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Owners Who Don't Pay League Dues?? (1 Viewer)

UnLearnYourself

Footballguy
Our league has a $200 buy-in, and has been running strong for a decade with family and friends.  Very competitive league that I try to run professionally.  Our rules state failure to pay dues on time and your roster is frozen until paid, however every year when a good friend or family member reaches out and explains why they need more time I've never had the heart to freeze them out.  Every year people have paid prior to playoffs...except this year, 1 owner still not paid.

And to make it slightly worse he is a new member to the league, and old friend of mine dating back to 1st grade that I've lost touch with the past decade for the most part.

His team is 1 of the 4 teams remaining.  If he wins week 15 he will take a minimum of $200 for 3rd place and have a chance to win $500 or $1,500 if he takes 2nd or 1st prize.  He also won a $25 bonus for highest scoring RB.

Unfortunately we have no clear rules on how to handle non-payment.  A mistake and oversight for a league this matured.  In any case we (myself and the 2 others who are my assst commissioners) are working on language to set in place for next season.  They will be clear and firm and we will 100% enforce whatever we decide upon.  Problem now is the rule isn't in place so I'm trying to be fair given the cirumstances.

Here's what I'm thinking, hope others can chime in:  (1)  $25 bonus forfeited, and deposited in the leagues general fund (this was a regular season bonus and because dues were not paid by the conclusion of the regular season I feel fine taking the $25); (2)  If the owner wins 3rd place prize of $200 he will be given $0 and the $200 will be taken as his dues for 2020.  Further, if he has any intention of playing in 2021 I want to require a deposit immediately - ideally full payment but might take $50 or so as a token) (3) If the owner wins $500 or $1,500 I will take $200 for 2020 dues, take $200 for his full payment for 2021 dues to secure his spot, and pay him the balance.

What do you all think?  I would love to say no pay = no money but don't want to harm the friendship and nothing is predefined.

 
Here's what I'm thinking, hope others can chime in:  (1)  $25 bonus forfeited, and deposited in the leagues general fund (this was a regular season bonus and because dues were not paid by the conclusion of the regular season I feel fine taking the $25); (2)  If the owner wins 3rd place prize of $200 he will be given $0 and the $200 will be taken as his dues for 2020.  Further, if he has any intention of playing in 2021 I want to require a deposit immediately - ideally full payment but might take $50 or so as a token) (3) If the owner wins $500 or $1,500 I will take $200 for 2020 dues, take $200 for his full payment for 2021 dues to secure his spot, and pay him the balance.
This seems entirely reasonable to me

 
A lot of people are struggling. I’d probably be extra lenient this year. I like your ideas.
This.  See how it shakes out and hopefully he wins this week so you can take the due out of his winnings.  Then next year collect the fees up front.

 
What has the guy been saying?  This is really the important part.  If he has just gone silent then you have an issue.  I ran into this a few years ago with on particular owner.  Ours was based on in season debt (we pay real money for free agent acquisitions).  He owed over his franchise fee in FA debt.  He kept saying I would get installments but then once the NFL season ended he went silent for 4 months.  I eventually got paid and he is still in the league but it did cause issues because I ended up proposing penalties for late payments and the guy ended up losing a pick the first year it was eligible because he didn't pay.  It has caused friction but I stand by the punishment because the league voted it in and he was aware of it before it was enforced.

Bottom line, if you can work out a plan with the guy (what you stated about taking his fees out of his winnings is reasonable) then it should be fine.  If the guy goes silent and you need to pay out the winner's it gets a bit difficult.  

It's a dynasty league and we now require your yearly dues prior to draft date or you lose a draft pick.  We also pay ahead a full franchise fee is reserve and you are only allowed to buy free agents up to that amount before having to pay them off.  

I would recommend putting the league rules you have listed up for vote to the entire league just to make everyone involved with the decisions so nobody gets blindsided. 

 
What has the guy been saying?  This is really the important part.  If he has just gone silent then you have an issue.  I ran into this a few years ago with on particular owner.  Ours was based on in season debt (we pay real money for free agent acquisitions).  He owed over his franchise fee in FA debt.  He kept saying I would get installments but then once the NFL season ended he went silent for 4 months.  I eventually got paid and he is still in the league but it did cause issues because I ended up proposing penalties for late payments and the guy ended up losing a pick the first year it was eligible because he didn't pay.  It has caused friction but I stand by the punishment because the league voted it in and he was aware of it before it was enforced.

