The problem
Every September a membership secretary types up 120 paper registration forms at about 10 minutes each, 20 hours a year, about 1.7 hours a month. Then come the subs: $200£150€179A$288C$282 per junior, paid in dribs and drabs, with about 3 hours a month spent chasing. If 6 families never pay, that is $1,197£900€1,071A$1,728C$1,692 a year, $100£75€89A$144C$141 a month, the club can't spend on pitches and kit.
What the AI does
Pitchero is a website, app and membership system for grassroots clubs. Its Standard plan, at $51£38€45A$73C$71 a month for up to 20 teams, lists a membership database, custom forms and fields, integrated online payments with one-off and recurring payments, Stripe and GoCardless integration, member data export, payment reports, and team tools such as player availability and selection. Build a junior registration form with the club's own questions, including emergency contacts, consents and any medical information the welfare officer needs. Parents fill it in and pay subs in one go, and the membership secretary sees who has registered and paid.
A worked example
A rugby club in Bedford has 120 juniors across 8 age groups, each paying $200£150€179A$288C$282 a year, with a volunteer membership secretary and a club welfare officer.
Before
About 4.7 hours a month typing forms and chasing subs, with about $100£75€89A$144C$141 a month of subs never paid
After
About 1.5 hours a month checking registrations and the few unpaid families
What it's worth
About $64£48€57A$92C$90 to $164£123€146A$236C$231 a month in volunteer time and subs collected, against about $101£76€90A$146C$143 a month for Pitchero and payment fees. Time saved is 3.2 hours a month (4.7 minus 1.5), worth $64£48€57A$92C$90 at an assumed $20£15€18A$29C$28 an hour; on time alone it doesn't pay back. It pays back if online payment brings in the $100£75€89A$144C$141 of subs that went unpaid. Standard is $51£38€45A$73C$71 a month, and card fees from 2.42% + 17p on 120 payments of $200£150€179A$288C$282 are about $5.05£3.80€4.52A$7.30C$7.14 each, $606£456€543A$876C$857 a year, $51£38€45A$73C$71 a month. The club's existing website costs may also fall away.
How to set it up
- Agree with the welfare officer what the form asks, who can see each answer and how long it is kept.
- Start Pitchero's 30-day free trial on Standard, set up teams and build the junior registration form with custom fields.
- Connect online payments and set the subs price, as one payment or recurring payments.
- Send parents the registration link before the season with a deadline, and keep one paper form for families who need help.
- Export the membership list each month and contact families who haven't registered or paid.
What goes wrong
- Medical details and consents about children are special category data under UK GDPR. Restrict them to the welfare officer and coaches who need them, and follow your governing body's safeguarding rules (FA, RFU, ECB or similar).
- Payment fees are higher on Standard (from 2.42% + 17p) than Pro (from 1.67% + 15p); at much larger volumes, Pro at $132£99€118A$190C$186 a month may cost less overall.
- Pitchero's pricing page doesn't say whether VAT is added; check before you budget.
- Online payment doesn't stop families falling behind. The secretary still needs to follow up, with care for families who are struggling.