Season budget & subs fee calculator
Calculate soccer club registration fees using: (costs + contingency buffer − sponsorship) ÷ paying players. For an 18-player squad with $9,500 costs, a 5% buffer ($475) and $500 sponsorship: ($9,500 + $475 − $500) ÷ 18 = $526.40 per player break-even, or $535.53 by card at Stripe's 1.7% + $0.30 Australian rate. Plan your budget below.
Updated
Season costs
Example figures for one senior amateur team. Replace them with your own quotes and invoices.
Squad and income
Break-even fee for 18 players
- Costs $11,380
- Buffer $569
- Income −$2,500
- To raise $9,449
Card vs cash
| Item | By card | In cash |
|---|---|---|
| Players who pay | 18 | 16 of 18 |
| Lost | $164.34 card fees | $1,070.00 unpaid |
| Club keeps | $9,465.66 | $8,560.00 |
| Against the budget | $16.66 over | $889.00 short |
Collecting by card keeps $905.66 more this season, even after card fees. Australian clubs can’t add a card surcharge on Visa, Mastercard or eftpos from 1 October 2026, so build card fees into the one fee. Card rates: Stripe Australia, GST included, from stripe.com/au/pricing (15 October 2026).
How the break-even fee is worked out
Your players’ fees have to cover whatever the season costs that sponsors and fundraising don’t. So the calculator adds up every cost (multiplying per-player costs such as association registration by the squad), adds the buffer, takes off income, and divides what is left by the number of players who pay:
Break-even fee = (costs + buffer − income) ÷ paying players
Here is the example the calculator opens with: one senior amateur team of 18 players. The figures are illustrative, so use your own quotes.
| Cost | Amount | Per player |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch and training ground hire | $3,200 | $177.78 |
| League / association team entry | $1,200 | $66.67 |
| Referee fees | $1,600 | $88.89 |
| Player registration & insurance | $160 × 18 = $2,880 | $160.00 |
| Balls, bibs and cones | $450 | $25.00 |
| Playing kit | $1,400 | $77.78 |
| Trophies and presentation night | $500 | $27.78 |
| First aid kit and strapping | $150 | $8.33 |
| Total costs | $11,380 | $632.22 |
| Buffer (5%) | $569 | $31.61 |
| Sponsors and fundraising | −$2,500 | −$138.89 |
| Break-even fee | $9,449 to raise | $524.95 |
Collected by card at 1.65% + $0.30, the fee has to be $534.06 for the club to still receive $524.95; the calculator suggests rounding up to $535. Collected in cash with two players who never pay, the fee would need to be $590.57.
Stripe fees on club membership payments in Australia
Stripe’s published rate for Australian cards is 1.65% + $0.30 per payment, GST included, and 3.5% + $0.30 for international cards (source: stripe.com/au/pricing, checked 15 October 2026). What that means for common registration fees:
| Fee | Stripe fee | Club receives | Fee that nets the full amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $1.13 | $48.87 | $51.14 |
| $100 | $1.95 | $98.05 | $101.98 |
| $150 | $2.78 | $147.22 | $152.82 |
| $200 | $3.60 | $196.40 | $203.66 |
| $250 | $4.43 | $245.57 | $254.50 |
| $300 | $5.25 | $294.75 | $305.34 |
| $400 | $6.90 | $393.10 | $407.02 |
| $500 | $8.55 | $491.45 | $508.69 |
To build the fee into your price, divide rather than add: set the fee at (amount you need + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.0165). Adding 1.65% on top falls slightly short, because Stripe takes its percentage of the extra too. Since 1 October 2026, Australian clubs can no longer add a separate card surcharge on Visa, Mastercard or eftpos payments, so the card cost belongs in the one fee everyone pays.
Card vs chasing cash: what the club keeps
Cash and bank transfers have no processing fee, but they rely on the treasurer chasing every player. Card payments taken at sign-up are paid before the player takes the field. For the example squad of 18 at $535 each:
| Collected | Lost | Club keeps |
|---|---|---|
| By card (1.65% + $0.30) | $164.34 | $9,465.66 |
| Cash, everyone pays | $0.00 | $9,630.00 |
| Cash, 1 never pays | $535.00 | $9,095.00 |
| Cash, 2 never pay | $1,070.00 | $8,560.00 |
| Cash, 4 never pay | $2,140.00 | $7,490.00 |
A whole squad’s card fees come to less than one unpaid registration, before counting the evenings spent sending reminders and matching bank transfers to names.
