2018-19 Team Fees! Are you serious?

Run26

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I will admit that my two daughters have been done with TB for a couple of years but I can still remember the fees we paid. Both girls were on very high level teams and play/played in college. Our team spent more time out of state than in and both were highly successful on national placement and college signings.

Can someone tell me how a new organization can get away with charging this amount for an Ohio based travel team?

Team Fee $1695.00

NO TEAM FUNDRAISING

These seems exorbitant to me but please feel free to send some insight my way on how this is justified.
 

24GahannaLadyLions7

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Wouldn't of traded it for anything..... girls go door-to-door every year fundraising at least half or more of the membership fees, couldn't do it if they didn't

2013-2014
Daughter #1 = 9U Ohio Stingrays04 $650

2014-2015
Daughter #1 = 10U Ohio Stingrays $750
Daughter #2 = 10U New Albany Eagles $450

2015-2016
Daughter #1 = 11U Ohio Stingrays04 $900
Daughter #2 = 9U Central Ohio Lady Vipers $550
Daughter #3 = 8U Pickerington Big Katz $500

2016-2017
Daughter #1 = 12U Beverly Bandits $1000
Daughter #2 = 10U Lasers Teal06 $1200
Daughter #3 = 10U Big Katz $750

2017-2018
Daughter #1 = 13U Beverly Bandits $2400
Daughter #2 = 11U Ohio Classics06 $650
Daughter #3 = 10U Lasers Orange08 $1200

2018-2019
Daughter #1 = 14U Beverly Bandits04 $3000
Daughter #2 = 12UOhio Classics 06 $1100
Daughter #3 = 9U Beverly Bandits09 $1200
 

24GahannaLadyLions7

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I will admit that my two daughters have been done with TB for a couple of years but I can still remember the fees we paid. Both girls were on very high level teams and play/played in college. Our team spent more time out of state than in and both were highly successful on national placement and college signings.

Can someone tell me how a new organization can get away with charging this amount for an Ohio based travel team?

Team Fee $1695.00

NO TEAM FUNDRAISING

These seems exorbitant to me but please feel free to send some insight my way on how this is justified.

Seems a bit high to me, but in many of those teams I mentioned, didn't have a Winter rental fee or a very small training fee....

1. NON PARENT COACH?
2. AGE?
3. DID THEY GIVE YOU A LIST OF PROJECTED EXPENSES?
4. HOW MANY WINTER TRAINING SESSIONS ARE YOU HAVING?
5. HOW MANY TOURNAMENTS ARE YOU PLAYING?
 

Passion4theGame

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Our team fee is $1695 No Team Fundraising
We play in 5-6 Fall tournaments (will depend on November)
1-2 Winter tournaments
Summer Schedule will be 9 tournaments
Tournaments are not cheap.
We have access to one of the best indoor facilities in Central Ohio that is included Anytime we need it we have got it so far. (Plus Every Sunday 3hrs November- January indoor practice)
We get Bo Dome Cash to spend on Lessons, Spirit Wear, or however we decide ($1600 for our team)
4 Uniforms total (Nike Uniforms)
bat bags
helmets
Water & Gatorade Provided for the girls at each Game.
Each player gets a membership to the Bo
Assistance From Cammi and the rest of the Bo Staff.
Get to work with College Liftoff Program.
OSU Med trainers on sight and available to team members Free.

The list goes on and on. For some its great and other would rather fund-raise and that's ok.

We could of made our sign up fee lower and had the girls out begging for money and doing raffles and whatever else but why?? Everyone does that. It's easier to say this is our budget this is what we need to pay and no fundraising. Focus on Softball.

Jeff Hill
Bo Jackson Elite 04
740-974-6405
 

24GahannaLadyLions7

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Our team fee is $1695 No Team Fundraising
We play in 5-6 Fall tournaments (will depend on November)
1-2 Winter tournaments
Summer Schedule will be 9 tournaments
Tournaments are not cheap.
We have access to one of the best indoor facilities in Central Ohio that is included Anytime we need it we have got it so far. (Plus Every Sunday 3hrs November- January indoor practice)
We get Bo Dome Cash to spend on Lessons, Spirit Wear, or however we decide ($1600 for our team)
4 Uniforms total (Nike Uniforms)
bat bags
helmets
Water & Gatorade Provided for the girls at each Game.
Each player gets a membership to the Bo
Assistance From Cammi and the rest of the Bo Staff.
Get to work with College Liftoff Program.
OSU Med trainers on sight and available to team members Free.

The list goes on and on. For some its great and other would rather fund-raise and that's ok.

We could of made our sign up fee lower and had the girls out begging for money and doing raffles and whatever else but why?? Everyone does that. It's easier to say this is our budget this is what we need to pay and no fundraising. Focus on Softball.

