Fees & Refunds Policy

• • Policy approved Jan 19th, 2011.
    
  • Amendment approved 10/9/2013 to allow refund for injury withdrawal up to Week 2.
  • Addition of Coaching Rebate section approved 11/15/2013.
  • Change to Coaching Rebate section to include future-season credit awards approved 2/17/2016.
  • Changes to Returned Check and Player Withdrawal sections, and addition of Injury Credit section, approved 10/21/2018.

General Policy

1. Fees are payable upon registration. No player may be assigned to a team or participate in club activities until all applicable fees have been paid and other requirements of the registration process have been completed. A player’s assignment priority will be based on the date on which registration is fully completed.
2. A late fee may be charged for registrations received after a pre-announced deadline.
3. Registration fees are accepted under a “No Refunds” policy. Further provisions of this policy permit refunds under specific circumstances.
4. Where refunds are permitted, they may be subject to a withdrawal fee. Withdrawal fees will be applied individually for each player withdrawn, and are not subject to a family maximum.
5. Payment may be made by cash or check. Credit/debit card payments and on-line payments may be accepted at the discretion of the Registrar.
6. Gift certificates donated by the club to community organizations may be used in place of a registration fee. Gift certificates cover the standard registration fee only; they do not include any applicable late fee or other charge.
7. If a check is returned the Registrar will notify the member and request immediate payment of the overdue amount plus associated bank charges. The Treasurer and Registrar may agree to waive the charges provided that:
   • they believe the issue to be unintentional.
   • the member promptly responds and makes restitution.
   • the member is otherwise in good standing with the Club.

   Pinelanders reserves the right to refuse payment by check.

8. For fees that are capped by a family maximum a family unit is generally defined as one or two parents or legal guardians and their immediate children, living as a single household. As individual situations vary considerably, interpretation of this policy is at the discretion of the Board, and may be made on a case-by-case and season-by-season basis, without regard to precedent. Any such decision is final.
9. Fees are paid for the current season or program, and cannot be carried forward to a future season or program. Fees for one season cannot be discounted or waived in consideration of a prior withdrawal.
10. A player is considered to have withdrawn when either the player’s parent or his/her coach has notified the Registrar. The Registrar will determine eligibility for a refund based on the circumstance and the date of that notification. Note that there is no burden on the coach to notify the Registrar of a withdrawal in time for a refund; if a parent is seeking a refund it is his/her sole responsibility to contact the Registrar directly.
11. If a family’s membership is terminated involuntarily, or if an individual player is suspended from playing for the remainder of the season, the family may apply to the Registrar for a refund of fees. Any such refund must be approved by the Board, and, if granted, will be pro-rated according to the number of past games for which the player or family was eligible, regardless of whether the player participated, and will take into account any family-maximum discount that the family may have received. This provision may be modified by other policies that deal with specific circumstances.

Outdoor Program Refunds & Credits

1. 1. A full refund (fee paid, including late fees) will be given under the following circumstances:
      • The Registrar will announce a “refund deadline” date of a few days before the expected draft. A full refund will be given for players withdrawn on or before the announced date.
      • A player who has not been assigned by the Thursday preceding Week 3 of the season may be withdrawn and receive a full refund, provided that he/she has been waiting for assignment for at least 14 days from completion of registration.
   2. A parent may choose for his/her child to remain on the waiting list beyond the Week 3 (or 14-day) mark and still receive a full refund if the player is withdrawn later or cannot be assigned.
   3. The Registrar may waive the 14-day requirement if the division’s waiting list is being closed or reduced.
   4. A partial refund (fee paid minus withdrawal fee) will be given under the following circumstances:
      • An assigned player who is withdrawn within the first three weeks of the season because of injury, health problems or genuine eligible family circumstances, may be granted a partial refund provided that he/she has not participated in any games.
        • Eligible family circumstances include major events such as moving away or long-term illness in the family, but exclude inconvenience (e.g. transport problems or schedule conflicts) and acceptance for a traveling team or another sports club.
        • The notification and request for refund must be made to the Registrar before the start of any Week 4 games.
        • A doctor’s note is required for refunds due to injury or health problems.
      • An unassigned player who is withdrawn will receive a partial refund if notification is received on or before the Thursday preceding Week 3, or having waited less than 14 days for assignment.
   5. An assigned player who withdraws from the Outdoor program because of an injury or health problem, but who is ineligible for a refund of fees under the main Fees & Refunds policy, may be awarded an injury credit to be used in a future season.
      • Injury credits must be recommended by the Registrar, Commissioner or Program Director and approved by the Board. A recommendation may be made based on notification of withdrawal from a parent or from the player’s coach.
      • To be eligible for an injury credit the player must have been unable to play in the Week 6 and later games, and the player must be withdrawn and the Registrar notified before the Week 7 game. The Board will not approve an injury credit based on a later notification. Notification must be by e-mail or through the team’s Player Feedback page.
      • A doctor’s note is required before the credit is awarded.  The note must be submitted to the Registrar by uploading, by e-mail or by US Mail within two weeks of notification of the approval.
      • The amount of an injury credit is 50% of the base program fee paid for the player, excluding any late fee or other charges and rounded to the nearest whole dollar above. The credit amount cannot exceed the actual amount paid for all players registered in the family for the current season, after discounting all credits used, including gift certificates and safety credits. Credits and coupon codes used to register the player cannot be restored, and late-fees are not refundable.
      • Injury credits are valid for two seasons after the withdrawal season. They can be used to register any member of the same family for the Pinelanders Outdoor or Indoor program. They cannot be used for summer camp or any other program.
      • A player receiving an injury credit may choose to stay on the team’s roster and receive a trophy, but may not participate in any further practices or games.

