Membership Agreement

USA Team Handball Membership Agreement

This Membership Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into by and between USA Team Handball (“USATH” or the “Organization”) and the individual registering for, purchasing, renewing, accepting, or using a USATH membership (“Member”).

By applying for, purchasing, renewing, accepting, or using a USATH membership; electronically signing or assenting to this Agreement through USATH’s membership platform, including Sport:80 or any successor platform; clicking “I agree,” checking an assent box, or completing an online membership registration; accepting membership benefits; using membership status; or participating as a registered member in any USATH-sanctioned, approved, recognized, or governed activity, Member agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.

1. Membership Status

Membership in USATH is a privilege, not a right. Membership is subject to eligibility requirements, payment of applicable dues, completion of required registration processes, and continuing compliance with USATH’s governing documents, policies, procedures, codes of conduct, competition rules, and applicable law.

USATH may establish different categories of membership, each with different rights, benefits, obligations, and eligibility requirements. Membership benefits are limited to those expressly provided by USATH and may be modified from time to time.

2. Compliance with USATH Governing Documents and Policies

Member agrees to comply with all USATH rules, policies, procedures, bylaws, codes of conduct, competition regulations, eligibility standards, disciplinary rules, and other governing documents, as adopted or amended from time to time.

This includes, without limitation:

• USATH Bylaws;
• USATH Code of Conduct;
• USATH Competition Rulebook;
• USATH SafeSport policies and the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code;
• applicable Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies;
• membership, eligibility, transfer, roster, and registration rules;
• event-specific rules, procedures, and credentialing requirements; and
• any other policies adopted by USATH, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the International Handball Federation, the North America and Caribbean Handball Confederation, or other applicable sport authorities.

Member acknowledges that these rules and policies may be amended from time to time and agrees to remain bound by the version in effect at the relevant time.

3. SafeSport and Athlete Safety

Member agrees to comply with the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code, USATH SafeSport policies, and all applicable athlete safety requirements.

Member understands that certain roles or activities may require SafeSport training, background screening, conflict of interest disclosures, or other compliance steps before participation is permitted. Member agrees to complete all required compliance obligations in a timely manner.

Member further agrees to report suspected misconduct, abuse, harassment, hazing, retaliation, or other violations as required by applicable USATH and SafeSport policies.

4. Competition Rulebook and Event Participation

Member agrees to comply with the USATH Competition Rulebook and all rules applicable to sanctioned, approved, recognized, or otherwise governed events.

Participation in USATH events is subject to eligibility, registration, roster, transfer, conduct, credentialing, and compliance requirements. USATH may deny, suspend, limit, or revoke participation rights where Member is ineligible, noncompliant, suspended, under restriction, or otherwise not in good standing.

Member understands that selection for teams, events, camps, programs, or competitions is not guaranteed by membership alone.

5. Quality Control, Integrity, and Compliance Systems

Member agrees to cooperate with USATH’s reasonable quality control, eligibility, integrity, and compliance systems. These may include, without limitation, verification of identity, age, citizenship, residency, eligibility, roster status, registration status, SafeSport compliance, background screening status, and other requirements relevant to participation in USATH activities.

Member agrees not to provide false, misleading, incomplete, or fraudulent information in connection with membership, registration, eligibility, team selection, event participation, or compliance obligations.

6. Conduct Expectations

Member agrees to act in a manner consistent with the values, reputation, and integrity of USATH and the sport of team handball. Member shall not engage in conduct that violates USATH policy, undermines event safety or integrity, harms participants, disrupts sanctioned activities, or brings USATH or the sport into disrepute.

Member agrees to follow the directions of event officials, referees, organizers, staff, safety personnel, and authorized USATH representatives during USATH activities.

7. Assumption of Risk

Member understands that participation in handball, athletic training, competition, travel, camps, clinics, and related activities involves inherent risks, including but not limited to physical injury, illness, collision, falls, overexertion, equipment-related injury, facility-related injury, and other risks associated with athletic participation.