Bottom line, if you can work out a plan with the guy (what you stated about taking his fees out of his winnings is reasonable) then it should be fine.  If the guy goes silent and you need to pay out the winner's it gets a bit difficult.  

It's a dynasty league and we now require your yearly dues prior to draft date or you lose a draft pick.  We also pay ahead a full franchise fee is reserve and you are only allowed to buy free agents up to that amount before having to pay them off.  

I would recommend putting the league rules you have listed up for vote to the entire league just to make everyone involved with the decisions so nobody gets blindsided. 
Meant to add this earlier:  At draft in Aug he said he'd mail a check, sent him a friendly reminder in Sept - no reply, sent him a friendly reminder in Oct - no reply, sent him a friendly reminder in Nov - no reply.  Literally not one single word reply to me in 4 months, including the week we faced off and I texted friendly banter with no mention of dues.  Then once regular season ended and I distributed regular season bonus money I hit him up and with a friendly tone let him know I've already paid out $200 to the league and I need the dues in our league account.  This was Dec 2, and this was the first time he replied a single word to me all year.  Said sorry and that he'd mail a check.  Here we are Dec 15 and it hasn't arrived.  He claims he mailed it on Dec 3.   So for now I'm still giving him the benefit of the doubt, especially after the post office told me today that it's not entirely uncommon for the state of our mail system this holiday season.  Hopefully it arrives without event before week 15 games begin and the payout picture begins to settle.

I will be drafting very details specific rules that expand a bit beyond what I'm thinking for this particular off season and likely taking them to vote.  The key to all of it will be communication and a plan - with that most owners will get all the flexibility they need.  But in the case of no payment, no communication, etc I want perhaps a more stern policy than I'm recommending for this year.  Some scratch ideas here:

1) Deposit required in advance of draft to secure team  - ideally 2 weeks to leave time to find a replacement owner if necessary (Does this seem reasonable for the entire league?  If not maybe just in the case of my 3rd bullet point)
2) Full payment due by the day we draft (Paypal, Venmo, Cash, Check)
3) If full payment cannot be made owner must make a minimum $50 deposit to secure their team AND submit a payment plan in writing that satisfies full balance prior to week 13.
4) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 13 they forfeit any regular season bonus winnings, and those amounts will go to the league's general fund account
5) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 14 and their team goes on to win 3rd prize ($200) they will receive $0. ($200 will cover Current Year dues).
6) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 15 and their team goes on to win 2nd prize ($500) they will receive $50.  ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will cover Next Year dues.  $50 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment)  If the owner decides not to return the following season they will be paid $200.  ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $100 will be deposited in the league's general fund account as a penalty for non-payment and not returning to league).
7) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 16 and their team goes on to win 1st prize ($1,500) they will receive $1,000 ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will cover Next Year dues.  $100 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment).  If the owner decides not to return the following season they will be paid $1,100 ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment and not returning to league)
8 ) If an owner was penalized at all for failure to pay/late payments and they want to return to play the following season they will be required to pay 100% of league dues 2 weeks in advance of the draft.  Commissioner can set up payment plan well in advance to assist in satisfying that requirement.  If owner fails to meet that requirement ownership of their team will be transferred to a new owner from the league's wait list.
9) If an owner fails to pay all or some of their dues and did not win any prizes, the balance owed will be collected from the league's general fund account.  If the league's general fund account does not have the funds to cover the balance due, the balance due will be split 12 ways and the Next Season dues for all participating owners will be increased to collectively satisfy the balance due. (need to tease this one out a bit and think through it more)

This should more or less cover this whole matter - I think in a stern, but reasonable and clearly communicated manner.  And with all that said if an owner communicates early and consistently we could and most likely would grant an exception.  This is all designed for the very unlikely scenarios of no payment, no communication, etc.

 
As others have said, I would probably cut him a bit of slack given the times and just net his $200 against anything he wins. But maybe tell him that non-payment up front won't be acceptable next year and that he needs to be fair to everyone else in the league who has paid on time.  

