U.S. Soccer Connect 2021 User Forum Questions
General Service & Support Questions
Q: When I need help, where is the best place to go?
A: We prioritize providing knowledgeable technical support to all our partners, and to do that have a variety of resources available to meet everyone’s needs. You can access our wide range of support articles and video tutorials with step by step instructions at our Support Help Center, which can also be accessed from within your Sports Connect account. Simply click the Support widget in the bottom left corner of your account (when logged in), and type in the topic you would like to learn more about. If you have a question for our technical support team, you can actually submit a support ticket right from the Support widget in your Sports Connect account as well. To reach out to our team click your Support widget, then click Contact us and submit your questions. One of our team members will follow up via email to the address you indicate in the form. If you prefer to speak to a team member over the phone, you can call our Sports Connect support team at 866-258-3303 as well.
Q: Can you send me the list of updates you made in 2020?
A: Each year, our Product Team has several planned major enhancements. In 2020, our most significant planned update was Mobile-First Registration. However, when COVID-19 emerged, we listened to your feedback and made several additions to our plans to help you navigate the challenges of the shutdown. Here are some of our most noteworthy updates from the past year.
Q: How do I get a new administrator trained?
A: Our Partner Activation Team is dedicated to training our new partners, and provides live webinars each week. Whether you are new to Sports Connect, are a new admin for an organization, or are an existing user that wants to learn more about a specific feature you can take advantage of our webinar series by signing up for a Training Webinar. These sessions are recorded, and automatically sent out to everyone who signed up, so if you prefer to attend live or review a recording at a time convenient for you, the option is yours! Additionally, there are a variety of recorded video resources in our Sports Connect Video Library. This video library includes general overviews for beginners as well as feature specific tutorials, and past recorded webinars.
Q: I am stepping down and a new admin is taking my place. How do I get them set up on Sports Connect?
A: Once a user has an account on your Sports Connect site, you can assign a security role to their account based on what their responsibilities will be. Any user with Club Admin access will be able to add or update the security roles for users as seen in the following support video. We recommend each user have their own account, rather than passing down one admin login.
Q: How do I apply my organization’s domain name to our Sports Connect site?
A: We can assist with that. Take a look at our guide regarding Configuring DNS/Pointing Domain Name here. When you are ready to make the adjustment to your site, feel free to contact our support team.
U.S. Soccer Connect Feature Questions
Q: How do I collect donations on our website, not just within the registration form?
A: Adding a “Donate” page to your website is an easy way to fundraise! Learn how with this support article or watch our webinar about optimizing your website’s inner pages. Once the page is created, you can add your fundraising link, such as StackRaise or PushSave.
Q: You said there is a bulk credit option, how do I use it?
A: In response to the high volume of cancellations, our Product Team built a new enhancement allowing you to offer bulk account credits that your members can use towards future seasons. Read more about this enhancement here.
Q: How can I create a program and not take in any fees to start?
A: If your season is pending COVID-19 restrictions, you can create a commitment-free program by using the try-out registration process or creating a waitlist and accepting all registrants once the season is confirmed.
Q: We get a lot of chargebacks in a season, how can we manage these?
A: As part of our ongoing effort to make the chargeback process more transparent, admins will now be able to see chargeback reversals as credits against the corresponding order. Read more here and take a deeper diver here.
Q: I heard about adjustable payment plans, how does that work?
A: While you can currently edit payment plan due dates & amounts for manual payment plans, we’re working to provide you the ability to edit the payment plan due dates and amounts for ARB (Automatic Recurring Billing) payment plans. We understand the importance of flexibility when it comes to collecting payments, and our continued commitment is to making this part of managing your club as seamless for both admins and parents. So for parents needing additional flexibility paying their open balances, you can make these adjustments on the fly while still maintaining the convenience of automatic payments.
Q: If we need to cancel another season are there still bulk refund options available?
A: Yes, we have built out more flexible refund and credit options for our partners to help in the event programs need to be cancelled. Your club can either offer a full or partial refund, or take advantage of our credit feature to apply a financial credit to parent accounts to be used for a future registration.
Added Benefits Questions
Q: What is Stack Benefits?
A: Stack Sports Member Benefits is a nationwide youth sports platform designed to offer sports organizations access to a variety of tools, discounts, and member benefits that will help decrease expenses, increase revenues, and streamline organizations. You can learn more here
Q: Can I get more information about Officials Connect?
A: Currently our Officials Connect product is still in beta but stay tuned for more product and pricing information to be shared with our partners following the 2021 Spring Season.
Q: Can I get more information about Stack Travel and TEAMINN?
A: Yes, Stack Travel, powered by TEAM INN, is a full-service housing company, providing housing to facilities, tournaments, clubs, leagues and associations throughout the United States and Canada. Please feel free to visit http://myteaminn.com to learn more about this unique value-add service and revenue share opportunity for your club or league.