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Refund Policy

Payments for STA tuition fees are non-refundable.

STA team formation takes place during a period when tryouts for many clubs are taking place, and during the time of year when the number of players looking for new clubs is at its highest. As such, there are usually more players seeking a place on STA rosters than there are available roster spots. Therefore, the tryout process requires that STA rejects some players in order to offer spots to others. Additionally, should a player later drop out, there is a considerable reduction in the pool of players from whom STA could replace not just that one player, but also necessarily complete the roster with players of the ability and commitment anticipated by other team members, on which the reputation of the STA club depends. As acknowledged in the commitment letter, upon receipt of the first payment, STA commits to holding the roster spot for the child and guaranteeing the child a place to play for the coming season. The family, therefore, benefits from the knowledge that their son / daughter has secured a roster spot at the club of their choosing, which will not, under any circumstances, be given to another player. Of crucial importance, the family also has the benefit of knowing that other families whose children play on the team are bound by the same absolute and non-refundable nature of their financial commitment, which constitutes a large part of the confidence necessary in signing up for a team well in advance of the start of the playing season.

This arrangement, while necessary given the calendar of youth soccer and the reality that tryouts for Fall teams take place during a certain period in the Spring, means that the ability of STA to mitigate financial damage caused by a later change of heart is considerably reduced. Accordingly, should a family wish to remove their child from the STA club, their full financial commitment to making all payments will not change. STA will not refund any monies under any circumstance, and, in order to bring the relationship to a timely conclusion, will charge all outstanding monies in full, as soon as is reasonably possible, during which time player cards will also be returned, canceled or released, and the players will be removed from team rosters allowing all parties to pursue alternate opportunities with all obligations prior met. This commitment is considerable, but is laid out in writing in advance, in order for the parents to freely choose whether or not to enter into it. STA is transparent about this commitment, and in agreeing to join the STA club, the parent agrees to sign a letter agreeing to all payments, acknowledged that the STA club will likely have difficulty replacing their child should they later leave, and, knowingly and reasonably waiving in writing their right to later cancel their authorization for these charges. Further, the parent has acknowledged (i) that all payments made are not refundable under any circumstances, (ii) that their commitment to paying the full amount is a necessary financial commitment required by STA to form their youth teams in advance of the season, with the considerable financial obligations that is necessary to run a youth soccer club of this type; and (iii) to pay any reasonable fees, including but not limited to attorney fees, involved in the collection of these fees if necessary. Each parent must agree to be bound by this policy in order to complete the registration for STA, and has had ample time to consider the obligations herein, as well as balancing the fact that other families committing to the team will be bound by these same obligations.

In accepting a place on an STA team, the family recognizes that the team is run as part of the STA program as a whole. As such, many operational decisions within the team and club are made by the team Head Coach, the club Technical Director and the club Executive Director. Indeed, the removal of parents and volunteers from these decisions, substituting instead the judgment of professional STA staff, forms a major part of the decision as to which of many available clubs a player wishes to play for. These decisions include, but are not limited to: which leagues and tournaments the team participates in, who trains and coaches the team, including possible trainer / coach changes, numbers of players on a roster, which players compete in which game(s), decisions on how long players play in any given game(s), and the position(s) that players play in when on the field. Where an offer is for an age group and not for a specific team, the family agrees that the decision of which team a player is placed within an age group is to be left to the professional staff at STA. The family agrees that having these decisions made by the professional club staff rather than any parent on the team is an important part of the club, and of their decision to join STA, and understand that should they later disagree with those decisions over the course of the year, that will not be cause for a refund of any kind, nor will it reflect a full or partial breach of any obligations of the STA club.

This level of financial commitment is considerable but necessary, not because of the reality that children will change their mind from time to time, but to avoid the considerable damage to the STA club that would be caused were adults able to avoid their agreed financial obligations. This includes damage in which the club pays for the loss directly, or indirect damage caused by forcing other parents within the club to incur unexpected charges due to the actions of those breaching agreement, thus harming the reputation of STA. Please note that there are no exceptions to this policy.