 
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UnLearnYourself said:
Meant to add this earlier:  At draft in Aug he said he'd mail a check, sent him a friendly reminder in Sept - no reply, sent him a friendly reminder in Oct - no reply, sent him a friendly reminder in Nov - no reply.  Literally not one single word reply to me in 4 months, including the week we faced off and I texted friendly banter with no mention of dues.  Then once regular season ended and I distributed regular season bonus money I hit him up and with a friendly tone let him know I've already paid out $200 to the league and I need the dues in our league account.  This was Dec 2, and this was the first time he replied a single word to me all year.  Said sorry and that he'd mail a check.  Here we are Dec 15 and it hasn't arrived.  He claims he mailed it on Dec 3.   So for now I'm still giving him the benefit of the doubt, especially after the post office told me today that it's not entirely uncommon for the state of our mail system this holiday season.  Hopefully it arrives without event before week 15 games begin and the payout picture begins to settle.

I will be drafting very details specific rules that expand a bit beyond what I'm thinking for this particular off season and likely taking them to vote.  The key to all of it will be communication and a plan - with that most owners will get all the flexibility they need.  But in the case of no payment, no communication, etc I want perhaps a more stern policy than I'm recommending for this year.  Some scratch ideas here:

1) Deposit required in advance of draft to secure team  - ideally 2 weeks to leave time to find a replacement owner if necessary (Does this seem reasonable for the entire league?  If not maybe just in the case of my 3rd bullet point)
2) Full payment due by the day we draft (Paypal, Venmo, Cash, Check)
3) If full payment cannot be made owner must make a minimum $50 deposit to secure their team AND submit a payment plan in writing that satisfies full balance prior to week 13.
4) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 13 they forfeit any regular season bonus winnings, and those amounts will go to the league's general fund account
5) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 14 and their team goes on to win 3rd prize ($200) they will receive $0. ($200 will cover Current Year dues).
6) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 15 and their team goes on to win 2nd prize ($500) they will receive $50.  ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will cover Next Year dues.  $50 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment)  If the owner decides not to return the following season they will be paid $200.  ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $100 will be deposited in the league's general fund account as a penalty for non-payment and not returning to league).
7) If owner fails to satisfy full balance prior to the start of week 16 and their team goes on to win 1st prize ($1,500) they will receive $1,000 ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will cover Next Year dues.  $100 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment).  If the owner decides not to return the following season they will be paid $1,100 ($200 will cover Current Year dues.  $200 will be deposited in league's general fund as a Penalty for non-payment and not returning to league)
8 ) If an owner was penalized at all for failure to pay/late payments and they want to return to play the following season they will be required to pay 100% of league dues 2 weeks in advance of the draft.  Commissioner can set up payment plan well in advance to assist in satisfying that requirement.  If owner fails to meet that requirement ownership of their team will be transferred to a new owner from the league's wait list.
9) If an owner fails to pay all or some of their dues and did not win any prizes, the balance owed will be collected from the league's general fund account.  If the league's general fund account does not have the funds to cover the balance due, the balance due will be split 12 ways and the Next Season dues for all participating owners will be increased to collectively satisfy the balance due. (need to tease this one out a bit and think through it more)

This should more or less cover this whole matter - I think in a stern, but reasonable and clearly communicated manner.  And with all that said if an owner communicates early and consistently we could and most likely would grant an exception.  This is all designed for the very unlikely scenarios of no payment, no communication, etc.
With technology now there is no reason to mail a check.  Use Venmo, Paypal, etc.......there are tons of apps that can be used immediately and can't get "lost in the mail".  I would suggest giving him your account info to whatever of those you prefer and have him send it that way.....immediately.  Tell him you will use the check as a deposit for next year.  

 
With technology now there is no reason to mail a check.  Use Venmo, Paypal, etc.......there are tons of apps that can be used immediately and can't get "lost in the mail".  I would suggest giving him your account info to whatever of those you prefer and have him send it that way.....immediately.  Tell him you will use the check as a deposit for next year.  
If it were only that simple.  I tried a Paypal/Venmo only rule last year and of course 3 owners message me that they don't have any such account and they don't trust the systems and strongly prefer cash or check.  I mean, can I force banking practices on friends who voice their opposition?