Jeff Hill
Bo Jackson Elite 04
740-974-6405

For an 04 team, I think that is pretty much the Norm.... I think Lasers Blue 05 is $1800 and yea I get it, they are established... but Bo is going to be higher priced with all the amenities that Jeff explained...

IMO, I always thought Bo was priced on the high end but what Jeff is saying is correct with the amount of tournaments they are playing and access to their Winter fields, I would say it is legit amount....
 

Hilliarddad3

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Wait, I thought Bo knows football and Bo knows Baseball, what does Bo know about softball???


Just Kidding!!!!!! Figured we needed a laugh these days..... Awesome to see such a great facility locally.....
 

cam.p22

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I am the Softball Director over at Bo Jackson's and I understand that our fees are not cheap. Jeff hit it right on the head with everything this group gets with being a part of our organization. Just like Matt mentioned too, everyone THINKS our team fees are high until they look at what they actually receive with their team fees.

For example ALL of the players in our org. get access to the BJES facility as much as we are open. Come and get some swings in in the cages and then hop onto one of our turf fields for your defensive practice. Depending on the group, they get anywhere from 8-20 sessions with our staff of former college players. This training is something that sets us apart from all of the other organizations. During these training sessions we have 4-6 former college players running them through a 'mini college practice'. This allows us to make sure our athletes are learning things the correct way and can actually demonstrate the drills rather than a dad who really likes the internet and has never played the game until their DD wants to throw around a ball. Im not going to go in depth about our org because thats not what its about, but see Jeffs post for all the things our athletes receive.

There are several teams who have lower fees, $800 for example, but require so much outside spending to be made. The team may have to pay out of pocket for training space in the winter, pay for their own DDs uniforms, pay for them to go to an instructor because they DON'T have access to a staff or facility like The Dome. Insurance needs paid, umpires paid, etc. There are so many team costs that families don't think about when they are trying to break down the fees.

When I was younger, I played with the Slammers (for those of you who are old enough to remember them ;) ), Lasers, and Bandits (back when we only had ONE Chicago based team). Our team fees ranged anywhere from $1,200 - $2,000 with these groups. This included our tournament fees and uniforms, but our family still had to pay for everything else. This was SOOOOOOOO high for the time it was (around 2007-2012) and I have even watched the Bandits fees increase since then.

Travel ball is not cheap. A good travel program is definitely not cheap. Just because we are in Ohio doesn't mean that the teams are bad or we automatically have lowered fees? These teams are still traveling to other states to play, going to larger showcase events (which are more expensive and also could make team fees higher), and competing at a national level. I think its silly to say that just because its an Ohio based team the fees shouldn't be as high??

Do your research before picking a program. Know where the money is going: training, tournaments, insurance, whatever it is.

That was all my long winded response, but heres the shorter answer... DO. YOUR. RESEARCH.
 

Takedn2

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I am the Softball Director over at Bo Jackson's and I understand that our fees are not cheap. Jeff hit it right on the head with everything this group gets with being a part of our organization. Just like Matt mentioned too, everyone THINKS our team fees are high until they look at what they actually receive with their team fees.

For example ALL of the players in our org. get access to the BJES facility as much as we are open. Come and get some swings in in the cages and then hop onto one of our turf fields for your defensive practice. Depending on the group, they get anywhere from 8-20 sessions with our staff of former college players. This training is something that sets us apart from all of the other organizations. During these training sessions we have 4-6 former college players running them through a 'mini college practice'. This allows us to make sure our athletes are learning things the correct way and can actually demonstrate the drills rather than a dad who really likes the internet and has never played the game until their DD wants to throw around a ball. Im not going to go in depth about our org because thats not what its about, but see Jeffs post for all the things our athletes receive.

There are several teams who have lower fees, $800 for example, but require so much outside spending to be made. The team may have to pay out of pocket for training space in the winter, pay for their own DDs uniforms, pay for them to go to an instructor because they DON'T have access to a staff or facility like The Dome. Insurance needs paid, umpires paid, etc. There are so many team costs that families don't think about when they are trying to break down the fees.

When I was younger, I played with the Slammers (for those of you who are old enough to remember them ;) ), Lasers, and Bandits (back when we only had ONE Chicago based team). Our team fees ranged anywhere from $1,200 - $2,000 with these groups. This included our tournament fees and uniforms, but our family still had to pay for everything else. This was SOOOOOOOO high for the time it was (around 2007-2012) and I have even watched the Bandits fees increase since then.

Travel ball is not cheap. A good travel program is definitely not cheap. Just because we are in Ohio doesn't mean that the teams are bad or we automatically have lowered fees? These teams are still traveling to other states to play, going to larger showcase events (which are more expensive and also could make team fees higher), and competing at a national level. I think its silly to say that just because its an Ohio based team the fees shouldn't be as high??

