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Captains Guide

 

SOPFC team posing as league champions on the pitch

 

Jump to a Section

 

1. How to Start a Team

 

2. Managing Your Team

 

3. Finding Players for Your Team

 

4. Captains FAQ

 

5. Questions and Help

 

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!

 

 


 

 

How to Start a Team

 

 

  1. Choose a league and click "Team"
  2. Send teammates an invitation link to join and/or pay
  3. Recruit Free Agents from your team dashboard if necessary

 

That's it! Remember, it's FREE to register, with RISK-FREE CANCELLATION up to the Signup Deadline.

 

Team Payment Process

 

TeamPayer tool for Captains

 

Team Payment Details

 

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 12 invoices for $80 are sent out on a $950 balance, the system will only process the first 11 people to pay at the full $80 price ($880 subtotal), and the 9th person will only be charged $70 out of $80 ($950 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.

 

 


 

 

Managing Your Team

 

 

How do I add players to my team roster online?

 

  1. Log in and click "Manage Team".
  2. Click "Invite Player" to add or invite past teammates quickly. Click "Send Link" to send an invitation link to any players. You can attach a default payment request to this link.
  3. Click "Recruit Free Agents" to invite players who are looking to join a team in your league.

 

Note: Only Captains can invite and manage players, including the ability to remove players or revoke invites already sent.

 

Team Dashboard Example

 

SOPFC Team Dashboard

 

What are the best ways to keep track of my players?

 

  1. Log in > Manage Team > You will see your entire roster
  2. Message players directly from your Dashboard, or use your private Team Forum to communicate with teammates.
  3. Manage invites and invoices you may have issued to teammates using TeamPayer.

 

What are the best practices for collecting money from team players?

 

We recommend using TeamPayer on your Team Dashboard 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. Use GroupMe events in a soccer team group
  2. Send group emails to all teammates from your personal email
  3. Text message players on game days
  4. Use the "Messages" tab on your Player page (this sends an email to teammates)
  5. Use the private "Team Forum" section of your team page

 

 


 

 

Finding Players for Your Team

 

 

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. Your story could be as simple as a block of text, it doesn't have to be fancy to generate a lot of interest!

 

4. Join our pickup games

 

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 to social media for interest from friends. Most teams find at least 2-3 new players this way every season.

 

6. Post on Nextdoor

 

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:

  1. Sign up at Nextdoor.com
  2. Create a new post asking for interested soccer players to join your team
  3. Use a team photo or photo from your league's details page to help attract attention
  4. Make sure to link to your specific league (e.g. Saturday Coed Soccer League), so people can find out more info first

 

Here's an example of an actual post used to help build a team:

 

 

 


 

 

Captains FAQ

 

 

 


 

 

Questions and Help

 

 

Have any questions about forming or managing your team? We're happy to assist!