 
If it were only that simple.  I tried a Paypal/Venmo only rule last year and of course 3 owners message me that they don't have any such account and they don't trust the systems and strongly prefer cash or check.  I mean, can I force banking practices on friends who voice their opposition?
That sucks.  You can't force them but it makes it way easier for both parties if they just did it.  

 
We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition. A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy. What is the problem, Mr. UnLearnYourself?

 
The necessity for "language" to get long-time friends to pay 200 bucks at this stage of the game in a 10 year old family and friends league is kind of ridiculous.
Agreed.  With that said, I've slowly but surely been building up this league and its resources over the past decade.  We have an annual resource manual sent out in the summer prior to the draft and are ironing out a league constitution to bring together all our rules and league settings and last season history in one spot.  This will just be another page in that constitution and only there for the rare unlikely (once in a decade??) case where a friend/acquaintance proves to be slimy. (hopefully not the case this year but prompting this dialogue nonetheless)

 
As others have said, I would probably cut him a bit of slack given the times and just net his $200 against anything he wins. But maybe tell him that non-payment up front won't be acceptable next year and that he needs to be fair to everyone else in the league who has paid on time.  
This, to me, is the right approach for this year.  

This year in the league I commission I actually waived fees until after the season. We didn't know if the season would play out, so i figured best to leave it until the end. 

Nice that he is likely going to cash, as that will help you collect, but as others have said, it's a good learning opportunity for your league commishes to set the rules straight up front for future seasons. It sounds like you are handling it as well as you can. 

The challenge comes if he finishes 4th and doesn't cash - then you only have the $25 he won & whatever 4th place gets to off-set what he owes. 

 
This, to me, is the right approach for this year.  

This year in the league I commission I actually waived fees until after the season. We didn't know if the season would play out, so i figured best to leave it until the end. 

Nice that he is likely going to cash, as that will help you collect, but as others have said, it's a good learning opportunity for your league commishes to set the rules straight up front for future seasons. It sounds like you are handling it as well as you can. 

The challenge comes if he finishes 4th and doesn't cash - then you only have the $25 he won & whatever 4th place gets to off-set what he owes. 
Then you may want to turn your attention to the pets.

 
This, to me, is the right approach for this year.  

This year in the league I commission I actually waived fees until after the season. We didn't know if the season would play out, so i figured best to leave it until the end. 

Nice that he is likely going to cash, as that will help you collect, but as others have said, it's a good learning opportunity for your league commishes to set the rules straight up front for future seasons. It sounds like you are handling it as well as you can. 

The challenge comes if he finishes 4th and doesn't cash - then you only have the $25 he won & whatever 4th place gets to off-set what he owes. 
See, I know he has the money.  He lives with his parents (at age 40) and has been gainfully employed for years.  Dude's far from rich, but he has $200.  I truly hope he doesn't win a damn penny and I'll just have him settle after the fact...which despite this I trust he will.

To me the bigger issue comes when he or anybody else in the league thinks they can just bet on themselves and not pay dues until the find out what they're going to win.  With that said, we'll have rules set up next year to assure this never happens.  But I DO NOT want this guy finishing the year satisfied - sorry if that sounds cruel.

 
I am with Fruity Pebbles on this. You give the guy extra leniency this year because of Covid.

But I think you need to get all dues paid in before the next season starts and make that explicitly clear in your bylaws to prevent such a thing from happening again. This includes replacing owners if necessary.

The mail has been inconsistent recently. Its possible he sent that check to you and it hasn't arrived yet. 

 
To me the bigger issue comes when he or anybody else in the league thinks they can just bet on themselves and not pay dues until the find out what they're going to win.  With that said, we'll have rules set up next year to assure this never happens.  But I DO NOT want this guy finishing the year satisfied - sorry if that sounds cruel.
We had Mr “take it out of my winnings” in my league every year until I made a rule that no payouts happen until everyone gets paid. 

The “blanket party” of FF - let the league hassle the dude for $ so I don’t have to shake him down. 

worked like a charm. He got so tired of 10 dudes chewing his ### out at the draft every year that he started showing up with $ in hand. 

