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3. Finding Players for Your Team
Whether you're considering forming a new team, already preparing to captain your first season, or going on your 5th championship, we know firsthand that as a Captain, it takes initiative to manage your team. And we want you to know we're here to make it as easy as possible, allowing you to focus on a fun season!
Team Payment Process
1. The Captain's credit/debit card info is required to register a team for the league, but won't be charged right away.
2. A minimum of $200 must be paid toward a team's dues by the Signup Deadline to confirm a team's spot. This amount can be paid online by teammates, the Captain, or a combination. After registering, we encourage Captains to immediately begin inviting players to join their team and issuing them invoices for their share of team dues. After the Signup Deadline (or 6 days prior to the scheduled start date, whichever comes first), any unpaid amount of the $200 minimum will be automatically charged to the Captain's credit/debit card.
3. The full team balance must be paid by the Payment Deadline (typically the day before the second game). Again, this amount can be paid online by teammates, the Captain, or a combination. After the Payment Deadline, any unpaid amount of the full team balance will be automatically charged to the Captain's credit/debit card.
Payment Responsibility
Captains are 100% responsible for making sure their team's dues are paid in full and on time, including the $200 minimum payment to confirm a team's spot. Captains can use our TeamPayer tool at any time up to the Payment Deadline to invite teammates and assign them their share of dues, paid directly toward the team balance. Note that the system will only process payments up to the amount of the team balance. So if 9 invoices for $80 are sent out on a $700 balance, the system will only process the first 8 people to pay at the full $80 price ($640 subtotal), and the 9th person will only be charged $60 out of $80 ($700 total).
Teams with delinquent dues unable to be charged for any reason may incur forfeit results and/or cancelled games. Teams dropping out of, or disqualified from a league will forfeit their minimum payment and dues.
Refunds
All registration dues are non-refundable after the Signup Deadline (or 6 days prior to the Start Date, whichever comes first). A team's minimum payment and/or dues will be refunded only if SOPFC cancels a league entirely, or if a team is not offered a position in a league/division determined to be appropriate for the team.
Below are some common questions and methods for managing your team each season.
How do I add players to my team roster online?
Please note: Only Captains can invite and manage players, including the ability to remove players or revoke invites they may have already sent.
Example of a Captain's "Manage Team" page:
What are the best ways to keep track of my players?
What are the best practices for collecting money from team players?
We recommend using the TeamPayer tool to invoice each of your teammates their share of team dues, paid directly to the league and lowering your team balance accordingly. Alternately, you can have your players pay you via Venmo, Cash App, etc prior to the season start, or bring cash to the first game they play, and then you can pay the balance due as Captain. The sooner you can secure a financial commitment from each player, the more invested they will be in showing up and contributing to the team in a positive way.
When and how should I remind players of upcoming games?
Players who have accepted an email invitation to join your team roster online can go to the "Profile" tab of their Player page to opt-in to receive automatic game reminders via email the day of (or Friday before) each game, including the date, time, location, and links to RSVP for that game. This is another reason it's important to add all players to your roster every season.
Additional player reminder methods:
1. Recruit Free Agents from your team dashboard
After registering your team, click the "Manage Team" button, then "Recruit Free Agents" button (below the roster). This is where you'll see a list of all soccer players who have registered as "Free Agents" for that specific league. Click the "Invite" text link next to any players you'd like. They'll receive an email asking if they want to join your team - that email will also include your name and personal email address in case they have questions before accepting the invite. If they accept the invite, they will be added to your roster, and you can then invoice them for their share of team dues, or make your own payment arrangements with them.
2. Post in our "Free Agents & Captains" group
Post requests for players in our Facebook group, where players and Captains connect. Post more about your team and league, as well as the type of player(s) you're looking for. You can also post requests for subs for specific games.
3. Recruit players via your team Instagram account
Many of our teams have their own Instagram accounts, and when they tag us @sonsofpitchesfc in their posts or stories, we reshare that content to our own clubwide account. So if you're looking for new players, create a post or story describing who you're looking for, tag us, and then we'll reshare on our own story to hundreds of potential players the same day. As an example, over 100 players clicked our reshare of the story below to get more info from Midtown Athletics. Your story could be as simple as a block of text, it doesn't have to be this fancy to work!
