Organizer External Payments and Tournament Responsibility Policy

Effective Date: June 17, 2025

Last Updated: June 17, 2025

By creating, publishing, or managing a tournament on Grip Culture, the organizer confirms that they are fully responsible for the tournament, its accuracy, its operation, its registration process, and any payment links, payment instructions, or external payment methods used in connection with the tournament.

Grip Culture provides software tools that allow organizers to create, publish, manage, and display tournament information. Grip Culture does not operate third-party tournaments unless Grip Culture expressly states otherwise in writing.

1. Adult Organizer Requirement

Grip Culture user accounts are only available to individuals who are at least 18 years old.

By creating, publishing, or managing a tournament, the organizer confirms that:

  • They are at least 18 years old.
  • They are legally capable of creating and managing tournament information.
  • They are authorized to publish the tournament.
  • They are authorized to accept this policy.
  • They accept responsibility for the tournament and all related organizer actions.

Minors may not create their own Grip Culture user accounts or act as tournament organizers through Grip Culture.

2. Organizer Responsibility

The organizer is solely responsible for the tournament they create, publish, or manage through Grip Culture.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Tournament name, date, time, location, venue, divisions, rules, schedule, pricing, registration terms, refund terms, cancellation terms, and event details.
  • Accuracy of all public and private tournament information.
  • Communications with athletes, coaches, academies, parents, guardians, managed athlete profile managers, spectators, vendors, venues, sponsors, staff, and other third parties.
  • Tournament operations, staffing, check-in, weigh-ins, brackets, referees, results, medals, awards, disputes, safety, and event logistics.
  • Compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
  • Any permits, licenses, insurance, venue approvals, waivers, medical support, security, or legal authorizations required for the event.
  • Parent, guardian, and managed athlete registration requirements.
  • Any required waivers, releases, parental permissions, medical clearances, or minor participation authorizations.
  • Ensuring that minor athletes are registered, represented, or managed only by authorized adults.

3. External Payments

Grip Culture does not collect tournament registration payments from athletes for organizer-created tournaments unless expressly stated otherwise in writing.

If an organizer uses an external payment link, payment platform, website, QR code, invoice, direct transfer, cash payment, third-party checkout, or any other payment method outside Grip Culture, that payment is solely between the organizer and the paying participant or the participant’s authorized adult representative.

Grip Culture is not the merchant of record, payment processor, escrow agent, financial institution, money transmitter, seller of tickets, registration payment recipient, refund provider, or guarantor for external organizer payments.

The organizer is solely responsible for all money collected outside Grip Culture, including:

  • Registration fees.
  • Refunds.
  • Chargebacks.
  • Payment disputes.
  • Duplicate charges.
  • Unauthorized payments.
  • Failed services.
  • Event cancellations.
  • Event postponements.
  • Fraud claims.
  • Misrepresentation claims.
  • Consumer complaints.
  • Tax reporting.
  • Payment platform compliance.
  • Payment disputes involving parents, guardians, or adults paying for managed athletes.

4. Organizer Payments to Grip Culture

Payments made by organizers to Grip Culture for software access, organizer tools, subscriptions, platform features, or paid services are separate from athlete registration payments collected by organizers.

Paying Grip Culture for access to organizer tools does not make Grip Culture the operator, promoter, payment processor, merchant of record, insurer, guarantor, supervisor, financial backer, or co-organizer of the tournament.

The organizer remains solely responsible for the tournament and for any money collected from athletes, parents, guardians, coaches, academies, spectators, vendors, sponsors, or third parties outside Grip Culture.

Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing, fees paid to Grip Culture for organizer access, software tools, subscriptions, or platform features do not include insurance, venue verification, event verification, refund management, payment processing for athlete registrations, or event operation services.

5. No Grip Culture Guarantee

Grip Culture does not guarantee that a tournament will occur, that a venue has been secured, that the organizer is financially reliable, that the organizer will issue refunds, that the organizer is properly insured, that minor participation requirements have been satisfied, or that information provided by the organizer is complete, accurate, current, or truthful.

Publication of a tournament on Grip Culture does not mean that Grip Culture sponsors, endorses, certifies, supervises, insures, operates, guarantees, or assumes responsibility for the tournament or organizer.

6. Payment Link Disclosure

If the organizer provides a payment link or payment instructions, the organizer must clearly disclose:

  • Who is collecting the payment.
  • What the payment is for.
  • The total amount charged.
  • Any additional fees.
  • The refund policy.
  • The cancellation policy.
  • The organizer’s contact information.
  • Any material conditions or restrictions.
  • The external payment provider or payment method.
  • Whether the payment is required to complete registration.

If payment may be made by or on behalf of a minor athlete or managed athlete, the organizer must make clear that payment should be completed only by a parent, legal guardian, or authorized adult.

Organizers may not use false, deceptive, incomplete, hidden, confusing, or misleading payment information.

7. Fraud and Misrepresentation

Organizers may not use Grip Culture to create, promote, or manage fake, fraudulent, misleading, unauthorized, unsafe, or deceptive tournaments.