 
The necessity for "language" to get long-time friends to pay 200 bucks at this stage of the game in a 10 year old family and friends league is kind of ridiculous.
Being that it is long term friends sometimes makes it more difficult.  Everyone just says I will pay you when I see you next but then it goes months without seeing each other because they don't live close anymore.  Since its all friends they think it's no big deal.  What they don't get is you want to pay off the winner and don't want to front it so you need to be paid in a timely manner so you can pay out in a timely manner.  It's generally nothing malicious just a pain in the butt.  

 
Intentionally avoiding communication about League Dues for 4 months seems odd for "friends". Make no mistake, considering he's online and interacts weekly that's exactly what he's doing; taking advantage of your nature and skirting around the League Dues. As for "can I force banking practices on friends" it happens hundreds of thousands of times a year for leagues that only use LeagueSafe, Yahoo! Cash, PayPal/etc. to collect dues. I'm a commish and my league has used PayPal for 7 years due to having almost half the league from overseas in the past.

 
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If it were only that simple.  I tried a Paypal/Venmo only rule last year and of course 3 owners message me that they don't have any such account and they don't trust the systems and strongly prefer cash or check.  I mean, can I force banking practices on friends who voice their opposition?
Tell them to enter 2020 then. There is also Teamstake which I use. Leaguesafe Fd me over so never again (non-related to stealing my $ FWIW)

 
That is a difficult position to be in.  I had a new dynasty owner many years back pull the same thing (League has been around over 30 years).  He was a close friend of a longtime league member, so I did not push as hard as I should have.  To make matters worse, he traded away his following year's first round pick and several prospects (nothing illegal) and won the league with a group of veteran players, then declared he was not returning.  (I am certain he had no intention to pay if he had not won.)  Sadly, we had a rule in place to remove him in season, but I failed to enforce it.  We had several league members back then routinely delay paying their fees, and it rarely was an issue.  We were all young and mostly struggling, so I didn't force the issue much.

Ultimately, I simply deducted his fee (no penalty) and paid him his winnings, and I personally paid the team's fee for the following season to sweeten the pot for a new incoming owner.  (Despite winning, his roster was not attractive for a new dynasty owner, especially without a first-round pick.)

----------------------------

If your non-paying member wins a sufficient amount, I suppose it doesn't make too much difference for this season, but I agree you should install firm rules for the future and be willing to enforce them.  

The worst-case scenario, however, is that your non-paying member does not win a sufficient amount to cover his fees, leaving you in the unenviable position of having to collect from an uncooperative league member so that you can pay out to the winners.  Sure, he may eventually pay up, but your winners want their cash without delay!

I get it that many people are struggling this year due to the pandemic, and I don't mean to sound heartless, but you don't join a league if you cannot meet the financial requirements.  We are not talking about some great sum of money here.  That might be understandable for an existing owner who suddenly found himself out of work, but that simply is not the case here.  Rename this guy's team the "Deadbeats" until he pays his dues for 2021.

I don't think it is unreasonable to withhold this owner's entire 2021 fees out of his winnings, if he wins that much.

 
Our league has a $200 buy-in, and has been running strong for a decade with family and friends.  Very competitive league that I try to run professionally.  Our rules state failure to pay dues on time and your roster is frozen until paid, however every year when a good friend or family member reaches out and explains why they need more time I've never had the heart to freeze them out.  Every year people have paid prior to playoffs...except this year, 1 owner still not paid.

And to make it slightly worse he is a new member to the league, and old friend of mine dating back to 1st grade that I've lost touch with the past decade for the most part.

His team is 1 of the 4 teams remaining.  If he wins week 15 he will take a minimum of $200 for 3rd place and have a chance to win $500 or $1,500 if he takes 2nd or 1st prize.  He also won a $25 bonus for highest scoring RB.

Unfortunately we have no clear rules on how to handle non-payment.  A mistake and oversight for a league this matured.  In any case we (myself and the 2 others who are my assst commissioners) are working on language to set in place for next season.  They will be clear and firm and we will 100% enforce whatever we decide upon.  Problem now is the rule isn't in place so I'm trying to be fair given the cirumstances.

