Underdog FAQ

Laid back leagues for everyday players 21+ that are safe, fair... and fun!

 

REGISTRATION

When do leagues start?

What does it cost?

Not enough players for a team?

Being a captain

 

SIGNING UP AS AN INDIVIDUAL

What is an individual sign up?

Being Teamed With Friends

Team Make-Up

When Do I Know If I Have a Spot?


LEAGUES

Skill Levels

Our Refs

Do you run private events?

Working for Underdog


PAYMENT

Team fee due date

League Fee Deposit

Deadbeat Teammates

What is TeamPayer?

Paying by check

I need an Invoice

 

SCHEDULING

How we schedule

Schedule Requests

Holidays

Extra Games

Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday Leagues

Playoffs


CORE CONCEPTS

Practice Time

Field Locations

Sponsor Bars


REGISTRATION

I just discovered you guys? Is it too late for me to sign up a team?
We always have new leagues starting and current leagues with extra capacity. Give us a call you might be surprised how fast we can get you on the field.

 

How much does it cost to play?

Cost varies by sport and by season.  Here's the average cost per person, per game:

Softball: Team $14.50 | Individual $12

Kickball: Team $11 | Individual $11

Bowling: Team $14 | Individual $14

Flag Football: Team $15 | Individual $12.50

Volleyball: Team $11.25 | Individual $12.50

Dodgeball: Team $8.50 I Individual $6.25

Bocce Ball: Team $8 I Individual $8

Cornhole: Team $5.50 I Individual $6.50


I just moved to Seattle and I don't know enough people to put together a team but I want to play, what should I do?
Sign up as an individual and Underdog will place you on a team with other individual sign-ups. It's a great way to meet new friends! We compile the teams and then notify you about who your other teammates are and when you'll be playing. We also host Indy Events so you can meet your teammates before the first game!

I know a ton of people who want to play but I am not sure of being a Captain. I am nervous asking people for money and also I am scared of not being able to get enough players from week to week.
Being a Captain can sound intimidating however Underdog makes it as easy as catching an infield pop fly! We have tools like TeamPayer that allows you to collect money electronically, and you can use your Team RSVP tool to see who can commit to each game on your schedule. If all that seems too much for you, ask a teammate to sign up the team and take the reins instead!

 

 

SIGNING UP AS AN INDIVIDUAL

 

What is an individual sign-up?

We call them Indy sign-ups. Basically it means that you don’t have a team to play with, but still want to play a sport. You sign up by yourself and we place you on what we call "Indy Teams" with other people that have signed up singly or in small groups. So, day one everyone is in the same boat. Many of our past individual teams stick together season after season, so it's often a good way to meet some new friends!

 

I’m not sure if I should play, I’m not that good…

We are called Underdog for a reason! There is absolutely no experience necessary to play in our leagues and we offer different levels of intensity for most sports. We even have a whole set of leisure leagues – Bocce Ball, Bowling, Cornhole – that are best played with a beer in one hand, so no need to be intimidated. 

 

My friend and I both want to play and sign-up together, but only if we’re on the same team, can you make that happen?

Of course! At the end of your sign up process you can invite friends to join you by emailing a link which will group you with your friends to be teamed together. The more you invite, the better the chance of placement! If everyone that intends to play, signs up we are usually able to place you together 99% of the time otherwise we will notify you if that it is not the case!

 

I’m on a team, but my teammates are too serious/not serious enough/want to practice 3 times a week/only ever let me play catcher.

If you have issues with the team that you’re on, please give us a call or send us an email. We’ll see what we can do to help you out.

 

I want to play, but I may have to miss a game because of work/wedding/etc.

If you have to miss a game, that’s not a huge problem. We put extra people on the team as we realize that everyone can’t make every week. However, if you need to miss more than half the season, it’s probably best to pick another league.

 

Why are there so many people on my Indy team?

We try to put extra people on your team as we realize that people can’t make it every week. So, we’ll put 8 people on your 6 person volleyball team to help make sure your team doesn’t forfeit.

