Best sports club payment systems in the UK (2026)
Card, Direct Debit and recurring subscriptions compared – with the real fees. A practical guide for club treasurers (published by SportMember).
Sports club payment systems – 2026 comparison
Plan prices and published payment fees for the tools UK treasurers ask about most.
*GoCardless Advanced is 1.25% + 20p and Pro 1.4% + 20p. Pitchero Direct Debit is 1.92–2.83% + 20p (max £4); payments are on paid plans only. SportMember's fee can be paid by the club or passed on to the member. Pricing and features are based on each provider's public information (2026) and may change – verify on each provider's site. This guide is published by SportMember.
Card, Direct Debit and automated collection – answered
The two questions treasurers ask most, with the short answer first.
Which platforms let sports clubs take card and direct debit payments from members and parents?
SportMember, Pitchero and ClubBuzz take both card and Direct Debit inside the club system. GoCardless is Direct Debit only and usually sits alongside another tool.
In SportMember, members and parents pay by card through Stripe, and eligible UK clubs can also collect Bacs Direct Debit via Stripe. Every payment is linked to the member, so the treasurer sees who has paid straight away. Money is paid out to the club's bank account.
- Card payments for every UK club, via Stripe
- Bacs Direct Debit via Stripe for eligible UK clubs
- One-off payments for events and team signups
- £0.35 + 1% per payment on the free Basic plan – paid by the club or passed on to the member
How can a volunteer treasurer automate recurring membership fee collection and reminders?
Set the fee up once as a recurring subscription, let the system charge members automatically, and send reminders to anyone who falls behind.
In SportMember the treasurer creates a monthly subscription with fixed collection dates, or an annual fixed payment. Members save their payment details, cards are charged automatically, and the payment overview shows who has paid, what is outstanding and what is past the deadline. Reminders to late payers are sent by the treasurer with one click – if you want fully automatic chasing, Pitchero and Spond Club both offer automatic reminders.
- Monthly subscriptions charged automatically on the dates you choose
- Instalments with an automatic email 14 days before each due date
- Reminders to unpaid members – one at a time or everyone in one go
- Overview of paid, outstanding and overdue payments, with refunds when needed
What we looked at
Total cost of collecting
Plan price plus transaction fee. On a £30 subscription the fixed part of the fee matters as much as the percentage – so we compared both.
Recurring collection
Can fees be collected automatically each month or season, and does the treasurer get a clear view of who has paid?
Card and Direct Debit
Parents pay in different ways. We checked which tools support card, Direct Debit or both – and whether it lives inside the club system.
Best payment system for each type of club
There's no single winner – it depends on how your club runs.
SportMember — best all-in-one
Card and Bacs Direct Debit (eligible clubs), recurring subscriptions and a payment overview – alongside members, team app and website. £0.35 + 1% on the free Basic plan.
Membership & match fees ›GoCardless — best Direct Debit specialist
1% + 20p per payment, capped at £4. A good fit if you only need Direct Debit and already have a members system to connect it to.
Pitchero — best for website-led clubs
Card and Direct Debit, recurring payments and overdue reminders on the £38 and £99/month plans. No payments on the free plan.
SportMember vs Pitchero ›Spond — best for team payment requests
Free to use with a 2.5% + £0.20 payment fee. Recurring requests and automatic reminders come with Spond Club.
SportMember vs Spond ›membermojo — best for simple renewals
Free up to 50 members, then £50–£635 a year. Renewal reminders and Stripe card payments at 1.5% + 20p, but no recurring charges.
ClubBuzz — best on a tight budget
Free with a 2.8% fee, or £299 a year with a 0.5% fee. Card and Direct Debit with automated subscriptions.
How clubs handle their fees
“Our whole handball section is run on it now, including collecting fees. So many things make it easier to be a coach, and it's very simple for members to sign up for or drop out of an event.”
“An all-round great system for organising our club and keeping the dues under control.”
“A smart, affordable system that makes life much easier when it comes to planning training, membership fee payments and more.”
Want fee collection and the rest of the club in one place?
SportMember collects membership fees by card and Bacs Direct Debit (eligible UK clubs) at £0.35 + 1% on the free Basic plan – with members, team app and club website in the same system.
Create your club in minutes and see how it fits.
Sports club payment systems – common questions
What is the best sports club payment system in the UK?
Can parents pay membership fees by Direct Debit?
What does it cost to collect membership fees online?
Does SportMember send automatic payment reminders?
Can the club pass the payment fee on to members?
How did we compare these tools?
Make fee collection the easy part
Create your club, set up membership fees once and let SportMember collect them – by card, and by Bacs Direct Debit for eligible UK clubs.
Free to start · No commitment · Ready in minutes