Sponsorship and fundraising is a great way to gather funds for the purpose of supporting the academy and its teams, without having to resort to the charging players additional fees for extra-curricular activities outside of the standard programming.
The following guidelines are specific to current members (Players/Parents and Staff) and are intended to set forth rules to ensure fundraising activities are being performed ethically for the sole benefit of the athlete. Although moneys collected belong to the respective player(s)/team(s), Elite Soccer Academy as the governing body remains financially, legally and ethically accountable for all its teams and its members.
As result, ALL sponsorship and fundraising activities MUST be aligned with a team(s) seasonal plan and its events, endorsed by the academy leadership, and all activity must remain transparent and supported with appropriate live running documents.
Prior to commencing a sponsorship or fundraising activity, academy leadership, coaches and respective team manager(s) MUST be informed.
Coaches will determine how funds will be spent based on the team(s) seasonal plan, but signing authority MUST remain to parents and team manager(s). As such, coaches shall NOT be involved with the bank account and/or or direct access to the funds, therefore removing accountability for any activity, and it is the team’s sole responsibility to ensure enough funding is always available to cover ALL events agreed upon by ALL parties.
Once parents commit to a sponsor or fundraising, they are of the understanding that funds belong to the respective team/academy and must always comply with the principles of team first protocol. Parents are of the understanding that funds are strictly to be used for the sole purposes of the full team’s soccer activities within the academy team/program
From time to time, parents/children may leave the team and/or relocated to a different age group for any reason.
All funds are non-transferrable and any funds associated with any player will remain within the team’s account for use of that specific team.
Furthermore, as teams come to the end of a cycle and/or fold for any reason, all funds will then become the sole property of the academy to use at their discretion.
Each respective team member, parent and team manager(s) is responsible for all fundraising activities and/or what that sponsor represents. In the event any one parent opts out of contributing into the team’s fundraising activities, he/she will automatically forfeit the right to benefit from any funds within the team’s account.
ALL moneys MUST be kept in a bank account at a recognized financial institution. A total of three(3) signing officers per team will be required including an academy member. The parents of each team will select two(2) members to act as the team’s account holders
Should a team opt out of placing team funds in a recognized banking institution, funds will be held by the academy. Any taxes or expenditures associated with the management of that bank account will be withdrawn from that same account.
Sponsorship and fundraising moneys are strictly donations to the respective team and any funds within the fundraising account must solely be used for the benefit of the entire team and cannot be used for the benefit of anyone individual, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by ALL members of the respective team.
Where sponsorship and fundraising is concerned, ALL Teams are considered separate entities. Elite Soccer Academy and its staff, is not responsible for any mishandling or loss of funds and shall not be held liable in any way.
It is strongly recommended that sponsors, fundraising and its activities are aligned with specific planned events and account should be zero at the end of every term, unless part of a longer term plan that carries a higher value/price for events event such as US and/or overseas events.
Although every team has the freedom to choose the types of event(s) and/or function(s), Elite Soccer Academy as the governing body of every team, reserves the right to cancel any activity that may be deemed unlawful, unethical and otherwise against the academy’s vision.
In the event of conflict or suspicion of misuse of funds, Elite Soccer Academy will freeze all funds without notice until a proper investigation is conducted.
All funds raised and/or obtained for the purpose of program sponsorship shall be fully utilized for program costs such as tournament/showcase fees, equipment, etc.
ALL activities supported through sponsorship and fundraising are outlined in a master plan available to our partners/sponsors at any time.
Any funds obtained through sponsorship or fundraising shall not be utilized for any one individual, unless expressed in written form, who the recipient would be.
