Accepting a position on a Stoddert travel or developmental team is a commitment to the club and to the other members of the team to play for the full soccer year. Withdrawals from participation endanger the team’s chances of success and create an adverse financial impact on the club.
The Stoddert travel and developmental program depends on the receipt of budgeted revenues committed to pay expenses for the entire year as of the beginning of the soccer season; the program has no ability to make up un-received revenues. As such, refunds are strongly disfavored and will be granted only in the rarest of circumstances.
The Travel Committee has adopted the following general policy with regard to refunds, effective June 1, 2007. However, Stoddert reserves the right to change this policy (prospectively or retroactively) at any time depending on the circumstances of a particular case or to grant a refund in the most extreme circumstances.
No refund will be paid prior to the start of the travel season; any refund will be payable at the end of the travel season to which it relates.
No refund will be granted to any player who accepts a position on a Stoddert travel or developmental team and then chooses not to play for any reason other than a season-ending injury. In particular, no refund will be granted to a player (i) dropped from the team by a coach for failure to attend practices or games or for violation of club or team policies or rules or (ii) who seeks a voluntary release from the team roster.
In the Travel Committee’s sole discretion, refunds may be granted as follows:
For purposes of this policy, (i) “Pre-Season Training” shall mean the mid- to late-August or mid- to late-March training sessions and tournaments that are contemplated in the coaching contract between Stoddert and a team coach, and (ii) the club assumes a 14 week period from the start of Pre-Season Training until the end of a season.
If the coach “involuntarily releases” the player before the first Pre-Season Training session, the player may receive a full refund payable at the end of the season.
If the player suffers a season-ending injury, certified by a doctor, before Pre-Season Training begins, the player may receive a full refund payable at the end of the season.
If a player suffers a season ending injury, certified by a doctor, after the start of Pre-Season Training, the player may request a refund (payable at the end of the season) as follows: (Travel Fee)(# of weeks of season remaining/14) = Refund.
An example of the formula is as follows. For ease of calculation, assume a travel fee of $100 (this is NOT the fee), and a season ending injury in the third week of the regular season, the fifth week since Pre-Season Training began (and thus 9 week remaining in the season):
