Payment Policy: Quality vs. Convenience

The current Dig This Volleyball Payment Policy was created to give our community flexibility that’s rare in sports organizations. Unlike most programs that require payment with every RSVP, we’ve tried to balance everyone’s busy schedules and the strong desire to play by offering greater convenience.

However, that flexibility also creates significant pressure on our organizers to keep events open and accessible for everyone who wants to participate. From our side, attendance and waitlists often appear full — until, at the last minute, they’re not.

When that happens, we face difficult adjustments, such as:

1. Redirecting players to smaller events

2. Merging sessions

3. Changing locations, and

4. In some cases, canceling events altogether

Our goal is to maintain the highest possible quality across all events. We’re grateful for the generous feedback we’ve received — many of you have said that Dig This hosts some of the best volleyball experiences around. But that quality depends on more than just strong organization, coaching, and hosting. It depends on consistent attendance — the synergy between our organizers and our players.

So the key question is: How do we continue to keep quality high?

The answer has always been the same: we need to know, as early as possible, how many players are truly planning to attend. This is where the community plays a critical role — not just in supporting the organizers, but in supporting one another.

We’ve noticed that RSVPs don’t always mean “I’m attending” — sometimes they mean “I might attend.” And that’s understandable; life happens. But if we want to maintain high-quality events while keeping the current flexible payment policy, we need to evolve what “RSVP” means.

Perhaps we should start thinking of it as “Responding Soon Via Payment!”

You may have seen more active RSVP and waitlist updates lately — this is part of our effort to establish true attendance. Now you know the “why” behind it: to keep event quality high without changing our payment approach.

It’s also important to acknowledge and thank those players who consistently secure their RSVPs right away. We see you! You are the pillars of the Dig This community, and upcoming discussions will explore ways to recognize and reward your reliability and commitment.

In closing, we ask everyone to review the current payment policy and do your best to follow the guidance provided. Doing so helps us continue operating with both compassion and flexibility, keeping Dig This Volleyball one of the most inclusive and enjoyable communities around.

Thank you for being part of it.