That Ain’t Workin’
by UPLA Board
Get Your Money for Huckin’ and Your Discs for Free
How many of you wonder what happens to your tournament and league fees? Well, my friends, prepare to be freed from those dire straits of blissful ignorance as we let you in to the shadowy world of UPLA high finance. (In case you’ve been living under a Frisbee™, the Ultimate Players League of Austin, or “UPLA” [pronounced YOU-play], is our community’s attempt to bring organization and coordination to Austin Ultimate.)
Perhaps you’ve been picturing the UPLA board bathing itself in a sea of crumpled, sweaty $20 bills. Not true! We don’t even bathe with soap! (We use vinegar and lemon juice, but I digress.) For one thing, board members are 100% volunteer. Contrary to popular rumor, there are no weekly UPLA-sponsored champagne brunches, retreats to luxury resort spas or million-dollar, AIG-style bonuses. As unsexy as it is…the largest expenditures of UPLA funds by far are advance payments for fields and discs for tournaments and leagues. Womp-waaaah.
Some examples… Did you know that way more than half the total cost of the indoor tournaments goes to renting the facility? How about that the YMCA fields for Spring League cost $1,200--all of which must be paid before the season’s first pull? Similarly, discs must be ordered six to eight weeks in advance with the cost typically ranging from $1,000 to $1,500, depending on the size of the order and the number of colors in the design. That equates to between $4.75 and $6.00 per disc. Tournament and league discs are commonly sold for $10 each, providing just a few bucks of proceeds to whichever organization is selling them.
Thankfully, with UPLA’s modest bank of money--normally between $2k and $3K--we no longer have to rely upon individuals using their credit cards or shelling out large chunks of cash to run Ultimate events. For UPLA, it’s a simple in-and-out as funds used to pre-pay for both fields and discs are quickly replenished by player fees as they come in.
Return to Spender
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that so far this discussion has focused only on funds being advanced and reimbursed—not “spent.” In fact, since UPLA’s inception, relatively little real money has actually been spent. For two years, the organization has been working simply to gather a minimum level of funds with which to accommodate normal account fluctuations. By maintaining an average operating balance of $2,500, we have now generally achieved that goal.
Among our largest “real” expenditures was a donation of discs to the Youth Ultimate High School Winter League. Their player fees did not include a disc, so UPLA was very excited to be able to provide a new disc for every high school player. Ultimate can have a truly positive impact on kids, especially with its emphasis on fair play, personal accountability and Spirit of the Game. UPLA feels strongly that youth Ultimate is a truly worthwhile recipient of support from the rest of the Austin Ultimate community (as represented by UPLA).
Other UPLA expenditures have included the purchase of cones, clipboards, coolers, tables, scoreboards and other miscellaneous items. Look for UPLA to purchase two portable canopy-tents this summer, too. It makes total sense for UPLA to buy this equipment and then make it available for whatever event is happening, regardless of who is running it--Showdown, Riverside, Youth, Doublewide, etc. After all, UPLA’s equipment belongs to all of us, and any group should be able to make use of it. Eventually, UPLA will rent a storage facility in central Austin so that the various constituents can access it when needed.
Fields of Dreams
One of UPLA’s long term goals is to bring (lighted) Ultimate fields to Austin Ultimate. Finding fields for leagues, tournaments and even club practices is a constant battle. We all love the UT IM Fields, but recent experience shows that we can’t always count on using them. The YMCA fields are close-in and nice enough, but don’t allow for growth. There are only six YMCA fields, an insufficient number to hold leagues or tournaments with greater than 15 teams. Plus, we have to fit in with the YMCA’s own crowded sports schedule. The fields in Manor are great (and not really that far out in the grand scheme of things), but again, we must compete for space with flag football and the ever-dominant warlords of soccer. If UPLA can pull off bringing fields to Austin, that’ll be cause for a giant celebration.
The steps toward Ultimate fields are many, and the road is long. Money to make it happen will probably not come from league/tournament fees--the numbers just won’t get us there (unless league fees jump to $150/player). When the time comes, there will have to be a separate funding effort dedicated to fields. Stay tuned for that story.
Huck to the Future
For UPLA to exist as a non-profit organization, we need a base-line of operating money for such things as state and federal taxes/fees, website hosting and other web development tools. Among the other ongoing expenses UPLA may soon take on is League Sports Insurance.
UPLA is also considering a program that pays a portion of the fees for coaching/observer clinics. For example, UPLA might pay half the coaching clinic fees for a participant if she/he commits to coaching a high school team for at least six months. On issues such as this, details are still being discussed, and feedback from players like you would be appreciated.
Did you know that Ultimate organizations in some cities pay their organizers? And not just in Clif Bars and discs! They’re hired by their local organization to run tournaments and leagues, secure fields, promote, market, fundraise, etc. Right now, that’s way beyond UPLA’s financial capacity, but it might be a goal worth shooting for. Perhaps within five years some lucky soul in Austin will actually earn money from Ultimate! Dare to dream, right?
Show Me the Money!
As mentioned earlier, UPLA has amassed an average cash balance of around $2,500. Where’d it come from? Well…uh…hmmm, check your wallets, ‘cause most likely some of it came from you! When you pay the player fee for hat tournaments or leagues--or team fees for team events--most of the cash pays for fields, discs, snacks, and the party. But there is always some money left over. Going all the way back to two years before UPLA was officially established, money was being set aside little by little, in chunks as small as $100 to $300 per event. Over time that sum has grown, and UPLA can now begin using it to positively impact the community it serves.
At one time, UPLA had the vision to donate part of its funds to Austin teams (i.e., Showdown, Doublewide, Chewbacca Defense, etc.) to help them offset the enormous annual costs of traveling to tournaments, particularly Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals. The premise was that Austin Ultimate should support those teams that represent Austin to the rest of the country. But there were a few problems with this: 1) UPLA doesn’t have enough money to give to teams in amounts significant enough to make any difference, and 2) it’s difficult deciding exactly to whom and how much to fund.
UPLA devised a solution. UPLA would partner with local teams to run leagues and tournaments and give a majority (80%) of the excess proceeds to the teams that do a majority of the work. This partnership now provides a way for local teams to raise funds for their own goals, while directly giving back their time and energy to the wider Ultimate community. For providing material and logistical support, UPLA receives 20% of the excess proceeds to help it continue its mission. The whole thing reeks of Spirit-of-the-Game!
Going forward, UPLA hopes to bring in new corporate sponsorships that will help us grow even more. We are also seeking new ways to bring in larger contributions from individuals that have the means to do so.
We want to know what ideas you have for what UPLA can or should be doing to either earn money or spend money. What if UPLA could hire coaches for youth Ultimate? Imagine an Ultimate scholarship to UT. Imagine that Austin Ultimate has its own fields. Lit fields! Please don’t hesitate to share your ideas with any UPLA board member. Better yet, get involved directly with UPLA by expressing your interest to any board member, or contact UPLA’s Director of Volunteers, Cindy Stowell at cindy.stowell@gmail.com.
Cha-ching! There you have it. A peek behind the curtain to witness UPLA finances in all their naked glory. We hope this gives you the comfort and confidence to continue supporting UPLA as it carries out its mission. The UPLA board knows there is so much to be gained through Ultimate. We believe in Ultimate’s power to transform lives. And we believe the possibilities are endless, especially with the participation and support--intellectual, creative, spiritual and financial--from huckers like you.
