UFBA FAQs

UFBA BALLERS ELITE Club Basketball teams are a great opportunity for your child to play against the top competition in NY, PA, OH, VA, DC, MD, etc. area. This exposure to the best competition is paramount to a players’ improvement on a grander stage. Our club teams play in 1-2 tournaments per month and practice two times per week in indoor gymnasiums, with one day of training and an open gym as well. Playing on a UFBA BALLERS ELITE team is a great way to develop camaraderie with fellow teammates, all while playing against top-notch competition. Unique to UFBA BALLERS ELITE, we will assist you with any financial difficulties you have; our main focus is to make sure that those players who CAN play at the Elite Club level, DO play at the Elite Club level.

After tryouts, if you have been selected for team placement, the Coach will contact you directly, via email or phone, to offer you a position on the team within 48 hours. If you accept the offer, you will receive the links from your Coach (or the UFBA Ballers Elite Commissioner) to complete registration and select an option of payment for the team fees. This will be followed-up by the practice schedule, which will begin the first full week of March for high schoolers and the last week in February for the elementary and middle school teams. Complete the UFBA BALLERS ELITE registration form only if you’ve received and accepted a position on one of our teams.

If your son/daughter makes a team, UFBA BALLERS ELITE Commissioner or Head Coach will contact you and set up a team meeting to introduce your entire team and answer any questions you may have. This will be done within the first week of practice. We will announce teams no later than 48 hours after the final tryout.

Club basketball has a higher cost than recreational basketball. We offer payment options. Understand that we have to pay for the following: gym rental for all practices, uniforms, coaches, web management, and tournaments, which can add up when it is a small group. For a typical season, the cost is $700 per player, which includes a player's uniform, shooting shirt, bag, and training equipment, as well as 6-10 tournaments and all practices and associated fees.

Additional fees may include tournament and travel fees, TBD by the coach based on opportunities.

Unique to UFBA BALLERS ELITE, we will assist you with financial difficulties you may have; our main focus is to make sure that those players who CAN play at the Elite Club level, DO play at the Elite Club level. Please reach out to the director if you would like to be considered for a scholarship. All requests are confidential.

The full Club year runs from mid-September to mid-August and is divided into three seasons: Fall, Winter and Spring/Summer. Each season runs 3-4 months with training over ten weeks for our 4th grade-Varsity teams, and eight weeks for our 2nd and 3rd grade teams.

Each week there are two 90-minute team practices, one day of training ans life skills, and a one-hour clinic practice/open gym on Fridays.

There are 8-10 players on each team at all grade levels. In cases where we have enough players at a grade level to form two teams, there will be a Black and a Red team. Players will be placed accordingly at the coaches’ & commissioners’ discretion.

Each team will have a Head Coach. Friday clinics will be run by each and every one of our team coaches on a rotational schedule and/or other trainers.

Club basketball is different from Recreational League basketball in that there is no guaranteed playing time for any player. Coaches will do their best to get every player in the game, but some players will play more than others.

We play in two to three tournaments per month. Most tournaments will have games on both a Saturday and Sunday. Some will be over holiday weekends with play over three days.

Tournament fees are calculated at the beginning of each season and are due with Club fees. However, every tournament charges an entry fee for spectators. Parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. will pay a daily fee and sometimes a parking fee for each car. The fee is set by the tournament host and is not controlled by UFBA Ballers.

Most of our tournaments will be local. However, we will play in 2-4 out of town tournaments. These are scheduled during the Spring and Summer where travel does not interfere with school schedules. Hotel stay is recommended, and hotel discounts are often offered.

We realize that every family has schedules outside of basketball and like to plan their weekend in advance. However, tournament schedules in Club basketball are typically not set until the Thursday night before a tournament. Schedules are set by the tournament organizers and not by us unless it is a UFBA-sponsored event. We send out schedules as soon as we get them to give our families as much notice as we can. Please know that some scheduled dates can/will change due to changes set by the tournament host which are out of our control.

YBOA and AAU basketball is the largest governing body of club basketball in the country. While not all tournaments are YBOA or AAU sanctioned events, we will be participating in several throughout the year. We require that all coaches and players purchase the extended AB membership which not only allows us to play in YBOA and AAU events, but also gives everyone insurance in any of our events. The membership is valid until September 1st of the calendar year regardless of purchase date.

We ask that every player make a commitment they plan to honor for the entire season. Pulling out of the program mid-season is disruptive to the program and the team process. After one season ends and before the next one begins, each player will be asked to recommit for that upcoming season. This would be the point at which a player can move on to pursue other interests if he/she so chooses.