Here's what I'm thinking, hope others can chime in:  (1)  $25 bonus forfeited, and deposited in the leagues general fund (this was a regular season bonus and because dues were not paid by the conclusion of the regular season I feel fine taking the $25); (2)  If the owner wins 3rd place prize of $200 he will be given $0 and the $200 will be taken as his dues for 2020.  Further, if he has any intention of playing in 2021 I want to require a deposit immediately - ideally full payment but might take $50 or so as a token) (3) If the owner wins $500 or $1,500 I will take $200 for 2020 dues, take $200 for his full payment for 2021 dues to secure his spot, and pay him the balance.

What do you all think?  I would love to say no pay = no money but don't want to harm the friendship and nothing is predefined.
Sounds like your rules are clear.  He has no playoff lineup until he pays up.

edit: misread the payout status initially.

 
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this is easy for me.    You bench his entire team, lock his team now and text him to either:
1) Pay the entry fee
OR
2) communicate with you as to why he has ignored this for 4 months and how he intends to make payment

By doing it this way, you don't give him the satisfaction of just sitting there........You make HIM ACT and don't allow a precedent for the future.
If he doesn't contact you, then you can sleep in peace at night
If he contacts you, then he either pays now or explains why he couldn't pay.    I'm all for allowing a little understanding, esp this yr.

 
It sucks but as commissioner you kinda let it go so you are kinda on the hook for it. I have been there,guy I played golf with for years. The league had been around for ever, some people would pay at the draft, half would send a check at the end. Always cleaned up by the end of January. My one buddy didn't want to get together to watch football, March Madness passed, golf season started, he never returned a call. It was $115 and we dropped him from the league next season. Never figured it out. I think I won enough that year so I just covered it. He had always been bad with money, I just wish he would have told me in December he didn't have it. 

 
My knee jerk reaction is to freeze the roster/team and if he doesn't pay he's gonna forfeit or you're going to take it over as Commish and if YOU WIN as the Captain of the ship then everyone gets their money back, doubt too many folks will fuss and just make sure 2nd and 3rd or whatever get what was rightfully theirs but the winner's pot I would just split up and send back should it all play out as I'm giving my hot take on this. 

 
In my league you don’t draft till you pay.  Auto pick if you haven’t paid yet.   Only had to do it once.  Then that guy hadn’t paid by week 1.  Forfeit.  Then he quit. Bye. 

 
Being that it is long term friends sometimes makes it more difficult.  Everyone just says I will pay you when I see you next but then it goes months without seeing each other because they don't live close anymore.  Since its all friends they think it's no big deal.  What they don't get is you want to pay off the winner and don't want to front it so you need to be paid in a timely manner so you can pay out in a timely manner.  It's generally nothing malicious just a pain in the butt.  
Exactly

 
I used to stress about getting funds and freezing rosters but it just isn't worth the headache. I just reach out to people once they are out and let them know what they owe and to wire it over and that's been working fine. Chasing people for money early in the year or before the draft hasn't ever worked for me, just got in the way of the fun, and factored into a dynasty league just dissolving unnecessarily. I think the approach just depends on the leagues mentality and how quick everyone wants to get paid at seasons end. 

 
For the love of God people, use league safe or demand all league payment before the draft.
I agree that getting league fees paid up front is ideally the best policy, but what do you do when you have someone login for the draft who says he will pay his fees next Friday?  Autodrafting his team may be a little harsh, and in Dynasty, your league may not last long if you are left with orphan teams void of top-tier talent.

Using Leaguesafe does not guarantee payment, either.  Leaguesafe assesses a non-refundable penalty (which goes to Leaguesafe, not your league) for late payments, but a deadbeat owner will still be a deadbeat owner.

I have found that the best solution for avoiding fee-payment issues is assembling a reliable group of owners and requiring new, incoming owners to make payment immediately upon joining the league.  Of course, this works great for established leagues.  Not so much for new leagues.

 
I agree that getting league fees paid up front is ideally the best policy, but what do you do when you have someone login for the draft who says he will pay his fees next Friday?  Autodrafting his team may be a little harsh, and in Dynasty, your league may not last long if you are left with orphan teams void of top-tier talent.

Using Leaguesafe does not guarantee payment, either.  Leaguesafe assesses a non-refundable penalty (which goes to Leaguesafe, not your league) for late payments, but a deadbeat owner will still be a deadbeat owner.