 

Can you team me with only hot single people?

Underdog is committed to providing a safe and fun environment for playing sports.  We are not a dating agency. 

 

Our softball team isn’t good, but my friend is really good, can I bring him along and let him play to make us better?

No. You can feel free to bring subs with you if your team might be short, but just bringing your buddy with you to play isn’t fair to the rest of the team. You’re taking away playing time from people who paid to play.

 

Can I sign up and play on an existing team, but not an Indy team?

We don’t place players on established teams. Free Agents are now available for recruitment in numerous leagues. 


What if I really like my teammates, can I keep them? 

Of course….you can always sign up for another season as a full team after your initial Indy team. Just choose someone to be the Captain and sign up when the next season’s leagues open up!

 

I signed up as an Indy, now what?

When you signup as an individual we place you on the list of people interested in that league.  Rather than take your money upfront, we wait until we can guarantee you a spot in the league and when we get enough people interested, we then offer you a spot.  At that time we ask for your confirmation and payment to secure the spot on the team.  Due to the nature of signups it could be a few weeks after your signup before the Indy team is ready to be formed.  Our goal is to get enough people roughly 1-2 weeks prior to the season beginning and offer spots 5-7 days before the league starts. 

 


LEAGUES

I'm not the greatest athlete, but I'd like to come out and play with you guys... will the leagues be too competitive for me?
No worries. Our sports leagues are fairly laid back and always have divisions for everyday Underdogs. If you're still nervous about playing in a traditional sport like football or softball, check out some of our leisure leagues like Bowling, Bocce Ball and Cornhole – big on fun and low on skill sets.

Your refs and umps are so witty and handsome...can I ask them out on a date?
No.

Can Underdog host Company Events, like our summer picnic or holiday party?
Yes! Underdog has lots of experience running corporate events. Why spend your time trying to learn out how to run a Volleyball tournament when we have been doing them for years? Why spend your energy and resources starting a flag league for your corporation when we've already got everything you need? Just give us a call or email events@underdogseattle.com and we'll discuss the scope and size of your upcoming event! 

Can I work for Underdog on the Field?
We are always looking for great new refs, umps, and site staff to join the Underdog team. Check out our Employment page and submit your info! Just don’t be hurt if we say you will be better off as a player than a referee.

 


PAYMENT

When is my team fee due?
The team fee is due the day after your first game. All leagues also require a deposit ranging from $50 to $100 before you can register for a league.  If you are an individual your pre-payment is required to confirm your spot in the league.


$50-$100 Deposit (for a Team Sign Up)? – Is it possible I could lose that deposit?
You only lose your deposit if you cancel your team less than 10 days before the start of the season.

My Teammates stiffed me, one left town and the other paid me with expired gift cards. Can you just call them and get their money?
No. Next time try using TeamPayer at the beginning of the season to prevent any payment issues between friends.

 

What is TeamPayer?

TeamPayer is a way to help your teammates pay for their team fee without you having to worry about collecting cash or checks. For more info on TeamPayer, click here.

Can I pay by personal check?
No. Only if it’s a company check and it’s mailed to the office – Underdog Staff never accept checks or cash at the field.

So can I get an invoice to get my company to pay for some or all of my team?
Absolutely! – Invoices and receipts can be printed out from your Player Page.

 

 

SCHEDULING

 

When can I see a schedule for my league?

Generally we do a schedule for the first week of the league about 5-7 days prior to the start date. After the first day of the league, we’ll put together and post a schedule for the full season.

 

Why the two separate schedule release dates?

We do the first week before the rest for a few reasons.

  1. Schedule Requests: Doing it this way gives teams a little longer to put in requests for the schedule.
  2. Competitive Balance: Doing it after the first week gives us the chance to gauge the skill level of all the teams so that we can schedule them more competitively.
  3. Adding Teams: Waiting on the full season schedule gives teams the chance to sign up a little late. By only scheduling the 1st week, we can add them without going back and changing all of your game times to accommodate them.

