The verdict in three sentences
For a multi-sport club of 2,400 members across 14 departments run by volunteers, custom membership software costs 20,000 to 45,000 EUR in Berlin in 2026. It brings together online sign-up, instalment payments, tracking of medical certificates, training schedules and handling of subsidy vouchers such as the Berlin Bildungspaket. The main benefit is human: about 120 hours of volunteer admin freed per season, which helps keep increasingly scarce volunteers.
Custom or club SaaS: the real comparison
Club management SaaS platforms often charge 1 to 2 EUR per member per year, sometimes free but with a 2 to 5 % fee on online payments. They suit single-sport clubs. A 14-department club has finer needs: fees by department and age, family discounts, multi-sport memberships, links to different sports federations and to the Landessportbund Berlin reporting.
| Criterion | Club SaaS | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | 0 to 3,000 EUR | 20,000 to 45,000 EUR |
| Annual cost (2,400 members) | 2,400 to 4,800 EUR + 2 to 5 % fees | 3,000 to 6,800 EUR maintenance |
| Fees on 380,000 EUR of dues | 7,600 to 19,000 EUR a year | 0 % (bank SEPA costs only, about 0.3 %) |
| Multi-department and family pricing | limited | fully configurable |
| Subsidy vouchers | manual entry | automatic deduction at payment |
| Member data | with the vendor | owned by the club, hosted in Germany |
Over five years, SaaS with payment fees often reaches 50,000 to 115,000 EUR for a club this size, against 35,000 to 79,000 EUR for custom software including maintenance. The gap comes almost entirely from fees on dues.
What the software includes and what each part costs
| Module | Scope | 2026 cost (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Online sign-up | Form per department, documents, parental consent, photo rights | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR |
| Payments and instalments | SEPA direct debit, cards, instalments, subsidy vouchers | 4,000 to 9,000 EUR |
| Health | Medical certificates, expiry alerts | 2,000 to 5,000 EUR |
| Schedules and slots | Sports halls, coaches, bookings, attendance | 4,000 to 10,000 EUR |
| Department area | Lists, communications, dashboard per department head | 3,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| Federation and accounting exports | Member reports, DATEV export | 2,000 to 5,000 EUR |
| Total | Full software | 20,000 to 45,000 EUR |
The club can apply to Berlin sports funding programmes and the Landessportbund, which sometimes cover 30 to 50 % of a digital structuring project.
Mini case study
Katrin Schulz, chair of a 2,400-member multi-sport club in Berlin, collects 380,000 EUR of dues a year. Her current platform takes a 3 % fee, or 11,400 EUR a year. Department treasurers spend about 9 hours each per season chasing certificates and payments, or 126 hours. With custom software at 30,000 EUR and 4,500 EUR annual maintenance, net savings reach about 5,800 EUR a year (11,400 EUR of fees avoided, minus 1,100 EUR of SEPA costs and 4,500 EUR of maintenance), so the project pays back in about five seasons, or under three seasons with a 40 % grant.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Does the software handle subsidy vouchers?
Yes, the voucher reference is entered at sign-up and the amount is deducted automatically. The club then tracks reimbursements in a dedicated export.
Can we offer instalments at no extra cost?
Yes, instalments run by SEPA direct debit with automatic retries on failure. About 30 to 40 % of families choose them for dues above 200 EUR.
Will volunteers manage to use it?
The interface is built for volunteers: a 2-hour session per department head is usually enough, with a 10-minute video guide.
How long does setup take?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks, ideally delivered in June to open September registrations on the new tool.
Is it GDPR compliant?
Yes, hosting in Germany, logged consents, configurable retention periods, and health data limited to certificate validity dates.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your member count, number of departments and current tool, and we will cost the software, member data migration and a timeline before the new season. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
