Crystal Lake Baseball NFP Financials

Crystal Lake Baseball is a Not For Profit 503c organization. It is run entirely by volunteers. All money goes directly to running and maintaining the league.

For purposes of transparency, below is a breakdown of how money is received and spent on a per player basis. If you hvae any questions, please contact finance@clbaseball.com

Canterbury Fields

CLB is fully responsible for the fields and facility at Canterbury Fields. All costs for managing the fields are handled by our organization. The Crystal Lake Park District does not handle any field duties but additionally does not charge the organization anything but a small per player fee.

While we do contract out with service vendors for some of the work, a lot of the field maintenance is done by the volunteers on the board and coaches. This is instrumental in reducing the costs for maintaining the fields.

Below is a chart showing income starting from the left, breaking the fees into operational fees and league costs. Then showing the individual fees within those budgets. All fees are at a PER PLAYER level. When you pay a registration fee, this is what your registration fee is going to pay. Additionally, if you spend money at The Shack concession stand, it directly goes to offsetting costs and reducing registration fees!

Income Descriptions:

  • Registration - Standard registration fees paid during sign up for in house instructional league.

  • Concession - Profit (revenue after costs) from all concession sales including spirit wear.

  • Fundraising - Field sponsorships, banners, general donations and other monetary amounts given to Crystal Lake Baseball’s in house league.

  • Interleague Income - Operational costs are paid for by ALL programs that are under CLB or partnered with CLB. These programs pay a transfer fee to offset costs associated with the organizations operational costs. Currently Hitdogs and Bulldogs pay into this transfer fee.

Operational Costs:

  • Accounting - Fees to CLB’s tax accountant, accounting software and associated non-profit tax submissions.

  • Communications - Fees associated with email and mailing list software.

  • Insurance - Insurance costs associated with the program and facility.

  • Permits - Required permits for running league.

  • Sports Engine - Software used for running registration, scheduling, etc.

  • Utilities - Electric, garbage, restroom, phone and water costs to utility service providers.

  • Facility Improvement - Funding spent on improving the fields and facility. (e.g. new limestone for warning tracks in 2025)

  • Facility Maintenance - Funding spent on maintaining the fields, this includes mowing, weeding, aerating, seeding, etc., as well as other costs such as paint/chalk, plumbing repairs, etc.

  • Community Outreach - CLB is active within the community outside of just the baseball fields. This includes attending parades and local community events.

League Costs:

  • Uniform - This includes costs for a jersey, hat, belt and pants.

  • Coaches Uniform - Each player pays a part of the coaches uniform which includes a hat and coaches jersey/shirt.

  • Equipment - Baseballs, coaches bags, buckets, catcher’s gear, etc.

  • Umpires - Fee paid to umpires for umping games.

  • Advertising - Fees associated with marketing of our registration and events. We advertise on Facebook, Peachtree and other localized publications.

  • Facility Rental - This covers costs for indoor facility usage as well as for field rentals for practices or external games.

  • Player Development - Costs associated with running Clinics or other coaching tools used for teams.

  • Park District Fees - The park district charges us for each player in the league using the facilities.

  • Sponsorship Program - Money set aside to pay for players who need financial assistance or have financial hardships.

  • Trophies - End of season trophies and medals for the players.

  • Background Checks - All coaches, assistant coaches and board members are required to pass a background check each year. This are done through a third party vendor that has a cost to it.