 

Can I send in schedule requests?

A Schedule Request Pack can be added to your team balance before the schedule has been made. There is a $50 pack for multiple dates, or a $20 if you just need a single date. A Schedule Request consists of the time, date, or location of your games…Make sure you’re specific on your request!  Any requests sent in after the full season schedule has been posted will be considered a game change and will be $30 for each change that we are able to accommodate.

We will do our best to accommodate requests whenever possible, and are able to accommodate them about 95% of the time. However, schedule requests are never guaranteed. 

Also, once the playoffs come around, schedule requests become harder to accommodate.  

 

I forgot to send in my schedule request and the full season schedule is posted….can you bail me out?

Sometimes. Send us an email and let us know what you need and we’ll look into it. After the full season schedule is posted we do charge $30 game change fee. In general it’s easier to move one game time than multiple ones, but not even that is guaranteed.  Please email your requests to schedules@underdogseattle.com.

 

We can’t make a certain week at all; Can we just get a bye week and make up that game later?

Sometimes. Generally if a league fills up a make-up is not possible as our field space is maxed out.

 

What holidays do you skip?

Due to field time constraints, we can’t skip every day that is considered a holiday.

 

We’ll always skip: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day (and weekend following), Christmas Eve, and Christmas.

 

We’ll sometimes skip: Mother’s Day (some leagues may have to play on Mother’s Day due to available field time)

 

We’ll never skip: Martin Luther King Jr Day, Presidents’ Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Father’s Day

  

This Football season says we get 6 guaranteed games but some teams in the league are scheduled for 7 games. Why do some teams play more games than others?

Occasionally with odd-numbered team leagues we need to schedule additional games for teams. In true Underdog fashion we always try to give an extra game to what we consider the worst teams in the league. So if you didn’t get an extra game you should see it as a compliment that you are not considered one of the worst teams.

 

I see a league that my team wants listed as Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday for the days … What does that mean?

Split weeknight leagues simply mean that your league has games on both dates during a given week, but your team will only receive 1 game a week during either one of the dates OR the other. (NOT BOTH!)

 

So can I request my team play all Mondays or all Wednesdays?

You can try but we normally cannot accommodate all of one date requests for a team in a split league.
 

How do you determine who makes the playoffs?

In general we try to have as many teams as possible make the playoffs (and yes, in some leagues you may even make the playoffs with a losing record). Basically it’s never a good idea to assume you made the playoffs, and it’s never a good idea to assume you didn’t. The best thing to do is check the 1st week playoff schedule on the website a couple of days after the last game of your regular season. 

 

Do all teams make the playoffs?

No…. but some leagues like Bowling, Cornhole, and Bocce Ball will have all teams play on the last league night of the season even if they do not qualify for  the playoffs.

 

I'm freaking out about playoffs and I've run every tie breaker known to man, but still don't know if we're going to play!!!!

Don’t lose too much sleep over it, we have a system of tiebreakers based on head to head and points against, we’ll run the numbers soon after your regular season ends.

 


OTHER CORE UNDERDOG CONCEPTS

 

Practice

You can always practice and get better, but Underdog never reserves field time for practice or schedules practices for your team.

 



Locations

Underdog does its best to have a league be on the same field or a consistent location the entire season. However sometimes we do need to offer different fields or rotator leagues, especially with rainouts.  We always try and keep this to a minimum and let you know about additional fields and bye weeks ahead of time.  More information on league locations can be found here.

 

Sponsor Bar

For every league that does not have an attached bar (bowling) we try to partner with a bar that's close to the location.  In most cases that bar will offer some sort of discount.  This amount is up to the bar owner and Underdog does not take any money from the bar.  Instead we ask that they treat the players well and give you a great place to hang after your game.


In many cases the league you want that is in the center of the city with a Sponsor Bar a block away is the same league that everyone else wants too. You should talk to your teammates ahead of time about other opportunities/back up leagues and locations, so if we have to break the bad news to you, your team can get another spot quickly before they fill up too!

If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to email us!