Price sets expectations. Members read your fee and picture the experience before they arrive. Think budget airline versus full-service airline. Lower price, lower experience. Higher price, higher experience. Clubs are no different.
Why racing to the bottom hurts members
When a club chases the lowest fee in the league it quietly starves the very things people value. Coach quality slips. Safety corners get rounded. Communication lags. Volunteer time balloons because systems are clunky. A cheap headline price can feel good for a week, then you spend a season apologising for thin delivery.
Set a baseline you will not compromise
Decide the minimum experience every member will receive. Write it down in plain language and make it public. When pressure comes to cut fees, you can point to the baseline and say, “This is the promise.” Baselines typically cover:
- Qualified coaches on every team
- Safe, well-run programs
- Timely, clear communication
- Working equipment and playable facilities
- Simple digital sign-ups and payments
- A fair grievance process
Offer clear tiers with clear inclusions
Not many clubs do this, but it’s common in other parts of our lives. You can choose the tier you want to pay for on streaming services like Spotify or Netflix, based on the level of service you, as the customer, want. Could that work for your club?
Tiered options could let families choose, and they help you fund quality without pretending every program costs the same. A simple three-tier model might work well. Here’s an example you could build on…
Bronze
- ‘Ref yourself’ type comps
- Core training
- Community coach or supervised practice sessions
- Essential insurance and basic kit
Silver
- Access to core fixtures
- Extra skill sessions per month
- Higher-accredited coach on the program (i.e. not just the last parent to try to step back…)
- Access to online drills and video feedback
Gold
- Weekly small-group coaching
- Senior, specialist or professional coach allocation
- Tournament support and higher-level competition pathway
- Member hotline
Just like your favourite music and TV streaming service, keep inclusions plain and easy to understand. Avoid fluff words. Make it obvious what steps up from Bronze to Silver to Gold.
Keep it fair
A fair access policy makes tiering ethical and practical. Publish how fee support works so no one has to guess. Cover:
- Who can apply and the simple evidence required
- Who decides and when decisions are made
- What support looks like and how long it lasts
- How to reapply if circumstances change
Keep the maths honest
Review prices against real costs and outcomes every season. If coach wages, facility hire and compliance costs have climbed, fees must reflect that reality. Do not rely on sausage sizzles to plug structural gaps. Track value, not just volume:
- Member retention
- Satisfaction snapshots after key milestones
- Waitlists for popular programs
Small numbers can change a season. If 200 players pay $10 more, that $2,000 might fund accredited coach upgrades, a safer ratio on busy nights or a modern comms platform that saves volunteer hours every week.
Question for you Where could a small price lift fund a better experience for your members this season?
Michael Connelly keeps a swear jar for anyone who says, “Five bucks will do,” when working out fee increases for next season… It is the only jar that always hits budget!
Follow me anytime @nfpmichael