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Creating a tournament that the organizer does not intend to operate.
  • Collecting money for a tournament that does not exist.
  • Publishing a tournament without authorization from the venue.
  • Claiming a venue, sponsor, academy, federation, brand, or partner without authorization.
  • Using false names, fake affiliations, false academy relationships, false sponsors, false rankings, or misleading credentials.
  • Advertising prizes, medals, rankings, divisions, benefits, services, or opportunities that will not be provided.
  • Using unauthorized names, logos, trademarks, photos, images, or intellectual property.
  • Providing false payment links, misleading checkout pages, or deceptive payment instructions.
  • Refusing to communicate with participants after collecting money.
  • Avoiding refund obligations after cancellation, postponement, or failure to deliver the event.
  • Manipulating brackets, registrations, athlete data, tournament results, rankings, or public information.
  • Misrepresenting Grip Culture as the payment processor, event operator, refund provider, guarantor, insurer, sponsor, or financial backer.
  • Allowing minor athletes to participate without required parent, guardian, legal, medical, or event authorization where applicable.

8. Grip Culture Platform Rights

Grip Culture may review, restrict, suspend, hide, unpublish, remove, or terminate any tournament, organizer account, payment link, tournament page, organizer access, or related content at any time if Grip Culture believes there is a risk of fraud, deception, abuse, safety concerns, legal exposure, user harm, minor safety concerns, payment disputes, false information, unauthorized activity, or platform misuse.

Grip Culture may also:

  • Disable tournament visibility.
  • Remove external payment links.
  • Add warnings to tournament pages.
  • Request organizer verification.
  • Request proof of venue authorization.
  • Request proof that the tournament is real.
  • Request proof of refund handling.
  • Request proof of insurance or permits.
  • Request proof of authorization to use names, logos, sponsors, academies, venues, or brands.
  • Request proof of authority for minor athlete participation processes.
  • Suspend organizer access.
  • Preserve records.
  • Cooperate with affected users, payment platforms, banks, card networks, law enforcement, regulators, legal authorities, or other appropriate parties.

9. Participant Complaints

If Grip Culture receives complaints that a tournament is fraudulent, canceled, misleading, unsafe, unauthorized, not delivered as advertised, or connected to payment disputes, Grip Culture may investigate and take platform action.

Grip Culture is not responsible for refunding payments made outside Grip Culture. Participants, parents, guardians, or authorized adults must seek refunds directly from the organizer or the external payment provider used to make the payment.

However, Grip Culture may remove, hide, restrict, or suspend the organizer or tournament if the organizer fails to respond, fails to provide proof of legitimacy, fails to address complaints, creates risk for users, or creates risk for the platform.

Grip Culture may preserve complaint records, organizer responses, tournament data, external payment link records, warning acceptance records, user activity, and related platform activity for fraud prevention, dispute review, legal compliance, and platform integrity purposes.

10. Organizer Indemnity

The organizer agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Grip Culture, its owners, officers, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, partners, and service providers from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, disputes, refunds, chargebacks, complaints, penalties, costs, expenses, attorney fees, investigations, or legal actions arising from or related to:

  • The organizer’s tournament.
  • External payment links or payment instructions.
  • Money collected by the organizer.
  • Fraud or alleged fraud.
  • Misrepresentation.
  • Event cancellation or postponement.
  • Failure to deliver the tournament.
  • Refund disputes.
  • Participant complaints.
  • Parent or guardian complaints.
  • Managed athlete or minor athlete participation issues.
  • Injuries, accidents, venue problems, safety issues, or event operations.
  • Unauthorized use of names, logos, brands, images, trademarks, or intellectual property.
  • Violation of any law, regulation, platform policy, venue rule, or third-party right.
  • Failure to obtain required waivers, permissions, permits, insurance, venue approval, parental consent, or legal authorization.
  • The organizer’s failure to comply with payment provider rules, tax obligations, consumer protection obligations, or refund obligations.

11. No Agency Relationship

The organizer is an independent user of Grip Culture’s software tools.

Nothing in this policy creates a partnership, joint venture, employment relationship, agency relationship, franchise relationship, fiduciary relationship, payment processing relationship, escrow relationship, financial services relationship, insurance relationship, or event operation relationship between Grip Culture and the organizer.

The organizer may not represent that Grip Culture is collecting payments, guaranteeing refunds, operating the tournament, supervising the event, verifying the venue, ensuring athlete safety, approving minor participation, or financially backing the tournament unless Grip Culture expressly agrees in writing.

12. Acceptance

By creating, publishing, or managing a tournament, I confirm that:

  • I am at least 18 years old.
  • I am authorized to create and manage this tournament.
  • The tournament information is accurate, current, and truthful.
  • I am solely responsible for the tournament and its operation.
  • I am solely responsible for any external payment link or payment method.
  • I understand that Grip Culture does not collect athlete registration payments for this tournament unless expressly stated otherwise in writing.
  • I understand that payments made to Grip Culture for organizer tools are separate from athlete registration payments collected externally by organizers.
  • I understand that Grip Culture is not responsible for refunds, chargebacks, payment disputes, or money collected outside the platform.
  • I understand that I am responsible for any parent, guardian, minor athlete, or managed athlete registration requirements.
  • I understand that Grip Culture may suspend, remove, hide, or restrict my tournament or organizer account if fraud, abuse, misleading information, payment disputes, safety concerns, or platform risk is suspected.
  • I accept the Organizer External Payments and Tournament Responsibility Policy.