I have found that the best solution for avoiding fee-payment issues is assembling a reliable group of owners and requiring new, incoming owners to make payment immediately upon joining the league.  Of course, this works great for established leagues.  Not so much for new leagues.
Start collecting fees in March. Make it clear that anyone who doesnt pay, isnt drafting. Same message in April, May, June, until the draft. Every email should have a running list so everyone knows who hasnt paid. People procrastinate. Some need several reminders. I think this helps. 

 
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Start collecting fees in March. Make it clear that anyone who doesnt play, isnt drafting. Same message in April, May, June, until the draft. Every email should have a running list so everyone knows who hasnt paid. People procrastinate. Some need several reminders. I think this helps. 
We have a rule (voted in by the majority of the league) that if you don't pay your league dues by the start of the draft you lose your highest remaining draft pick for that draft.  That seems to have solved the issue of late franchise fees.  

PS......the owners that voted no to the rule change and complained it was too harsh were hit with the logical "it should never come into play if you pay on time and you only have about 6 months to prepare from the closing of the previous season (dynasty league)".  Just pay your fees on time and it never affects you.  

 
I agree that getting league fees paid up front is ideally the best policy, but what do you do when you have someone login for the draft who says he will pay his fees next Friday?  Autodrafting his team may be a little harsh, and in Dynasty, your league may not last long if you are left with orphan teams void of top-tier talent.

Using Leaguesafe does not guarantee payment, either.  Leaguesafe assesses a non-refundable penalty (which goes to Leaguesafe, not your league) for late payments, but a deadbeat owner will still be a deadbeat owner.

I have found that the best solution for avoiding fee-payment issues is assembling a reliable group of owners and requiring new, incoming owners to make payment immediately upon joining the league.  Of course, this works great for established leagues.  Not so much for new leagues.
Yeah I like that immediate payment for new owners, before they adopt the league culture and we get a chance to build trust with them (though everybody is a close friend of somebody in the league, if not me personally, so trust is rarely anything I think much about).

We also talked about a $25 or $50 "new member" fee that we'd add to the league's general fund and contribute towards a minimum $200 reserve in the account to cover in full the unlikely scenario where somebody doesn't pay ever.  We also have a fee for a "re-keeper" (keeping a keeper for another season - draft, keeper, re-keeper, back to draft pool), which also lands in the general fund and is used for draft boards, trophy engraving, etc, which will amount to $50-$100 per year.  We tend to get 1 new owner every other year so that fee will build slowly, but surely, and certainly fast enough to cover the once in a decade (or never) scenario where we'd actually have to tap it to cover dues MIA.

 
Didn't read the whole thread but for our league all money is due on draft day.  If you don't pay, you don't draft.

 
we used to have a rule that all of the guys who did not pay league dues had to gather up on the side of a really steep hill at the edge of a landfill down off 124th street and one of us that paid would go out and buy a big round block of cheese and we would roll it right down the hill and the slackers would have to chase it like they were from some crazy wacky village in some ex eastern soviet block country and whoever got it did not have to pay that year but at the bottom of the hill was a disgusting pond of swampy trash water from the landfill and it smelled like a rotting pile of broccoli and the cheese always made it into the pond and those suckers would have to swim for it and hey even if you won you did not really win so maybe get a giant wheel of cheese and give it a try take that to the bank bromigo 

 
we used to have a rule that all of the guys who did not pay league dues had to gather up on the side of a really steep hill at the edge of a landfill down off 124th street and one of us that paid would go out and buy a big round block of cheese and we would roll it right down the hill and the slackers would have to chase it like they were from some crazy wacky village in some ex eastern soviet block country and whoever got it did not have to pay that year but at the bottom of the hill was a disgusting pond of swampy trash water from the landfill and it smelled like a rotting pile of broccoli and the cheese always made it into the pond and those suckers would have to swim for it and hey even if you won you did not really win so maybe get a giant wheel of cheese and give it a try take that to the bank bromigo 
I can already see the problem. Since you are in Wisconsin, the second year nobody wanted to pay because they all wanted to chase the wheel. Am I correct?

 
Best to remove him from the league next season, find another friend or a friend of a friend who will pay timely.

Chasing entry fees is tiresome.

 

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