In this blog post, we will take a look at the interconnection between Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSO) and their affiliated clubs and teams in the context of the evolving processes for collecting and sharing member data, and the impacts these processes have on risk management, safe sport, and more.
So what has motivated this topic? Over the last 18 months, Interpodia has worked with over 100 diverse provincial bodies, covering 22 different sports from soccer to speed skating. The consistent reality is that it is difficult for PTSOs to find one model that works for all of their clubs/ teams and that there is an increasing need for PTSOs to create a direct and meaningful relationship with their clubs participants and parents.
The Traditional Model
The traditional model often involves the club or team collecting and providing member data to the PTSO along with payment for the respective PTSO and perhaps National Sport Organization (NSO) dues. This model brings numerous challenges that have only become more problematic over the last couple of years. The problems that arise from this model include:
- The PTSO receives secondhand data that is often lacking accuracy of integrity and does not contain sufficient information to satisfy funding bodies and insurance providers.
- The club handles the process of collecting and storing waivers and releases from participants and parents.
- The participant and parents do not have a direct relationship with the PTSO.
- The PTSO is collecting fees late, and in some cases then remitting a portion of fees to the NSO.
Weve observed numerous initiatives to evolve this, some very successful and some not so successful. The most common approach being where the PTSO instructs the clubs not to collect registrations, waivers and dues on behalf of the PTSO anymore and providing the options to either 1) Use an integrated registration system for club registration that includes the validation and purchase of the PTSO membership in one experience or 2) Instruct all the participants to visit PTSO registration system directly to sign up and pay their dues.
The former option is not always possible for clubs, as sometimes they have invested in their own system or are contractually committed to a specific provider. The latter option is also not ideal as it makes for a fragmented process for the participant as they register for the club and the PTSO separately. This leads to an increased risk as the club will be responsible for ensuring all of their members are holding a valid PTSO membership.
The Impacts of 2020
The impacts of 2020 and Covid-19 brought even more reasons to evolve from these traditional processes, and weve seen an increase in organizations leveraging technology to make athlete data collected by affiliated clubs, including their signed waivers, integrated to PTSOs. This presents many benefits including more direct communication between PTSOs and their athletes and parents. As well as enabling the PTSO to ensure that every member has the correct memberships and waivers, and that coaches have completed criminal background checks. These types of integrations help remove the burden of compliance from clubs, which tend to have varying degrees of resources and technical sophistication. These integrations also help provide PTSOs with realtime accurate data for operational and strategic reporting purposes e.g. to funding bodies, sponsors, retention and growth efforts.
The most obvious technical solution to integration is having all of the clubs use the same system for registration as the PTSO. While this would make for the smoothest path for both administration purposes and members, implementation can be a complicated journey. With that said, we have seen some sporting organizations make the most of these unusual times during the pandemic to achieve changes that would normally have taken years through reluctance to adapt.
Different Solutions for PTSO Integration
We thought it would be interesting to explore three different solutions for integrating affiliations with sports organizations, that not only reduce risk but help government bodies achieve overarching goals and strategic plans. Before looking at solutions, we must look at the requirements related to the integration and processes of sporting organizations, and the member organizations affiliated with them.
PTSO Requirements:
- Build a direct relationship and communicate with the parent or guardian of each athlete, coach, official, volunteer, or others in an oversight role.
- Ensure that agreements, declarations, and waivers are consistently handled & stored for future potential retrieval
- Manage the official criminal background checks for coaches and others in an oversight role
- Effectively split and deposit the fees for the National Sporting Organization (NSO) and PTSO in a timely manner
- Ensure membership funds collected by the club/team affiliate are collected in a timely and efficient manner that does not lead to accounts receivables and chasing
Club or Team Affiliate Requirements:
- Ensure that every participants PTSO membership is valid.
- Ensure that the legal guardian or parent has completed any necessary agreements or releases.
- Remit the funds collected on behalf of the PTSO/NSO to the PTSO as applicable
The Three Common Scenarios for Affiliated Clubs
Below we have outlined what we see to be the three most typical club-to-PTSO relationship structures and rated the user experience as well as discussing how the processes can be best implemented.