Do your research before picking a program. Know where the money is going: training, tournaments, insurance, whatever it is.

That was all my long winded response, but heres the shorter answer... DO. YOUR. RESEARCH.


Very well informed response! Lots of information for readers to sift through. Thanks for taking the time!
 

snuffleupagus

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Just looking as a consumer you get what you pay for often times. You try to get the best you can for your money based on the research you do.

To the OP’s point a new org may or may not justify as high a fee as a more established program that’s for the consumer to decide. If enough consumers decide the org is worthy of that price then they play ball. If not the families will take their ball and go home and the org will not survive. It’s just like any other business.
 

Run26

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When I was younger, I played with the Slammers (for those of you who are old enough to remember them ;) ), Lasers, and Bandits (back when we only had ONE Chicago based team). Our team fees ranged anywhere from $1,200 - $2,000 with these groups. This included our tournament fees and uniforms, but our family still had to pay for everything else. This was SOOOOOOOO high for the time it was (around 2007-2012) and I have even watched the Bandits fees increase since then.

Cammie,

Thank you for your level headed and informative response to my question. You remind me of how your father used to post on this site.
And for those of you that don't know or remember the Ohio Slammers - they were probably the best travel ball team Ohio has ever produced. Incredibly talented group of young ladies that have already all played and graduated from college.

Man! I'm soooo old ;)
 

cam.p22

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Cammie,

Thank you for your level headed and informative response to my question. You remind me of how your father used to post on this site.
And for those of you that don't know or remember the Ohio Slammers - they were probably the best travel ball team Ohio has ever produced. Incredibly talented group of young ladies that have already all played and graduated from college.

Man! I'm soooo old ;)

RUN, My dad is still on here and posts every now and again, but now its my time to share my two cents in all of these fun and complex topics. We BOTH enjoy being able to share and debate on these topics as there is still so much unknown in the softball community. It just drives me crazy when families believe that travel softball is a money maker. I can't speak for other organizations but at the dome we do NOT profit off of travel teams. Our travel teams can be feeders for our other business' (lessons, camps/clinics etc) but all of the money we collect in fees goes back to the girls. I mean it is all for them anyways, right? :)
 

s1s2m3m4

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Explanations of fees are totally understood. What is sad is there are athletes out here who are unable to join an elite team, be seen by coaches, or be able to take additional hitting/pitching lessons, because their families can't afford it. What a shame these girls won't play at a higher level because their family can't afford it, or the exhorbant traveling costs. For those of you that can fundraise $3000 for fees and then more for travel costs, kudos to you.
 

City Slicker

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Explanations of fees are totally understood. What is sad is there are athletes out here who are unable to join an elite team, be seen by coaches, or be able to take additional hitting/pitching lessons, because their families can't afford it. What a shame these girls won't play at a higher level because their family can't afford it, or the exhorbant traveling costs. For those of you that can fundraise $3000 for fees and then more for travel costs, kudos to you.

There are many many articles about exactly what you are saying. Here is a link to the most recent that I saw:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/a...quality-explains-decline-youth-sports/574975/
 

22dad

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That article went from cost of sports to a socialist manifesto. Pro teams should shoukd do a better job to share the wealth through programs like RBI.
 

Scott_K

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Pro teams sharing the wealth, that is socialism. (hence "share the wealth")
It is a business that many profit from. No complaints here....
There is some truth to the fact that the only outstanding athletes we hear about are the ones with affluent parents/families. Makes ya think deeper about the above article.
If I could afford to send my DD's to the best coaches/professors in the business, I would. Since I cannot, they must work harder :)
Just my .02
 

Softball Dad

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We paid around $1,000 for DD to play on high quality teams. Some offered fund raisers, some did not. All offered bat bags, helmets, 3 uniforms, 2 to 3 Fall tournaments, indoor Winter training / games, 8 Summer tournaments. She is playing in college. Almost every tournament she played in she got to play against elite teams.

My point is that you don’t have to pay over $1,500 to be on a top team and be noticed by college coaches. Save some money for the college camps.
 

Scott_K

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Just to expand on this....
If I had the extra money to allow my DD to train (and be on a team) at said complex (BJE) with Ms Prantil at the helm, I would love and embrace it!
I have seen what cam.p22 is doing at BJE. I have also seen what other teams are doing! Kudo's. Tell coach P (McM) we said hi! :)
 

cam.p22

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Scott, I appreciate your kind words!! I want to make things clear for everyone as well... We are expensive there is no doubt about that; but I also have no doubt that anyone who plays with us will have a one-of-a-kind experience with training and college prep that they will not receive with other organizations. We aren't out to only make money, we take pride in the training and success of the athletes who come through our program. We do our best as a team and organization to not turn anyone away, so if someone needs help, just ask!
 

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