Record four things, every time
Who paid, how much, on what date, and which months it covers. The last one is the detail paper ledgers and most spreadsheets lose: a payment made on 5 October may be for September. If you only write the payment date, you will argue about it in November.
- Member: the person, even when a parent pays for two children.
- Amount: in your currency, exactly what was handed over or transferred.
- Paid on: the real date, for your cash book and for disputes.
- Covers: whole months, from–until. One payment can cover three months.
Think in months, not in invoices
A club with a fixed monthly fee does not need invoices. It needs to answer one question at every training: is this member paid for the current month? Lay the members down the side and the months across the top; each cell is either paid or not. That grid is what the coach checks at the door and what the treasurer checks at the end of the month.
Fees that differ per member (siblings, students, a founder who pays half) belong on the member, not in your head. Set a default fee for the club and a custom one on the exceptions; the grid then shows what each person owes.
Chasing late payers without awkwardness
The fairest reminder is the one that comes from the list, not from the coach's memory. Once a month, pull the members whose last paid month is behind the current one, and message them the same short text. Record the day they pay and move on. Clubs that do this on the same day every month collect noticeably better than those who wait for a quiet moment.
Other payments: keep them apart
Competition entry fees, licence renewals, kit and camp deposits are paid by members too, but they are not fees and they should not fill a month cell. Keep them in a separate column with a reason, so the month grid stays honest and the season total still includes them.
End of season
Decide when your season starts (September for most clubs) and look at twelve months at a time. At the end, you want three numbers: fees collected, other member payments, and the club's own income and expenses (hall rent, coach pay, equipment). The difference is what the club actually has. If your records are per month with covering periods, this is a sum, not an archaeology project.
Paper, spreadsheet, or an app
Paper works for one coach and twenty members until the notebook stays at home. A spreadsheet works until two people edit it or a formula breaks. MyClubBook is this exact grid, shared by the owner, managers and coaches, on a phone at the door: a coach records the cash payment, the owner sees the month close from home, and the export is one click when the accountant asks.