This policy is to provide you all with information about how your account with Strange Blue/Cambridge Ultimate is managed, and how your bill is calculated. Apologies for the length, but please do take the time to read it carefully, as it is very important.

How SB/CUlt Accounts Are Managed

1. Account Limits

   The club functions by paying tournament fees and costs for venues up front, and then charging its members afterwards. In the past we have had trouble with getting paid sufficiently quickly to be able to pay the fees for subsequent tournaments, and have relied on the generosity of some captains and committee members to ease cash-flow problems. In order to prevent this, we will now require that players clear their accounts at the start of each term and also at the start of the summer vacation and prior to each CUlt tournament, before they accrue any further debts to the club. The dates for payment will be two weeks after the start of term, and three weeks after the end of Easter term, as well as one week before each CUlt tournament.

   The dates for the calendar year 2019 will be:

   Saturday 26th January
   Saturday 4th May
   Saturday 25th May
   Saturday 6th July
   Saturday 21st September

   On our part, we will make sure that all accounts are fully up to date two weeks before each deadline, and send out reminder emails when they are. The intention is not to cause any members financial difficulty, and if unexpected circumstances arise that prevent you from paying, (e.g. a student loans company fails to pay you in a timely manner), you should email to let us know why - we will be as generous as we can be. The treasurer email address is ultimate-treasurer@srcf.net.

2. How costs are incurred

   Practices on hired pitches, such as astro-turf and indoor sessions come with a charge to pay those costs. CUSC indoors is £2.50, Astroturf sessions are £2.50 for one hour and £5.00 for two hours. The fitness sessions at the University Sports Centre are £2.50. We record the attendance, and add the cost for all of the term's practices to your account at the end of term, so you don't need to pay on attending.

   When you attend a tournament, the team fee and other whole team costs are split equally among the team. SB also tends to organise transport, either by hiring a minibus or coach, or by arranging a car-share. Drivers have their fuel costs refunded, plus 50% for wear and tear to their vehicle. We then share the total cost for the journey equally among those who used SB-organised transport. In some cases (particularly student tournaments), we cannot find enough cars and may need to hire some, and some people may take public transport, we split their costs fairly too. Each journey is treated separately, so it is possible to get transport to the tournament, but not returning, for instance. People who drive often may end up in credit, in which case they can ask to be reimbursed, and will be paid by bank transfer. Typical domestic tournament costs may be around £30-50, including transport, and about £10-15 not including transport, but of course this does vary depending on the location, tournament fee and number of people playing.

3. When your account is updated, Accessing Your Account and Valid e-mail addresses

   At a minimum, your account will be updated two weeks before the balance clearance dates, but we will aim to do so more frequently. Your account will be accessible by a unique URL, you will be emailed this when your account is created. You will also receive a balance reminder e-mail whenever the accounts are updated, which will include the URL. It is very important that we have a valid email address for your account, particularly when you graduate or move work. If the email address that you have been receiving email from us is about to become invalid, or is inconvenient for you, you should email the treasurer to change it, at ultimate-treasurer@srcf.net.

4. Making Payments

   Payments can be made at any time, and early payments make the running of the club easier. At a minimum, your account should be cleared as described in the first section above. Payment details are linked to from your account page. After paying, email ultimate-treasurer@srcf.net, including the reference given, so that we can match the payment to your account.

5. Tournament Dropout Policy

   The club has a tournament dropout policy, which can be found here. It outlines what you will be charged if you drop out of a tournament.

6. Miscellaneous Financial Polices

   Team Kit is charged to players at cost. We require payment in advance, as the club doesn't have the necessary capital to make large orders. Discs, hoodies, buffs and other stash from the shop is sold at a small profit. Student tournament costs, at the discretion of the executive committee, may be capped, with the difference being absorbed by the club. A typical example is University Nationals, where players are often charged a cap of £50, although this doesn't cover the full costs of the tournament.

Thank you for reading this, any questions can be asked by emailing the treasurer.