Member voluntarily assumes all risks associated with participation in USATH activities, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

8. Medical Responsibility

Member is responsible for determining whether they are medically able to participate in athletic activities. Member agrees that USATH is not responsible for providing medical clearance, medical insurance, or medical treatment unless expressly stated in writing.

Member authorizes USATH, event organizers, coaches, trainers, or emergency personnel to obtain emergency medical care if Member is injured or becomes ill during participation and is unable to provide consent.

9. Discipline, Suspension, and Termination

USATH reserves the right to deny, suspend, restrict, or terminate membership or participation privileges for failure to comply with this Agreement, USATH policies, SafeSport requirements, competition rules, eligibility requirements, or other applicable obligations.

Disciplinary action may include, without limitation, warning, probation, suspension, removal from an event, loss of eligibility, termination of membership, referral to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, referral to law enforcement, or other action permitted by USATH policy or applicable law.

Where applicable, disciplinary matters will be handled pursuant to USATH’s governing documents, disciplinary procedures, SafeSport policies, and applicable law.

10. No Guarantee of Participation, Selection, or Benefits

Membership does not guarantee selection to any team, participation in any event, receipt of any funding, appointment to any role, access to any facility, inclusion in any program, or eligibility for any particular competition.

All such opportunities remain subject to applicable rules, eligibility criteria, selection procedures, availability, capacity limits, compliance obligations, and USATH discretion.

11. Dues, Fees, and Refunds

Member agrees to pay all applicable membership dues, event fees, registration fees, or other charges associated with participation. Unless otherwise stated in writing by USATH, dues and fees are non-refundable.

USATH may establish, modify, or waive dues and fees in its discretion, subject to applicable policy and law.

12. Media Release

Unless Member provides written notice to USATH opting out where permitted, Member grants USATH permission to use Member’s name, image, likeness, voice, biographical information, and athletic participation in photographs, video, broadcasts, publications, social media, promotional materials, and other media related to USATH, its events, programs, and the sport of team handball.

This release does not authorize commercial endorsement by Member without separate written permission.

13. Privacy, Communications, and Information Sharing

Member agrees that USATH may collect, use, maintain, process, and share membership information as reasonably necessary or appropriate for registration, eligibility, compliance, event administration, insurance, communications, safety, governance, reporting, marketing, sponsorship, fundraising, commercial development, promotional activity, and other legitimate organizational purposes.

Member understands that USATH may share relevant information with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the International Handball Federation, the North America and Caribbean Handball Confederation, event organizers, insurers, compliance vendors, sponsors, commercial partners, marketing partners, fundraising partners, technology vendors, and other third parties where USATH determines such sharing is reasonably related to USATH’s operations, mission, programs, events, member services, development activities, or commercial opportunities.

Member consents to receive USATH communications by email, platform messaging, text message, telephone, mail, or other available contact methods, including communications regarding membership, events, compliance, governance, safety, fundraising, sponsorship, marketing, promotions, partner offers, and other USATH-related opportunities. Member may opt out of certain promotional communications where required by applicable law, but understands that USATH may continue to send transactional, compliance, safety, governance, eligibility, and membership-related communications.

USATH may use aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified member data for reporting, sponsorship, grant, fundraising, marketing, commercial, analytical, and developmental purposes.

Nothing in this section requires USATH to share member information, and USATH may limit, condition, or decline such sharing in its discretion. USATH will handle member information in accordance with applicable law and any USATH privacy policy then in effect.

14. Electronic Records and Communications Consent

Member consents to receive, review, sign, accept, and retain this Agreement and related USATH membership documents electronically through USATH’s membership platform, including Sport:80 or any successor platform, email, or other electronic means used by USATH.

Member agrees that electronic records, electronic signatures, click-through acceptance, checkbox assent, and platform-based registration records shall have the same legal effect as paper records and handwritten signatures, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Member is responsible for maintaining current contact information in USATH’s membership platform and understands that notices sent to the email address, phone number, account, or platform profile associated with Member’s registration may constitute effective notice.

15. Minors and Parent/Guardian Consent

If Member is under the age of 18, the parent or legal guardian completing, approving, paying for, or permitting the membership registration represents that they are authorized to act on behalf of the minor Member and agrees, on behalf of themselves and the minor Member, to the terms of this Agreement.

