Dursley Dolphins Club Fee Policy - 2025

Dursley Dolphins Swimming Club operate on a non-profit basis. The club does not aim to make a profit, but will have the right to maintain a contingency of funds to provide resilience to future provision of sessions.

Monthly Payment of Fees

• Training fees include: all pool time, coaching, and lifeguard. The fee rate will depend on the number of sessions or squad attended.

• Fees will be collected by direct debit on/around the 12th of each month for each swimmer. The monthly session/squad fee is derived from the annual fee for each session being spread over a 12 month period equally and still needs to be paid during swim breaks. No refunds are given if you leave partway through a month.

• Any members experiencing difficulties with payment of fees should contact the committee through the Club Welfare Officer ([email protected]) in confidence; the club may be able to offer assistance in some cases.

• Parents and/or swimmers are reminded we require at least 30 days’ notice in writing (email) if you wish to leave the club. This should be provided to the Membership Secretary ([email protected]). It is not sufficient to tell someone on poolside.

• Unpaid fees may result in the swimmer being unable to swim until the payment is resolved. The Swim England membership department may be informed should a member resign while still owing monies to the club, this may result in the blocking of future club moves until any outstanding debt is resolved.

• Any request to increase, decrease, or change days of swimming sessions by the swimmer must be emailed to the Membership Secretary. This will only be granted on the understanding that places are not held and may not be available to alter/change again in the future. You must await confirmation before making changes. The club requires a minimum of 30 days’ notice to decrease sessions.

• Any rise in the fee structure will be communicated via email by the committee with due notice given of any proposed rises.

• Any member’s fees remaining unpaid 30 days after the due date may result in suspension from some or all club activities until payment is made. Any fees not paid within two weeks of the due date will incur a penalty charge of 10p per day.

• Any member’s fees that are more than two months in arrears shall be deemed to have left the club and will be removed from sessions. Swimmers will be notified before their removal from sessions.

Annual Membership Fee

• Includes: Insurance, Swim England affiliation fees, GCASA fee, Swim Club Manager fees, and general administration costs of the club.

• Annual Membership fees must be paid at the point of joining the club and thereafter at the beginning of each calendar year. The precise point will be determined by the Committee but will ordinarily be in February. This payment is not reduced if joining part way through the year.

• Swimmers who leave the club throughout the year shall not be entitled to a refund of any part of the Annual Membership Fee.

• If a swimmer owes any outstanding fees/payments to the club, their Swim England membership will not be renewed until all outstanding payments are cleared.

Cancellation of Sessions

• Although every effort will be made to ensure sessions run as planned, there may be times (due to an incident beyond our control) when the club has to cancel a session. The committee will do its best to inform swimmers/parents of this as soon as possible via email/Swimclub Manager app.

• Planned closures due to holidays or swimming commitments will be communicated in advance via email. These are normally Christmas, Easter, and the month of August. This roughly equates (taking into account yearly calendar variations) to the club swimming for 46 weeks of the year. Monthly fees are paid across all 12 months.

• In the event of any session being canceled refunds may be offered, where possible, to recompense swimmers and parents. This will be done at a flat rate and may not fully represent the individual session fee. Any refunds will only be issued through Swim Club Manager in the form of a Credit Note, as a minimum on a quarterly basis. The Credit Note will be applied to a subsequent invoice. No other means of reimbursement is offered by the club.

• The club may, on occasion, be able to accommodate swimmers moving to another session when their usual session is canceled. This will be in lieu of any refund. This is to ensure the safety and appropriate ability of swimmers in sessions.

• Any sessions missed by the swimmer due to illness or holidays will not be refunded. However, any swimmer likely to be absent for a prolonged period (8 weeks or more) may email the committee Chairperson at [email protected] for consideration of monthly fees suspension. Medical evidence (if required) can be supplied confidentially to the Club Welfare Officer.

Gala and Open Meet Fees

• Swimming meet fees for gala and open events will be invoiced to the swimmer once events have been confirmed by the meet promoter.

• Invoices must be settled by the week before the open meet commences, and following confirmation of entries from the meet promoter. Direct debit customers may receive their invoices slightly earlier to allow sufficient time for payment processing. The club also offers an online payment processing system embedded in invoices. No bank direct transfers or cash are accepted.

• Open Meet and Gala invoices may carry an additional levy. This is to cover additional costs incurred by the club for Team Manager/Coaches passes, which are mandated by Swim England. This will also cover renumeration for Coaches attending such events. The exact rate will be defined by the committee and communicated in good time prior to each meet.

• Non-payment of meet fees by the due date may result in the swimmer being prevented from being entered in to the corresponding event and also from entering future events.

• Unpaid fees will be reported to the Club Treasurer and Committee for further action.

Leaving the club with outstanding fees

• Should a member choose to leave the club with outstanding fees (monthly or open meets) the club may consider reporting this to Swim England. The potential implication being that this could prevent the transfer of membership to another club until said outstanding fees are settled.

• Any dispute regarding outstanding fees should be referred to the Club Chairperson for review.

[Reviewed July 2025]