Indoor Program Refunds

1. The Registrar will announce a “refund deadline” date for the Indoor program. Players withdrawn before this date will receive a full refund.
2. No refunds will be given for withdrawals that occur after the refund deadline.

Discretionary Refunds

1. Discretionary refunds may be made in cases where the Board considers them to be merited—for example, a withdrawal because some unforeseen personal circumstance presents a genuine hardship to the player’s family.
2. Discretionary refunds are made on a case-by-case basis, and shall not be regarded as precedents when considering any future requests.
3. Discretionary refunds are subject to a withdrawal fee unless explicitly waived by the Board.

Coaching Rebates & Registration-Fee Credits

1. When finances permit, the Board may offer a limited registration-fee rebate or future-season registration credit to coaches who register and complete all safety requirements by a pre-announced date. This is intended as an incentive for early registration, and timely completion of the safety requirements, to enable planning for the season.
2. The incentive also applies to Board members, provided they meet all safety requirements by the same cut-off date as the coaches.  With Board approval the same incentive may also be offered to members in other significant volunteer positions. The term “coach” is used in this policy to refer to all members who may be in a position to qualify, regardless of that member’s role.
3. The rebate or credit is not a right of membership.  The value may vary from season to season, and may be discontinued temporarily or permanently prior to any season.
4. The incentive is intended to be a partial discount of player registration fees incurred by the coach’s immediate family, not a payment, award or stipend. This means:
   • The coach is not eligible for the rebate if he/she has not registered a member of his/her immediate family in the current season, and paid a registration fee, except as noted in the Indoor/Adult Outdoor provision below.
   • The rebate does not apply to a registration that has been paid for with a gift certificate, but does apply if the family has registered and paid for a second or subsequent child.
   • The value of the rebate cannot exceed the total fee paid for the season.
5. If a rebate is offered it applies to the season in which the coach registered, and if no child is registered or paid for it cannot be carried forward to a future season, except that it may be applied to the fee for the Adult Outdoor program in the current season, or for the next Youth or Adult Indoor program.
6. At the Board’s discretion, the incentive may be offered either as a monetary refund or as a registration‑credit to be applied to player registration fees in a future season. If a credit is offered:
   • The credit has no monetary value, and no refund value if a player is registered and then withdrawn.
   • The credit cannot be used for any purpose in the season in which it is earned.
   • The credit will expire if not used within two seasons after it is earned.
   • The credit applies to the coach’s immediate family, and cannot be transferred to any other family, regardless of relationship. In general, this refers to family members under the same My Pinelanders account, but also see the definition in the Team Assignment policy.
   • The credit can only be applied to the registration fee for the Youth or Adult Indoor or Outdoor programs, or, at the Board’s discretion, for other internally provided programs.
   • The credit cannot be applied to food or merchandise purchases; to team pictures; or to the registration fee for summer camp, tournaments, or other externally provided programs.
   • The credit is considered to have been used when the family’s first player is registered. If multiple players are registered and then withdrawn while still refund-eligible the credit amount will only be deducted from the refund if all players are withdrawn.
   • The credit must be used at the first registration activity that would use its full value. For example:
     • If a $20 credit is earned in the Fall and the family registers for the following Indoor and Spring programs, the credit will be used in full.
     • If they register a single player for the Indoor program (with a fee lower than the value of the credit), the family may choose either to use the full credit for the Indoor fee or to wait until they register for the Spring or Fall.
       • If they apply it to the Indoor registration fee the credit is used in full and has no residual value.
       • If they defer and use it for the Spring or Fall registration its full value is applied.
       • If they defer and later decide not to register for the Spring or Fall the credit cannot be retroactively applied to the Indoor fee for a refund.
   • If a family with a credit also submits a valid gift certificate:
     • The credit is not used if a single player is registered before the late-fee deadline.
     • The credit is used if multiple players are registered.
     • The credit is applied to the late-fee if a single player is registered after the deadline. In this case the entire credit is used, even if the late-fee is less than the value of the credit.
7. Each family is entitled to at most one incentive rebate or credit per season, regardless of the number of players and coaches in the family, and the number of teams coached.
8. The Registrar will announce the form of the incentive, and its amount and conditions, including the qualification deadline, at the start of the registration period.
9. Incentives are awarded to qualifying coaches two weeks after the start of the season.  A volunteer who initially qualifies but withdraws or fails to participate before awards have been made will not qualify.  A volunteer who qualifies but is not initially assigned to a coaching position may still qualify provided he/she participates in an extra assistant (XA) role after player assignments have been made. At the Commissioner’s recommendation the Board may rescind a credit after it has been awarded if the coach does not meet his/her coaching obligations until the end of the season.
10. Award eligibility is determined jointly by the Registrar, Commissioner and Safety Coordinator, according to the terms of this policy.  Any dispute regarding eligibility must be referred to the Board for determination. The Board’s decision in each such case is final, and shall not be regarded as a precedent for future disputes.