expect refunds. If restaurants go under are you expecting your gift certificate to be valid? no and they will. Looking for refunds right now isn't going to help.
Ask your club to extend the season into the summer or give you credit towards fall season if you plan on coming back or if your kid makes the team.

The flip side of this is clubs shouldn't be charging families for dues owed. They can't deliver services, so any payments still owed at this point should be delayed until soccer starts up again or waived if the spring never actually gets off the ground.

Tournament fees should be refunded. Clubs shouldn't be profiting from fees paid for tournament dues that are cancelled. Same goes for coach travel expenses. We pay about $300 per family at the beginning of the season into the team slush fund to cover assorted coach travel expenses and such. By my count, there is probably $300-400 per family that should be refunded that was either paid in addition to the dues or is a cost built into the dues (tournaments) and should be broken out.

We're not talking coach pay, which is fixed, though many clubs stopped paying or laid off coaches. We're not talking field rentals, which may be paid in advance and credited for next year. We're not talking league dues, ref fees, or administrative overhead.

As a business, it is literally that simple. If I paid a contractor to do work on my house and he collects the money but never delivers the service, that is fraud and theft. Sure, the contractor could go out of business, but depending on how the business is set up, it and the owners can be sued for damages. Club soccer is a business. They have accepted payment, but cannot deliver the promised services. If your roofer stopped a roofing job half way through and never finished, would you just write off the loss or go after the roofer for what is owed? Why should club soccer be different?

If a spring season or summer season doesn't materialize, there will be lawsuits. Count on it. This, along with worrying about their reputation among coaches who get laid off and families who get screwed out of money, is what is keeping owners up at night.

I know of examples of families that just joined teams officially in March for the spring season. Dues paid, no services rendered. If a spring season doesn't materialize, what should be done?

[Unregistered]

The flip side of this is clubs shouldn't be charging families for dues owed. They can't deliver services, so any payments still owed at this point should be delayed until soccer starts up again or waived if the spring never actually gets off the ground.

Tournament fees should be refunded. Clubs shouldn't be profiting from fees paid for tournament dues that are cancelled. Same goes for coach travel expenses. We pay about $300 per family at the beginning of the season into the team slush fund to cover assorted coach travel expenses and such. By my count, there is probably $300-400 per family that should be refunded that was either paid in addition to the dues or is a cost built into the dues (tournaments) and should be broken out.

We're not talking coach pay, which is fixed, though many clubs stopped paying or laid off coaches. We're not talking field rentals, which may be paid in advance and credited for next year. We're not talking league dues, ref fees, or administrative overhead.

As a business, it is literally that simple. If I paid a contractor to do work on my house and he collects the money but never delivers the service, that is fraud and theft. Sure, the contractor could go out of business, but depending on how the business is set up, it and the owners can be sued for damages. Club soccer is a business. They have accepted payment, but cannot deliver the promised services. If your roofer stopped a roofing job half way through and never finished, would you just write off the loss or go after the roofer for what is owed? Why should club soccer be different?

If a spring season or summer season doesn't materialize, there will be lawsuits. Count on it. This, along with worrying about their reputation among coaches who get laid off and families who get screwed out of money, is what is keeping owners up at night.

I know of examples of families that just joined teams officially in March for the spring season. Dues paid, no services rendered. If a spring season doesn't materialize, what should be done?

We have to be patient with each other. The only way to save the clubs is to have the season move to May-July. That's what the towns are proposing in MA.

[Unregistered]

We have to be patient with each other. The only way to save the clubs is to have the season move to May-July. That's what the towns are proposing in MA.

I don't disagree. The virus has it's own timeline however and we are not even at the peak here in the US. I don't see New York or CA getting back to normal any time soon as they are currently the epicenters of this. We'll see how MA does in the coming weeks, but there is a very real chance that nothing starts up until June or later.

[Unregistered]

I don't disagree. The virus has it's own timeline however and we are not even at the peak here in the US. I don't see New York or CA getting back to normal any time soon as they are currently the epicenters of this. We'll see how MA does in the coming weeks, but there is a very real chance that nothing starts up until June or later.

It all depends on which news outlet you listen to.