Every club is different, so start from your own budget sheet. Fees typically go toward some mix of coaching, facility or field rentals, league and tournament registration, insurance, uniforms and equipment, and admin. Travel, hotels and meals are often billed on top.

For scale, the Aspen Institute's Project Play 2024 survey found US families spent an average of $1,016 on one child's primary sport, up 46% since 2019, and about $1,500 per child once other teams were counted. Some sports run well above that: hockey averaged over $2,500 a year. These are national averages, not your club's numbers, so use them only as context. See the sources.

The useful number is the gap: what your families are already paying, minus what the season really costs. That gap, not the whole budget, is what a fundraiser should aim at.

A single big push puts all the pressure on one weekend and one set of relatives. A season-long store works differently:

• Fewer asks. One link, shared at natural moments (first game, a milestone, a tournament), instead of a new request each time money runs short.
• Late joiners count. New families, grandparents and neighbours can buy any week, not only during a two-week window.
• No cash to handle. Payments run through Stripe and go to the team's own connected account, which keeps the books simple for the treasurer.
• Less work for volunteers. After launch the store keeps selling without someone standing at a table.

The trade-off is honest: a store rarely produces a lump sum overnight. If you need a large amount by a hard date, pair it with another source, such as sponsorships, and see the other options side by side.

The coach or club admin creates the store, designs gear with the AI studio or uploaded art, sets prices and invites athletes. Supporters buy through the team link; each item is printed after it is ordered and shipped to the buyer's home. The full walkthrough is here.

• Cost to start: $0. The Season Pass is $89 by card or $99 from your first sales, and a team that sells nothing on the from-first-sales option owes nothing.
• What comes out of each sale: print cost, the shipping the buyer paid, card processing and a 5% platform fee on the item price. The team keeps the rest. Worked example on the pricing page.
• Inventory: none. Gear is made to order, so there are no boxes of unsold size mediums in a garage.

Adjust the months to your sport. The pattern is what matters: one launch, a few light reminders tied to real events, and a clear thank-you.

1. Pre-season (2-3 weeks before the first game): set the goal, pick two or three items, create the store, invite athletes to claim their pages. Preview it with the coaches.
2. Launch week: announce at the parent meeting and by email or text with the link and the end date, if you set one.
3. First home event: one reminder with the team's current progress and a photo of the gear in use.
4. Mid-season: a short update on what the money has paid for so far. If you have a new design, add it as a second drop.
5. Before the big tournament or end-of-season banquet: a final reminder to families and out-of-town relatives who need shipping time.
6. Wrap-up: thank supporters, post what the proceeds covered, and decide whether to re-open next season.

• Name the gap. "Cover tournament entry fees" lands better than "raise money".
• Use your own numbers. Take the fee gap per family and your roster size, then be realistic about how many roster families will actively share.
• Think in sales, not profit. The team's share per item depends on your price and the item's print cost, so test with the pricing page's calculation before you promise a total.
• Set a floor and a stretch. The floor is what you must have; the stretch is what extra buys, such as a better warm-up kit.

Our guide to raising money for a youth sports team covers goal-setting and timelines in more detail.

Each athlete claims a player page with their own share link. Purchases through that link are credited to the athlete, which gives kids a simple job: send the link to the people who already cheer for them. Teens can do this themselves; younger players share through a parent.

Because athletes are often minors, Swag31 keeps player pages out of search results and uses first names only in public metadata. Get guardian agreement before an athlete takes part, and keep personal details off public posts.

• Something they will wear: team-branded gear, not a coupon book or a box of product.
• Shipping to their own door, which suits grandparents and relatives in other states.
• An order confirmation and tracking by email.
• A clear picture of who they are supporting, through the athlete's link.

Everything is made to order, so wrong-size and change-of-mind returns are limited; see the refund policy so you can tell families upfront.

If you need a large sum quickly, a store alone may be slow, and a sponsorship or an emergency crowdfunding page may fit better. If your community loves an in-person event, a car wash or night out builds spirit that an online store does not. Many clubs mix: a store for the season, a sponsor for the big-ticket item.