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Thread: League Payouts

  1. #11
    Pin Crusher
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    We pay $23 per week for 33 weeks. $1 of the fee is for 50\50 tickets. You get one ticket every week in your pay envelope.
    We collect $91,080 in a season. Lineage is $9.80 for a total of $38,808 which is 42% of weekly dues.
    $6,549 covers awards, sec-treas, each half champion and over all champ, expenses and banquet.
    That leaves $19.45 per point on a 7 point system.

  2. #12

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    The house usually has a set fee per week. This year ours was $15 per bowler per week. Then we had a $1 secretary fund and $4 prize fund for a total of $20 per week per bowler.

    I've found that a typical league here has Place Money and Point Money. Place money typically only pays 1st through 5th, but I've seen them also pay down to 8th.

    Point Money takes the remainder of the prize fund (after Place Money and Team/Individual achievements) and divides it by the number of points won by each team. So all teams get money.

    Example:

    1st Place $500 + point money
    2nd Place $300 + point money
    3rd Place $100 + point money
    4th Place Point Money
    5th Place Point Money
    6th Place Point Money
    etc.

    Of course, amounts depend on what is paid in. Another league is quite large and the fee is $22 + a one time sponsor fee. $6 per bowler goes into the prize fund each week. $15,360 this last year.

    I was the secretary on a mixed league and we had something that seems to be unusual. A banquet fund. Each person was paying $1 per week into the banquet fund, which meant at the end of the year you could have a decent banquet ($32 a plate, effectively).

  3. #13

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    Well, first off, if the league doesn't have that big of a prize fund, the bowlers are there for the fun of the league and not to win money. So that said, what would it take to actually win money.

    Lets say your league is $15 per week per person for a 4 person team, going for 32 weeks. 15 x 32 = $480, x4 = $1920 So first place would need to be $1920 just for them to break even.

    I've bowled on 2 mixed leagues for about 30 years now. Been the secretary on both for at least 25 years. Neither league has had a big enough prize fund for first place to break even unless we gave them half the prize fund. Prize fund has varied over the years due to number of teams. I think the highest I ever saw was near $7000 for 16 teams.

    Our mens league is a different story. $6 per week per bowler for 32 weeks goes to the prize fund. This year we had 14 teams. $420 a week x 32 weeks = $13,440.

  4. #14
    Bowler taxexpert2's Avatar
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    Trying to do what is fair to bowlers and to me as secretary. Any comments please.

    The league is a senior league which means we can have lots of problems with people starting the league and not finishing. When I was secretary the first time three years ago we had 20 teams with mostly four persons on a team. The secretary fund was $.25 per week (out of the total paid of $11.00) per week per bowler so for a 34 week season if all the teams has 4 bowlers for the whole year that meant as secretary I had $680 fund to cover my costs (costs are about $75-$100) and a fee for me. The rest of the money was for lineage, end of year banquet, prize fund and fun day.

    This year it looks like we will be down to a total of 49-52 bowlers. That means the secretary fund for a 34 week season will be only $442 which is as you can see quite a decrease from the $680 in the past. By the same token prize money will be significantly down. The alleys have not changed their fee for lineage which is $7.00 (which if you are absent you do not pay). But what can I say to these bowlers to make them see that this is not a reasonable way to run a league. We could eliminate the banquet fund and have a buffet in the bowling alley for less than the $20.00 the venue currently charges for a sitdown served dinner. I understand the appeal of the banquet, but it is difficult to justify that expense when prize money and everything else is so much decreased. Thanks for any input.

  5. #15

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    I think this is a big part of the decline in bowling. People want to at a bare minimum win something for winning a league that takes up most of the year.

    - why does a secretary need $500 for punching the numbers in?

    - why do centers charge full price for the bowling?

    - why on earth would you pay anything to the second half of finishing places?

    There is no other sport where you “might break even” winning a competition. There’s no point in doing it at all, except to be around other bowlers and get your name on a sheet of paper.

    I mean, I get it. I love to compete. But there’s really no reason to care who wins then, if you’re all going to get participation trophies.

    This is an era of poker tournaments - in which typically only the top 10% of finishers get anything. And that’s great! It’s accepted by the people doing it because they want to win money - as well as a trophy.

    Bowling leagues need to catch on to this or die.

  6. #16

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    Regarding the centers lineage fees - you’re getting a guaranteed full house of people every week, buying drinks, accessories, etc. what business would expect to pay zero for that?? Even at half price, it would be a steal for them, from a marketing standpoint.

  7. #17
    Bowler taxexpert2's Avatar
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    I guess I would really like to hear from ppl who have been secretaries of leagues where there are a bunch of senior citizens who complain everytime something doesn't work for them - never their fault. Who have been bowling for centuries and go back to "the good old days" where all leagues had banquets. These are the secretaries who know the vagarities of working with an older group. The secretary needs to get something for dealing with these "grumpy" old people just in terms of the aggravation they can be. Admittedly I am one of them and can be grumpy myself. But as an example - I called every person in this league to remind them of when we start - because the captains cannot be bothered to have a captains meeting and take on this responsibility themselves. Admittedly the person who ran this before me did the league a disservice but it is very very hard to get older people to change their ways. Then the alley says they have heard from five people in the league asking when it starts - AFTER I have called them and talked to each one.

  8. #18

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    Lol point taken. I got a little carried away.

    But I can guarantee you that a whole lot of other people feel the same.

  9. #19
    Bowling Guru Amyers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GrumpyCatFace View Post
    Lol point taken. I got a little carried away.

    But I can guarantee you that a whole lot of other people feel the same.
    it depends on the goals of the league. I've bowled in league where the winners get paid and not much for everyone else and I've bowled more even payouts in leagues. It depends also on the house and how much in open bowlers they are turning away from having the leagues. At least here locally open bowlers may bowl less but they spend way more at the bar, at the food court then league bowlers who try to sneak their own drinks in. If its compared to a Tuesday and a open center with no leagues or a Friday which is full either way you may be making a lot more with the open bowlers.
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  10. #20

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    Sounds like a pretty simple business decision.

    - Fridays, you probably don't have leagues, because you'll make more from open bowlers.

    - Weekdays, when the place would be empty, load up on leagues at half or 3/4 pricing. Make sure there's an incentive for winning.

    If you figure half of the weekly "lane fee" take as an advertising budget, to pack your business, it would be a no-brainer. Enforce your no drinks rule, and make sure it's a fun time for people. Maybe on the "Men's League" night, tell some off-color jokes on the mic, and get the mood going. Set your music to the theme of the league - country/classic for Sr League, for example.

    These things are not hard to figure out, but bowling center owners don't seem very business savvy types.

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