The problem
Paper registration forms at the start of the season mean typing up details, chasing missing consent and matching payments. An academy registering 120 players can spend about 40 hours a season on it, and if 6 players a season never pay a $80£60€71A$115C$113 registration fee, that is $479£360€428A$691C$677 lost.
What the AI does
Pitchero is a website, app and membership system for grassroots sports clubs. Its pricing page lists online registration in every package and payment processing on Standard ($51£38€45A$73C$71 a month, up to 20 teams) from 2.42% + 17p per payment; the Free plan doesn't take payments. Its membership page lists registration forms for players, parents and volunteers, custom fields, family accounts where a parent manages several children, encrypted storage with permission levels, and automated payment reminders. Build one registration form with the fields you need, take the season fee at registration, and parents fill it in once for each child.
A worked example
A junior tennis and football coaching academy in Guildford registers about 120 players a season at $80£60€71A$115C$113 each, across 6 age groups. The founder moves registration from paper forms and bank transfers to Pitchero Standard.
Before
About 40 hours a season on paper forms and payment chasing; about 6 players a season never paying
After
Parents register and pay online; about 8 hours a season checking forms, and unpaid fees chased by reminders
What it's worth
About $125£94€112A$180C$177 a month, against about $72£54€64A$104C$102 a month in costs. That is 32 hours a year saved at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour, $89£67€80A$129C$126 a month, plus $36£27€32A$52C$51 a month in profit at an assumed 90% margin on $479£360€428A$691C$677 a year of fees now collected. Costs: Standard at $51£38€45A$73C$71 a month, plus payment fees from 2.42% + 17p on $9,576£7,200€8,568A$13,824C$13,536 of registrations, about $259£195€232A$374C$367 a year ($21£16€19A$31C$30 a month).
How to set it up
- Start Pitchero's 30-day trial on Standard and set up a team for each age group.
- Build one registration form with custom fields for parent contacts, emergency contacts, consents and any medical needs coaches must know.
- Set the season fee and connect payments so parents pay when they register.
- Send the registration link to existing families and put it on the academy website.
- Give each coach permission to see only their own group's details, and review incomplete registrations weekly.
What goes wrong
- Payment fees are quoted from 2.42% + 17p, so the actual rate may be higher. Check it before you set your fees.
- Children's medical information is special-category data under UK GDPR. Collect only what coaches need and check Pitchero's data processing terms.
- Standard covers up to 20 teams; extra teams are $3.33£2.50€2.97A$4.80C$4.70 a month each.
- Families who register late or by paper still need adding by hand, so set a clear registration deadline.