Tournament money without the cash box
By Smart Wrestler · Updated 2026-09-14
Card payments into your own Stripe account, a fee schedule you can read, refunds you issue yourself, and a registration export that reconciles in minutes.
Quick answer
Smart Wrestler is not general accounting software, but it solves the treasurer's hardest tournament problem: collecting and reconciling entry fees. Parents pay by card at registration, the entry fee settles directly into the club's own Stripe account, Smart Wrestler's $2.50 to $3 registration fee is added to the parent's total rather than deducted from yours, refunds are issued from the billing page or Stripe, and every registration exports to CSV. The host pays one published hosting fee per paid event, from $100.
What does a wrestling club treasurer actually need from software?
Treasurers search for accounting or bookkeeping software when the real pain is the tournament: envelopes of cash at the door, checks that bounce, a spreadsheet of who paid, and a refund argument in March about a February event. Fix the collection and the bookkeeping mostly takes care of itself.
- Every entry paid by card before the wrestler appears on the roster, so there is no unpaid wrestler on a bracket.
- Money that lands in the club's own account on a known schedule, not held by a third party.
- A fee schedule that can be written into the budget before the event.
- Refunds the club controls, with a record of each one.
- An export of every registration for the ledger and the auditor.
How does money move on a Smart Wrestler tournament?
There are two separate payments going in opposite directions. The host pays Smart Wrestler one hosting fee when publishing, based on the capacity reserved. Parents pay the host the entry fee at registration, straight into the host's Stripe account. Smart Wrestler's registration fee and the card processing cost are added on top of the entry fee and shown to the parent before they pay, so a $20 entry fee delivers $20 to the club.
Worked example on a $20 entry fee: the parent is charged $23.49; Stripe keeps $0.99 in processing; Smart Wrestler keeps $2.50; the club receives $20.00. Entry fees pay out on the club's own Stripe schedule and Smart Wrestler never holds them.
What are the hosting fees?
- Individual events, by reserved capacity: up to 150 wrestlers $100; 151 to 300 $150; 301 to 500 $225; 501 to 800 $325; larger events by quote.
- Team events, by team count: up to 4 teams $50; 8 teams $90; 16 teams $140; 32 teams $200.
- Raising capacity into a higher tier costs only the difference; lowering it before registration closes refunds the difference.
- Free entry events pay no hosting fee at any size.
How do refunds work for the treasurer?
The host issues refunds from the tournament billing page or directly in Stripe; both stay in sync. A full refund releases the wrestler's entry and returns Smart Wrestler's registration fee as well. A partial refund keeps the wrestler entered and returns only the amount chosen. Stripe does not return its processing fee, so a full refund costs the club roughly a dollar on a $20 entry, which is worth writing into the published refund policy you choose during setup: full refund, partial refund, or no refund.
What does Smart Wrestler not do for bookkeeping?
It does not bill monthly dues, track expenses, produce a general ledger, or file taxes. Stripe's dashboard provides the transaction level detail and exports; your accounting tool of choice takes it from there. Treat Smart Wrestler as the revenue side of tournament day, done cleanly.
Treasurer checklist
Card only entries
No wrestler on the roster until payment is confirmed.
Your Stripe account
Fees settle with you on Stripe's schedule; nothing to request.
Published fee schedule
Hosting fees and the per wrestler registration fee are on the pricing page.
Refund control
Full or partial, from the billing page or Stripe, always in sync.
CSV export
Every registration with filters, for the ledger and the audit.
Capacity based, not attendance based
The hosting fee is fixed when you publish; it never creeps up as entries arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Whose name appears on the parent's card statement?
The club's, because the club is the seller and the money goes into the club's Stripe account. Tell families in advance so the charge is recognised.
Can we accept cash at the door as well?
On a paid Smart Wrestler tournament, registration and payment happen online so the roster and the money always match. Hosts who need a walk up policy typically register those wrestlers online at the venue.
Is the hosting fee deducted from entry fees?
No. The hosting fee is paid separately by the host when publishing. Entry fees arrive in full; the registration fee is added to what the parent pays.
Does the club need a nonprofit Stripe account?
Any Stripe account that can accept charges works. Connect it before opening registration, because verification can take time.
Keep exploring
Reconcile the tournament in an afternoon
Card payments in, one fee out, and a clean export. Host your next event on Smart Wrestler.