The parent or legal guardian accepts responsibility for ensuring the minor Member’s compliance with USATH rules, policies, codes of conduct, SafeSport requirements, competition rules, and event requirements.

The parent or legal guardian further acknowledges and accepts the risks associated with the minor Member’s participation in USATH activities, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Non-Transferability of Membership

USATH membership is personal to the registered Member and may not be transferred, assigned, loaned, shared, or used by any other person. Any attempted transfer, assignment, or misuse of membership status may result in denial, suspension, restriction, or termination of membership or participation privileges.

17. No Authority to Bind or Represent USATH

Membership does not authorize Member to act as an agent, representative, employee, spokesperson, contractor, or legal representative of USATH. Member may not bind USATH, make commitments on behalf of USATH, use USATH’s name or marks in a manner suggesting authorization, or represent that they speak for USATH unless separately authorized in writing by USATH.

18. Club, Local, and Third-Party Activities

Member understands that USATH membership does not mean that every handball-related activity, club practice, league, event, trip, communication, or program involving USATH members is sanctioned, approved, insured, controlled, or supervised by USATH.

USATH is responsible only for activities that are expressly sanctioned, approved, recognized, or governed by USATH. Member participates in non-sanctioned, local, club, third-party, or independently organized activities at Member’s own risk and subject to the rules, policies, and responsibilities of the applicable organizer.

19. Cooperation, Investigations, and Anti-Retaliation

Member agrees to cooperate truthfully and reasonably with USATH reviews, eligibility checks, compliance inquiries, disciplinary matters, SafeSport processes, event reviews, and other investigations or proceedings within USATH’s authority.

Member shall not retaliate against any person who makes a good-faith report, participates in an investigation, raises a compliance concern, or exercises rights under USATH policies, SafeSport requirements, USOPC requirements, or applicable law.

20. Release and Waiver of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Member releases, waives, and holds harmless USATH, its directors, officers, employees, contractors, volunteers, committee members, officials, coaches, event organizers, sponsors, partners, and representatives from claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising out of or related to Member’s participation in USATH activities, except to the extent caused by gross negligence, willful misconduct, or other conduct that cannot be waived under applicable law.

This release includes, without limitation, claims related to ordinary negligence, personal injury, illness, property loss, travel, facilities, equipment, competition, training, event administration, and other risks associated with participation in athletic activities.

21. Dispute Resolution and USATH Bylaws

All disputes, claims, appeals, grievances, disciplinary matters, eligibility questions, membership disputes, event participation disputes, team selection disputes, governance disputes, and other matters arising out of or related to USATH membership, participation, status, rights, privileges, or obligations shall be governed by and resolved in accordance with the USATH Bylaws and any applicable USATH policies, procedures, hearing rules, appeal rights, and dispute-resolution mechanisms.

Member agrees to follow and exhaust the applicable procedures, remedies, appeal rights, and hearing processes established by the USATH Bylaws and related USATH governing documents before pursuing any external remedy, except where otherwise required or protected by applicable law.

Nothing in this Agreement limits any rights, obligations, jurisdiction, reporting duties, or remedies under the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code, the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee requirements, or other applicable law.

22. Amendments

USATH may amend its policies, procedures, rules, bylaws, membership requirements, or this Agreement from time to time. Continued membership or participation after notice of amendments constitutes acceptance of the amended terms.

23. Acknowledgment and Binding Acceptance

By electronically signing, clicking “I agree,” checking an assent box, completing membership registration through USATH’s membership platform, including Sport:80 or any successor platform, purchasing or renewing a USATH membership, accepting membership benefits, using membership status, or participating as a registered member in any USATH-sanctioned, approved, recognized, or governed activity, Member acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to this Agreement and all incorporated USATH policies, rules, and governing documents.

Member agrees that electronic signature, click-through acceptance, online registration, membership purchase or renewal, acceptance or use of membership status, and participation as a registered member each constitute binding acceptance of this Agreement to the same extent as a handwritten signature, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.