Tournaments Participation Policy for 2008:
Tournament drop-outs: it causes big headaches for your tournament manager!
When people pull out of tournaments, it has an impact on everyone who participates. Though we've never had to drop an entire team from a tournament, last season we came awfully close. On several occasions, we had to recruit newbies and non-Raiders in order to have the minimum 10 people to form a side. It was enormously stressful--and tournaments are supposed to be fun!
It also costs the club money. In order to guarantee our participation in a tournament, we have to register each team and pay the fees weeks (sometimes months) in advance. This is a non-refundable fee: once a team is registered and entered we cannot get our money back.
Your membership fees end up subsidizing a team when players who have signed up for a tournament drop out. This was one of the contributing factors to the club's financial loss last year.
We're launching something new this season in an attempt to eliminate those drops. Hopefully it makes sense. There is a good bit at the end, so please read this all the way through!
Tournament Deposit
Players who want to participate in tournaments this season must pay a one-time refundable deposit of £20.00 prior to playing their first tournament.
If you pull out of a tournament less than 2 weeks before it takes place, you will lose your deposit. This helps us ensure there is no loss to other members of the club.
You will not have to pay a deposit for EACH TOURNAMENT—just once at the start of the season. However, if you drop from a tournament, you will have to give the club a new £20 deposit if you want to play in further tournaments.
EXCEPTIONS
1) If you are a Raiders member but do not want to play any tournaments, you will not have to pay a deposit.
2) If you can find a substitute player, you will not lose your deposit. The sub needs to be of the same general playing standard as yourself. The sub will need to confirm with the tournament manager their intent to play. The original player then keeps their deposit unless the sub also pulls out.
OTHER KEY POINTS:
- You can pay this deposit (and your membership dues) into the Raiders bank account now. It must be received before you play your first tournament. Account details are below.
- You will only lose £10 if you drop out of a 1-day tournament. It will be £20 for a 2-day tournament.
- There are very limited extenuating circumstances: if you are ill, you will still have to forfeit your deposit. If you are injured, the committee will make a decision on a case-by-case basis.
- You will not be able to play in any tournament until you've paid your deposit.
- There will be no '1 day only' option for 2-day tournaments this year. If you commit to a 2-day tournament, you must play both days. If you do not attend the second day of a tournament, you will lose £10 of your deposit.
Now the good news...
Your deposit will be paid back at the end of the season if you've attended all the tournaments you signed up for!
This plan is designed to help us avoid ending the year with a financial loss on tournaments, which will benefit all Raiders in the end by keeping future membership costs down.
The Tournaments Manager will post updated lists of who is signed up for which tournaments on the website so members can access that information at any time. You will find these lists under the 'Tournaments' section inside the Members Area of the Raiders website. We will also send reminder emails just before the 2-week deadline so you can see if you're playing or not.
Pay your tournament deposit:
The Raiders bank account details are:
Account Name: London Raiders Softball Club
Sort Code: 30-98-71
Account Number: 03225298
Bank: Lloyds TSB
Please let the Tournament Manager know if you have any questions about this--we know it's quite a bit of information to absorb. A survey asking you to sign up for tournaments is coming out shortly—keep an eye on your email!