Club Scenario #1 – Two Separate Registrations
In this scenario, the club is using a different registration system than their PTSO, and sends members to use the PTSO registration system to complete and pay their PTSO membership. This type of club also needs validation processes to ensure that each member has fully paid their membership dues.
Rating: 5/10
User Experience
For the purchaser, the registration process is fragmented. Participants need to use multiple systems and make separate payments. They will be required to enter similar information twice and often there will be a lag between signing up for the club and then the PTSO. It creates extra work for the purchaser (a barrier to entry for growth) and does not project an integrated sport image where the PTSO/NSO is part of the grassroots community.
Club Experience
If an application-process interface (API) is not possible with the clubs chosen platform to the PTSO chosen platform, the club will have to manually validate each applicants membership, as well continually checking if it is in good standing. There is the potential where a person could be involved in a club activity who does not have required PTSO membership (and therefore potentially insurance) for which the burden of any claim may fall on the club and its officers/directors.
PTSO Experience
Not all members of a club may sign up for the PTSO membership, therefore depriving the PTSO of membership revenue, but also numbers of members (which may impact both funding grants and sponsorship revenue). There is likely to be additional administration in liaising with clubs (e.g. clubs enquiring if X person has PTSO membership and if it is valid-especially true when it comes to technical licenses such as coaches and officials).
Implemented solutions:
If this path is chosen by a PTSO, the club registration flow should involve sending the registrants to the PTSOs website to complete the membership application. The clubs registration system should use an API verification process to ensure that was done (i.e. that the person has a valid PTSO membership). It could involve using a membership number or a match of the applicants name. With an API, the system can see if the PTSO membership is valid. The registrant can then sign up for the right activity.
The downside
The member will have to leave the club registration process to complete the PTSO membership and then return to the club to sign up afterward.
Club Scenario #2- One Registration, Data is Passed to PTSO
In this scenario, the club does not want each member to register themselves with the PTSO system or directly pay the PTSO for their membership. Instead, the club collects the PTSO membership dues and PTSO waiver for members and submits the data to the PTSO to create a current membership record.
Rating 7/10:
User Experience
From a user perspective, they only have to go to one site to complete and pay for their registration (or do so by paper).
Club Experience
From a club perspective, there is administration and risk in managing the PTSO membership waiver collection and dues. As well as carrying the burden of having to obtain waivers and payments from the user, there is the administration of sending it to the PTSO as well as storing the PTSO waiver. There is an unfortunate incentive to not fully report or remit.
PTSO Experience
The PTSO has almost zero interaction with its members and is placing great trust in the hands of every club to administer and safeguard waivers. The PTSO can never be 100% confident that they are receiving all the funds they should and there will definitely be delays in receiving the funds from the clubs (as well as administration around accounts receivable, invoicing etc.).
The Solution:
One solution for this scenario is to ensure that the clubs do their annual affiliation with the PTSO on the PTSO registration software. This will enable an environment where the club can also bulk import athlete records to make a PTSO membership for each applicant.
Once uploaded, each club member/ parent will then get a confirmation email informing them that their PTSO membership has been paid for, but to become valid, the parent or applicant has to agree to the required PTSO waivers or agreements via a link in the email. Upon completion, the member can get their digital membership card, membership number, and confirmation email. Upon bulk upload of their club members into the PTSO system, the club can settle the funds owing to the PTSO at point of upload.
This hybrid model does achieve the requirement to ensure that each member of the PTSO has agreed to the terms and conditions of PTSO membership (as well as its benefits such as insurance) and that the PTSO receives its funds (or is at least aware of what is owed). For clubs, it still enables them to manage their memberships directly but adds some peace of mind with respect to risk management.
The downside
The clubs need to make sure they collect the right data from all the members, such as; if the registrant is a minor at the time of registration the club must collect a name, email and relationship type for the parent or guardian. Then the club needs to prepare the data into the importable format based on a spreadsheet template.
Club Scenario #3- One Registration with Integrated Data, Waivers & Fees
In this scenario, the club uses the same registration software as the PTSO, whereby the individual signs up for the club and PTSO (and NSO and even International body) at the same time, agreeing to the waiver/t&c of both club and PTSO.
Rating 10/10
User Experience
The user only has to enter her/his information and pay once, is made aware of the PTSO/NSO connection/membership and can now enter events or clinics run by the club/PTSO without any further checks.
