Sports management, or the act of running a sports organization, has many moving parts. You have to consider promotion to build awareness, registration to get players in the door, scheduling to ensure no practices or games overlap, and, of course, the ability to collect payments to keep the organization running.
Youth sports aren’t free, and neither is running a youth sports league. Whether you need to collect registration fees, host a fundraiser, or gather money from parents to buy snacks for the players or hold a team party, you’ll need a sports team payment app.
We’ve put together a guide to the seven best payment app options, plus a few tips for choosing the best one.
Best sports team payment apps
There are seven main sports team payment apps to consider that can help with league and team management. Learn more about each one, including its pros and cons and the cost of each option.
1. Jersey Watch
Jersey Watch is an all-in-one sports team management software. That means you’re getting a whole lot more than just payment collection by taking advantage of this option.
Some of Jersey Watch’s best features include online sports registration, a sports website builder, fundraising options, sponsorships, and the ability to background check potential coaches and volunteers.
The payment collection tool is part of the online sports registration feature. By building a website for your league, you can easily offer seamless registration. Create a custom form to gather all of the information you need about your players, then add a field for collecting registration fees right on the website. You can even collect waivers alongside team fees.
You can connect your sports league’s bank account so that all registration fees get automatically deposited. You can even collect online payments from potential sponsors. Keep in mind that all funds collected will come with a 3.5% + $1 payment processing fee, but otherwise the process is as easy as can be.
Pros:
- Take advantage of a number of sports league management features
- Low price point for the functionality you get access to
- Easy-to-use interface for both your sports club and its participants
Cons:
- Not free, like some other options on our list
- May take more training than a basic payment app
Pricing: Plans start at $29/month.
2. Venmo
While not exclusively a sports team app, Venmo is popular among small sports teams for its simplicity in splitting and collecting payments for dues, uniforms, tournaments, and other expenses.
Venmo is a mobile app for making payments via bank account or credit card. Users can send and request money with a simple caption dictating what it’s for. The interface is extremely basic and easy to use, which is a major factor in why this app has become so popular.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use and popular way to send and receive money
- Many participants may already have and use Venmo themselves
- Available on both Android and iOS smartphones
Cons:
- No other available sports management tools—only payments
- Participants must download the app, create an account, and connect their bank or credit card, something that people concerned about security may not be okay with
- Payments can’t be tracked during registration - payments could slip through the cracks and could add extra admin work.
Pricing: Free to get started. Payment processing fees apply when making payments with a credit card.
3. TeamSnap
TeamSnap is another sports team management app that also happens to offer a payment collection feature. This tool offers features like team schedules, team chat, invoicing, game scheduling, and other useful tools needed to communicate with team members and streamline league operations.
One handy feature of TeamSnap’s payment portal is that leagues can actually send out invoices and payment reminders to ensure that all costs—from registration fees to equipment costs—are fully covered by every participant.
Pros:
- Affordable for small leagues
- Suite of sports management tools
Cons:
- Tools with a lot of features like this one can be complex to learn and use
- Other important features for running a sports organization require payment
Pricing: Free for up to 15 team members with payment processing fees of 3.25% + $1.50. Premium plans start at $11.99/month.
4. Tappit
Tappit is another great payment option specifically for pro and college sports teams. This is because Tappit is less about collecting fees from players and more about offering a cashless option for fans purchasing tickets to each game.
Take advantage of Tappit’s white-label software on your team’s mobile app, making it easy for fans to buy tickets right from their phones so your sporting organization can generate revenue.
Pros:
- You can apply your own branding to Tappit’s white-label app
- Used by some of the biggest teams, so it can offer your league credibility
Cons:
- Only for collecting payments from fans
Pricing: Book a demo to learn more and get pricing information.
5. TeamLinkt
TeamLinkt is another sports management software solution, offering features like scheduling, team communication, sports websites, and player registration. TeamLinkt also has its own payment collection and tracking option.
Simplify your season’s fee collections with this free app, providing your team with an easy-to-use dashboard for both collecting payments from players and parents as well as managing your own team expenses and payments.
Pros:
- Basic functionality that’s easy to learn
- All-in-one sports team management features
Cons:
- Payment processing fees plus an additional fee for each transaction to use TeamLinkt
- The mobile app shows ads to users
Pricing: Free to get started. Ads are included within the app and payment processing fees apply when collecting payments.
6. Cheddar Up
Cheddar Up is an online software specifically for taking payments. This means it can be a great option for your league, but it won’t help with other operational needs like tracking player availability for games or automating team scheduling.
However, Cheddar Up can help collect online payments for anything related to your league—registration fees, team events, tournaments, sporting equipment, coach gifts, and anything else you need help paying for.
Pros:
- Easily set up a collection page and share the link to collect payments
- Collect player information alongside payments and store it in a secure online database
Cons:
- You don’t get access to other helpful tools for your team
Pricing: Free to get started with a 3.95% + $0.95 processing fee for credit cards. Premium plans start at $10/month.
7. Teamer
Last on our list, we have Teamer, a great way to manage your youth sports team as well as other related events, like exercise classes, tournaments, and the like. With Teamer, you can both track attendance and gather payments for participation.
Create events and let participants RSVP. If you’re offering an exercise class or coaching session, you can collect payments for each one that people plan to attend. Otherwise, for your sports league, you can just request payment at the beginning for overall participation.
Pros:
- Easy, free way to collect funds
- Allows you to offer additional classes or sessions for more revenue
Cons:
- Offers only the basics, may be too simplistic for some sports organizations
Pricing: Free to get started. Payment processing fees apply when collecting payments.
How to choose a sports team payment app
Not sure how to choose the best option for your needs? Let’s walk through a few considerations to make after reading about these seven options.
Ease of use
First things first, consider how easy each tool is to use—both for your league organizers and for the people who need to pay you. Setting up some complex, convoluted system is going to deter participants, making the tool you’re paying for useless and your league lacking in players.
Security and trust
Handing over payment information is a big deal. Make sure you’re selecting a reputable tool with secure payment processing options. This will make potential participants much more comfortable in signing up for your league and submitting any necessary fees.
Cost effectiveness
You don’t want to be putting all the money you’re getting from registration fees right back into the tool you’re using to collect said fees. Make sure the cost makes sense and that you’re getting enough bang for your buck. For example, if you select a pricier option, make sure it offers additional features that your league can make use of.
Extra management features
Speaking of additional features, is that something that’s important to you? If your league already has processes in place and only needs a tool for collecting payments, one of the free apps that only does that is likely the best option.
But if you do need access to things like a website for your league, online registration, background checks, and other sports management features, look into the all-in-one tools that can help your league manage everything.
Support
Customer support is always important to consider anytime you invest in a tool, especially if it’s related to payments. If something goes wrong, how quick is support's response? How helpful are they? How friendly and supportive are they? This is important to discover when researching tools.
Find the best sports team payment app for your needs
Your league is going to need a way to collect payments—and accepting cash and checks is no longer the way to do things. Instead, you need an online payment app that makes the process seamless for all parties involved.
Give Jersey Watch a try, gaining access to a number of key league management features. You can test us out for free before signing up for a premium plan to make sure we fit your needs.
