Guide
How to collect league dues online
By Michael Montalbano, founder of Beleeg · Last updated
To collect league dues online, work out a fee that covers your costs, set one due date before the first game, decide whether each player pays or each team pays once, and use a payment page that records who has paid. Write the refund rule down before anyone pays, record cash payments in the same list, and send reminders only to the people who still owe.
The short version
- 1Add up the season’s costs and divide by the number of players you expect.
- 2Choose: each player pays, or each team pays once through its captain.
- 3Set the due date at least a week before the first game.
- 4Write the refund rule and put it on the sign-up page.
- 5Take card payments online, and record any cash in the same list.
- 6Send a reminder a few days before the due date, only to people who have not paid.
- 7Keep one list of who has paid until the season ends.
How much should league dues be?
League dues should cover the season’s real costs, split across the players you expect, plus a small cushion of about 5 to 10 percent for no-shows and surprises. Add up field or court rental, referees, equipment, insurance, and prizes first.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Field or court rental | $2,400 |
| Referees (28 games at $40) | $1,120 |
| Balls and equipment | $300 |
| Insurance | $400 |
| Shirts or prizes | $800 |
| Total | $5,020 |
| Per player (80 players) | $62.75, so charge about $65 to $70 |
Card fees come out of each payment, so check what reaches you after fees (see below) before you settle on the price.
Should each player pay, or each team?
Having each player pay suits leagues where people sign up on their own; having each team pay once suits leagues where captains bring whole teams. Per-player payments mean nobody chases teammates; per-team payments mean fewer payments but put the captain on the hook.
| Each player pays | Each team pays once | |
|---|---|---|
| Who collects | The league, from every player | The captain, from teammates |
| Chasing late payers | The league reminds each player | The captain chases teammates |
| Number of payments | One per player | One per team |
| Best for | Leagues with individual sign-ups and free agents | Leagues where captains enter full teams |
When should dues be due?
League dues should be due at least a week before the first game. A firm date lets you confirm teams, pay for fields, and fill empty spots from the waitlist before play starts.
- Take payment at sign-up where you can; people who pay when they register rarely drop out.
- Decide what happens to someone who has not paid by the due date, such as losing their spot to the next person on the waitlist.
- For a long season, one payment at the start is simpler to track than several smaller ones.
What refund rule should I use?
A clear league refund rule gives a full refund until teams or the schedule are set, a partial refund for the first week or two, and no refund after that, with an exception for injuries. Put it on the sign-up page so nobody is surprised.
- Say whether rained-out games are refunded. Most leagues reschedule them instead.
- Card processors usually keep their fee when you refund, so a “full refund” can cost the league a little.
- Refund through the same system people paid with, so the record of who paid stays correct.
What does collecting dues online cost?
Collecting dues online costs a card processing fee on each payment, typically about 2.9 percent plus 30 cents in the United States with Stripe, plus whatever the league software charges, which may be a monthly subscription, a percentage, or a flat fee per payment.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| The player pays | $65.00 |
| Stripe card fee (2.9% + 30¢) | about $2.19 |
| Beleeg’s flat fee | $3.00 |
| Reaches the league’s Stripe account | about $59.81 |
Compare software on what reaches you per payment, not only on the monthly price.
How do I handle players who pay cash?
Record cash payments the same day in the same list as online payments, so there is one place that says who has paid. One person should hold the cash and give a receipt.
- Never keep a second list for cash. Two lists always disagree by week three.
- Deposit cash promptly and note the date.
- Food and drink money for a team is best kept separate from league dues, collected by the captain.
How do I get people to pay without nagging?
Send one reminder a few days before the due date and one on the day, only to the people who have not paid. Never post a public list of who owes.
- Put the amount, the due date, and the payment link in every reminder.
- Captains can nudge their own teammates; the league should not have to.
- After the due date, make one personal call or message before giving the spot away.
Where Beleeg helps
Everything above works with a spreadsheet and a group text. If you would rather not keep them up to date by hand, this is what Beleeg does for you:
- Set one registration fee for the league, paid by each player or once per team by the captain.
- Players pay by card when they sign up, and the money goes to your own Stripe account. The player pays exactly the price you set; Beleeg keeps a flat $3 per payment, and Stripe keeps its card fee. The smallest online payment is $5. It is free for organizers.
- See who has paid, who has not, and who is pending; mark cash payments as paid; and send one reminder to everyone who still owes. Reminders go by email and in the app.
- Refund a player in full or in part.
- When the league is full, new sign-ups join a waitlist, and you can offer the spot to the next person.
- Captains can collect team money for extras, like food or drinks, through their own Stripe account: each player gets a Pay button, and the captain sees who paid online or in cash and can nudge the rest.
- Tournaments can give players a time limit to pay after they get in; a late payer can lose the spot to someone on the waitlist.
- Export the member list as a spreadsheet file (CSV).
- Collecting dues another way today? We move your league over for you.
How do I collect league dues without Venmo?
Use a sign-up page that takes the card payment and records who paid in the same step, and keep cash in that same list. The hard part of collecting dues through a personal payment app is matching each payment to a name by hand and chasing whoever has not sent it; a sign-up page with payment built in does both for you.
With Beleeg, each player pays by card when they register, and the money goes to the league’s own Stripe account. The player pays exactly the fee you set. On a $65 fee, Stripe keeps about $2.19 and Beleeg keeps $3, so about $59.81 reaches you. The roster shows who has paid, who has not, and who is pending, and one button reminds everyone who still owes, by email and in the app.
Players who hand you cash or a check are marked paid in the same list, and those cost you nothing. It is free for organizers, and the smallest online payment is $5. If you would rather keep collecting your own way, choose “Collect payments yourself” and use Beleeg only to keep track of who has paid.
How do I collect league dues with Stripe?
Connect a Stripe account to your league, set the registration fee, and share the sign-up link; each player pays by card and the money goes to your own Stripe account. In Beleeg you connect Stripe in the payments step when you set up the league, or later from the league dashboard. Stripe asks for what it needs to pay you, such as your bank account.
The fee can be paid by each player, or once per team by the captain. The player pays the price you set and nothing more. Two amounts come out of each payment: Stripe’s card fee, about 2.9% plus 30 cents in the United States, and Beleeg’s flat $3. On a $90 registration that is about $2.91 to Stripe and $3 to Beleeg, so about $84.09 reaches your Stripe account. Stripe then pays it out to your bank on your Stripe payout schedule; Beleeg does not hold it.
Refunds, in full or in part, go back through the same payment, so the list of who has paid stays right. Payments under $5 cannot be taken online. There is no monthly fee, and the White-label plan ($149 a season) does not change the $3.
Choosing software for your league? Read the best league management software for adult and rec leagues, or compare Beleeg with TeamSnap, LeagueApps, or SportsEngine.