Updated October 2026
What youth sports registration software really costs a small club
Most platforms are "free" to the club and charge your parents $1–3 plus 3–3.5% on every registration; the rest charge the club $350–900 a year and still mark up card processing. Here is what each one costs a typical small program, including the fees families pay.
The example club used below
150 families, about 200 children, 5 seasons a year, $90 per registration — roughly 400 registrations and $36,000 through the card system. Stripe's own card rate (2.9% + 30¢, about $1,160 a year on that volume) applies to every platform and is left out of the figures unless a vendor marks it up.
| Platform | Pricing model | Club pays / yr | Parents pay / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mysports.io | $1 for the first 3 months, then $99.99 a year flat. Plain Stripe rates, in the club's own Stripe account. | $100 | $0 | No per-child fee, no ads, cancel any time. |
| Jersey Watch | $348 a year (under 200 athletes), plus 3.5% + $1 per transaction, which the club absorbs or passes to parents | $348 (or ~$2,000 if the club absorbs the fees) | ~$1,660 if passed on | Published pricing; $588 a year above 200 athletes. |
| TeamSnap (ONE for clubs) | Quote-based, listed "from $599 a year"; about 3.25% + $1.50 per transaction, passed to parents by default | ~$600 | ~$1,800 | Processing rate not published; third-party estimate. |
| SportsEngine HQ | $67 a month billed annually ($804), plus 3.25% + $1.50 per transaction | ~$2,600 | — | Subject of a class action over a processing fee shown only at checkout. |
| Sports Connect (Blue Sombrero) | Free software; $3 per checkout charged to the family, including cash and check orders | $0 | ~$900 | Being retired in 2027; leagues are being moved to PlayMetrics. |
| TeamLinkt | Free core with ads and an undisclosed per-transaction fee; paid tiers $425–795 a year | $0–425 | not published | Ads shown to parents on the free plan. |
| LeagueApps | Setup fee plus a percentage of online payments; not published (third-party example: $3.50 + 2.5% per registration) | ~$2,300 + setup | — | Sales-led; built for larger clubs. |
| TeamSideline | $599 a year flat, no player fees, its own payment gateway | ~$600 | $0 | Aimed at parks and recreation departments. |
| Playpass | Free to $99 a month; 1–3% on top of Stripe's rate | ~$1,080 on the free plan | — | Half price for nonprofits. |
| Spond | Free; $1 + 3.29% per payment, paid by the parent | $0 | ~$1,600 | A team chat app first; registration second. |
| SquadFusion | $399–799 a year plus card processing | ~$400+ | — | Flat fee aimed at small clubs. |
Prices as published on the vendors' sites on October 26, 2026; where a rate is not published it is marked as an estimate. Tell us if something is out of date: mysports.io/contact.
Who pays the processing fee?
Every card payment costs about 2.9% + 30¢ at Stripe. On top of that, most youth sports platforms add their own fee — typically another $1–1.50 plus 0.3–0.6%, or a flat $3 per checkout — and let the club choose whether to absorb it or pass it to parents as a "convenience fee". Either way somebody pays roughly $900–1,800 a year for a 150-family club.
mysports.io adds nothing. Card payments go straight into the club's own Stripe account at Stripe's plain rate, and the club pays $99.99 a year for the software. We never store a card number, and the parent is never charged a fee by us.
Guides
- Sports Connect is shutting down: what your league should do before 2027 Stack Sports is retiring Sports Connect (Blue Sombrero) in 2027 and moving leagues to PlayMetrics. Your options, what to export now, and how to switch to a $99.99-a-year alternative with your data intact.
- How much does youth sports registration software really cost? A worked example for a 150-family club: what Jersey Watch, TeamSnap, SportsEngine, Sports Connect, TeamLinkt and mysports.io cost per year, including the fees charged to parents.
- Who pays the processing fee? Club fees, parent fees and "convenience fees" explained What a card payment actually costs, what the registration platform adds on top, and why most youth sports families end up paying $1–3 plus 3% on every registration.
- Youth sports registration software that runs on your club's own Stripe account Why it matters whether the money lands in your Stripe account or the vendor's, what "direct charges" means for refunds and payouts, and how mysports.io connects to the account you already have.
- Online registration for CYO and parish athletics programs Built for school and parish athletic programs: grade-based eligibility, one account per family across sports, cash and check alongside cards, and $99.99 a year flat.
- A TeamSnap alternative for small clubs TeamSnap's club product starts around $599 a year plus a per-transaction fee passed to parents. What a 150-family club actually needs, and what mysports.io does instead.
- A SportsEngine alternative for small leagues and parishes SportsEngine HQ costs $804 a year plus 3.25% + $1.50 per transaction and is built for big organizations. What a parish program or small rec league needs instead.
We'll move your data for you
Export your families, players and registrations from Sports Connect, TeamSnap, Jersey Watch or a spreadsheet, send us the file, and we set your club up on mysports.io with the history intact — accounts, children, past seasons, what was paid. No re-typing by your families.
What's the same everywhere
Online registration with eligibility rules, custom questions, card payments, rosters, refunds and an admin login are table stakes; every platform above has them, and so does mysports.io. The differences that matter to a volunteer board are the price model, whether parents see ads or fees, whether a family is one account or one per child, and who owns the data when you leave.
Try it for $1
Three months for $1, then $99.99 a year. Your Stripe account, your money, your data — built by sports fans with league management experience, who answer the email.