Club Experience
Collection of PTSO waivers and remittance of PTSO funds are removed from the club responsibility-just the clubs funds are remitted to the club, significantly reducing administration. The club officers/directors know that a member could not possibly sign up for their club without having the appropriate PTSO/NSO membership and any insurance benefit.
PTSO Experience
The PTSO receives funds promptly, it establishes a relationship with the member directly, has accurate reporting for funding bodies, insurance brokers, sponsors and other stakeholders and hugely reduces both the risk and administration around the collection of membership dues. By having this data, it can over time start to analyze retention of members, the average lifetime of a member, diversity targeting/reporting as well as long-term athlete development identification.
Solutions:
In this scenario, the club can set up the registration for merchandise, programs, and memberships using the Interpodia platform, the same as their PTSO. Members can apply for their club and PTSO memberships at the same time, and pay for the two orders in one transaction. They will receive confirmation emails from both organizations and on the systems backend, the fees will be split and the waivers and athlete data will be accessible to the PTSO.
The downside:
Not all clubs or teams are in a position or interested to move from their current registration process. Online registration does not work for all affiliates, such as a school team that collects paper forms and covers the cost of the team members to be part of the PTSO.
A Word From Our Partners, Markel Canada Limited
At the start of 2020, Interpodia announced a strategic partnership with Markel Canada Limited, the division of Markel International that provides insurance solutions for commercial liability needs across Canada. This partnership united Interpodias technology facility with Markels deep industry knowledge and insurance expertise in order to help sport organizations reach a faster realization of effective systems around safe sport. With the pandemics detrimental effects on sport organizations, the need for risk mitigation services in the pursuit to return to sports in 2021 has become crucial.
In our increasingly litigious society, data collection and processes to help promote safety are becoming key factors in all activities, but especially sports. A streamlined user experience linking participants to their governing bodies is, no doubt, the key tool in allowing organizations to begin their return to sports with peace of mind. Gina Bennett, Vice President of Markel Canadas Sports, Leisure, Fitness and Recreation sector comments while the lasting effects of Covid-19 on our economy is unknown, an irrevocable focus for all organizations moving forward will be the safety measures they will have to put in place. As the above scenarios outline, a streamlined process between participants and their governing bodies is the simplest, safest way to ensure that waivers are being properly collected and stored, health checks are being performed, and that PTSOs, NSOs, and participants and their families are privy to all of the same information. Markel Canadas partnership with Interpodia will be instrumental for our insureds in the post-pandemic return to play.
For national and provincial sport organizations under pressure to comply with new governance or insurance standards, this partnership creates the opportunity for sport organizations to use a systematic multidisciplinary and multi-agency approach. With Markel as Interpodias official insurance partner, using this technology may result in premium savings to reflect an improvement in mitigated risk.
Concluding Thoughts
Clubs and teams are a critical part of the sport ecosystem and have a wide wide variety of needs and operating processes. It is not always realistic to try and get all clubs and teams to follow the same process and all on one system. As a technology partner to clubs, PTSOs, NSOs we understand the importance of enabling the organizations to utilize a system that can handle all of these different processes at the same time. Hopefully, the realization of the need to evolve processes occurs more organically than as a result of a major incident.
The greatest successes will be the PTSOs that are able to offer all of these three approaches simultaneously and give their clubs/ affiliates the option to choose which approach works best for them, offering flexibility for clubs while ensuring safe sport and covid-19 policies are being met.
We would love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments below, or join the conversation online @interpodiatech on socials. If you would like to talk one-on-one with our leadership team we are happy to discuss best practices and obstacles you may have.
You can book a free consultation here.
About Interpodia Technology
Interpodia works with National and Provincial Sport Organizations, sport clubs and events to provide modern and flexible systems for registration and membership management that can unify events, clubs, PTSOs and the NSO under one platform. Since Interpodia began operations in 2009, they have supported more than 20 National Organizations, over 100 Provincial bodies, and thousands of sport clubs with a wide range of services. Outside of registration and membership management, Interpodias ecosystem provides safe sport and risk management tools, and also acts as a hub to integrate with other vertical specialists such as communication tools like MailChimp, merchandise design and fulfillment centers, and background check systems.