Season costs treasurers often forget
- Referee fees. Often paid per game by the home team, so they add up over a long season.
- Lights and extra training sessions. Council and school grounds may charge for lights or extra hours separately from the ground hire.
- Per-player registration and insurance. Charged by the federation or association for every registered player, on top of the team’s league entry.
- Fines and forfeits. Late team sheets, cards and forfeited games can carry association fines.
- Card processing fees. 1.65% + $0.30 on every payment unless you build them into the fee.
- End of season. Trophies, medals and the presentation night.
- Replacement gear. Balls go over fences and bibs go missing; budget for a top-up mid-season.
What you get
How to set your club’s registration fee
- List the season’s costs. Replace the example lines with your quotes and invoices. Mark costs charged for every player, such as association registration, as per player.
- Add the squad and income. Enter how many players will pay and the money coming in from sponsors, grants and fundraising, then pick a buffer.
- Read the break-even fee. The calculator shows the fee per player that covers the season, the fee to charge by card so the card fee is covered, and the fee to charge in cash if some players never pay.
- Compare card and cash. Enter the fee you will charge and how many players usually do not pay, and see what the club keeps each way.
- Share it. Print the budget or copy the summary for the committee meeting or the AGM.
Questions
How do I work out how much to charge for club registration?
Add up every cost for the season, add a buffer of 5–10%, take off sponsorship, grants and fundraising, then divide by the number of paying players. That is the break-even fee. For example, a senior team with $11,380 of costs, a 5% buffer and $2,500 from sponsors needs $9,449 from 18 players: $524.95 each.
What costs should a football club include in its season budget?
Ground and training hire (including lights), league or association team entry, per-player registration and insurance, referee fees, balls, bibs and cones, playing kit, first aid and strapping, trophies and the presentation night, coaching courses, and bank or card fees. Treasurers most often forget referees, lights, the presentation night and card processing fees.
How much does Stripe charge on a membership fee in Australia?
Stripe’s published rate for Australian cards is 1.65% + $0.30 per payment, GST included (3.5% + $0.30 for international cards), as listed at stripe.com/au/pricing on 15 October 2026. On a $200 fee that is $3.60, so the club receives $196.40.
Can the club add a card surcharge to cover Stripe fees?
Not on Visa, Mastercard or eftpos in Australia: the Reserve Bank removed surcharging on those cards from 1 October 2026 (American Express, UnionPay and PayPal have said they will stop surcharging too). Build the card fee into the one fee everyone pays instead. To still receive $524.95 per player at 1.65% + $0.30, set the fee at ($524.95 + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.0165) = $534.06.
Is it cheaper to collect fees in cash than by card?
Only if everyone pays. Cash has no processing fee, but most clubs end the season with a few players who never paid. In the example, card fees cost $164 for the season while two unpaid players out of 18 cost $1,070. One non-payer usually costs more than a whole squad’s card fees.
What if the break-even fee is too high for our players?
Look for more sponsorship, a grant or a fundraiser first, since every dollar of income comes straight off the fee. You can also share ground hire with another team, buy kit that lasts two seasons, or offer instalments or a family discount and make up the difference with a slightly higher senior fee.
How big should the buffer be?
Most club treasurers keep 5–10% on top of known costs for things like an extra referee, a washed-out ground that needs rebooking or a new set of balls. Choose None if your costs are fixed quotes and you have reserves in the bank.
Is the calculator free? Is anything uploaded?
It is free with no account or ads. Your figures stay in your own browser and nothing is sent anywhere. You can print the budget or copy a summary for the committee.
Read the guide
- How much to charge for club registrationThe break-even fee, card fees and the surcharge ban
- 2027 Football Australia registration feesThe new National Football Development Contribution and fee freeze explained
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