refund for player not joining team

Dunno from this post. From the sounds of it, you have no legal entitlement for a refund. Keep in mind, you guys broke the agreement, not the team.

Has the team spent money for your son yet?  Uniform, batting helmet, registration fees?

What was the time frame between giving him the check and notifying the coach that your son will be leaving the team?

To my understanding, Legion teams have roster size caps, and players cannot be added after a certain date.

If your son tried out, accepted a spot on the team, and then quit, the team's problem is that it now has a hole where your son used to be.  And they are going to play the whole season one man short now.

Adding to that, you're suggesting that they create a hole in their budget as well, because they can no longer replace your son with a paying replacement player.

To me, your son's change of heart does not merit a refund and the team would be on firm ground declining your request.  If they do offer a compromise amount, you should be thankful and jump on it.  If they offer nothing, then perhaps your son should have to work off the debt to you as a lesson in learning about commitments, etc. 

In the alternative, he could reconsider whether he'll play.

Let me clarify, they were still in the tryout period.  The coach took and cashed the check before seeing son play.  3/14 took the check, 2 tryouts a week apart in Early April. After getting schedule he notified coach.  According to my son, about 30 kids were at tryouts and there would have to have been cuts. There are now 18 rostered players on the team. The team to my understanding and my sons, was not formed yet, but being legion, there were a good number of returnees who would make the team.  I'll leave it at that.  Again he's injured and can't play anyway, but if he got injured after he agreed to play I know then there wouldn't be any refund. 

In my necks of the woods, the Legion team is generally paid for by the local post. So Legion has a $0 cost (they supply caps and shirts, pay for umps and baseballs).

Go to the Legion Commander, particularly if you are a member. If not, find a member you are acquainted with and go with them. I like to think that the post commander of any American Legion is an honorable individual. Maybe he can help. 

OK, your situation sounds different.

When a player tries out, the tryout is MUTUAL.  The coach decides whether to offer a roster spot, and once the offer is made, the player can then decide whether to accept.

What I see you saying now is that the coach negotiated the check prior to offering a roster spot, and your son was never presented with an offer or other opportunity to decline.  This is wrong and a fairly presumptuous use of the money.

I would think a polite but firm e-mail is in order.  Explain calmly why you believe a full refund is in order.  Also express your concern over the lack of timely replies in the past and state your appreciation in advance for a swifter response this time.  Also that what you believe is appropriate is an e-mail confirming that your refund is in the mail.

What you describe is making my Spidey Sense act up.  I sure hope you don't have one of those local sports group embezzlement situations going on.  But things don't sound kosher here.  So I agree that if your polite but firm e-mail does not meet with a response, or if the response is odd, you are within your rights to go to the Legion Post to get them onto this situation.

Thanks for all the replies.  The coach has been coaching this team a long time.  I'm hoping it's laziness and not vindictiveness. 

I don't understand why a coach would ask for - or a player/parent would pay the fee to play before the player made the team?  If I had my son going to tryouts and a coach came up and asked for the fee to play, the first thing I would have asked is did he make the team?  If the coach said not yet, we are still trying out - I would definitely want to know why I had to pay the fee if he wasn't on the team yet.  Let me know he made the team, then I'll pay.  Sounds very strange to me.

Given the details I think it is completely reasonable to expect a refund.

My son had been offered and had accepted a spot on a summer team back in February. I paid 1/3 of the season fees to secure the spot.  He had been battling tendonitis all spring, and in March it was decided to completely shut down for a couple months, do therapy and then a gradual return to throwing program.

I contacted the program director to let him know it wasn't likely that my son would be ready to pitch for the summer. I didn't ask for - or expect a refund of fees, but the director sent it anyway with a note to let him know when my son was ready to throw that he was welcome to return.

I have seen summer teams (not Legion) charge "tryout" fees....

$550?!?!  I've heard up to $100 or $125, but $550?  I don't think that's a tryout fee.

I agree 100% this was not a tryout fee. The concept of a tryout fee in itself just stuck in my craw.

* Just build the cost of the tryout into the team fee.  I just hate getting "nickeled and dimed". 

* Don't ask me for the summer fee before my kid has accepted a roster spot.

A tryout fee is one of two things... A money grab or a deterrent. My school charges $40/hour for field use outside of school teams due to needing a supervisor on premises. A 4 hour try out would cost $160. If you have 20-25 kids spending $100 a pop the program is making a killing before the season even starts.