SOPFC offers daily pickup games, and many of these players are looking to play in our league too. Although some players may register on their own as Free Agents, there are many players who would prefer to meet a Captain at the field and be invited directly to join a team. Playing pickup with potential players also helps you find out which players would be a good fit for your team.
5. Ask friends and co-workers
Ask friends and co-workers to play, or if they know any interested soccer players! Word of mouth is still one of the most reliable ways to recruit new players. Have your players mention to their co-workers that they're looking for another team player, or post on their Facebook to see if any of their friends might want to join. Most teams find at least 2-3 new players every season this way.
Recruit players on Nextdoor, a free private social network that connects you with people in neighboring Atlanta communities based on your home address. It's quick to sign up for, and each post here will reach anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 people in your nearby neighborhoods. We know Captains who've used Nextdoor to recruit enough players over the course of a week to form a whole team, from just one post!
Here's how to find players:
Here's an example of an actual post used to help build a team:
How much do I have to pay to register my team?
NOTHING! You can register your team with no money down, and then invite and invoice your teammates for their share of team dues using our TeamPayer tool. As a Captain, you are responsible for making sure a minimum of $200 is paid toward your team's dues by your league's Signup Deadline, and that your team dues are paid in full by the Payment Deadline, typically midnight the day before your second game. However, if for instance, you invoice your teammates for their share of team dues, and at least $200 is paid by the Signup Deadline, and then your team's full dues are covered by additional teammates' payments by the Payment Deadline, you will not be charged any money :)
When do my team dues have to be paid in full?
Team dues must be paid in full by the Payment Deadline, typically midnight the day before your second game. All leagues also require a minimum of $200 paid toward a team's dues by the Signup Deadline to confirm a team's spot.
How do I split my team balance with teammates?
Use our TeamPayer tool to invite all of your teammates and invoice them for their share of team dues.
What is TeamPayer?
TeamPayer is a way to help your teammates pay for their team fee without you having to worry about collecting cash, Venmo, PayPal, etc. Click here for more info on TeamPayer.
Is it possible I could lose my $200 minimum team payment?
Yes, your team's minimum payment of $200 toward full team dues is non-refundable after the Signup Deadline, secures your spot in a league, and serves as a commitment to play the season (many of our leagues have limited spots available). A lot of organizational effort goes into planning for and renting appropriate field space, dividing teams into divisions according to previous season standings, and creating schedules based on an even or odd number of teams in a league, so when a team withdraws, cancels, or abandons their registration for any reason, it results in a lot of additional work for our organizers, as well as unexpected schedule and standings changes for other teams already committed to playing. A team's minimum payment and/or dues will be refunded only if SOPFC cancels a league entirely, or if a team is not offered a position in a league/division determined to be appropriate for the team. Remember, if you register a team and then decide not to play for ANY reason, just let us know anytime before the Signup Deadline and we'll refund any dues paid up to that point as part of our 100% Team Money Back Guarantee. There's no risk in registering and trying to get a team together.
What's the best way to get sponsorship for my team?
Here is an email template for Captains to use to help pitch businesses on the benefits of sponsoring their teams. Many teams in our soccer leagues in Atlanta are able to have all or part of each season's dues paid by local bars, restaurants, or businesses by securing sponsorship, in exchange for things like agreeing to have post-game social gatherings at that establishment, naming their team after the establishment, and wearing jerseys with the business's logo/name. We encourage our Captains to approach and make friends with local bars and restaurants in order to simultaneously defray the costs of team dues and support local community businesses.
Can I get an invoice to get my company to pay for some or all of my team?
Yes. Printable invoices are available from your Player Page via the "View Invoice" text link above the "Manage Team" button.
My team is really good, can we start in D1?
Teams joining a league for the first time, or returning after taking a season(s) off, will be placed in the lowest division (if there is only one division, this is already D1). We use promotion and relegation between divisions to facilitate the natural balance of competition. Teams switching from other leagues within SOPFC, or from other Atlanta soccer leagues, may email info@sonsofpitchesfc.com anytime prior to the Signup Deadline with supporting evidence of their current skill level (i.e. end of season standings and season records) in order to be considered for specific division placement. However, assuming most teams return season to season, we typically are unable to add new teams directly to higher divisions.
Have any questions about forming or managing your team? We're happy to assist!
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