Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated: January 2026

1. The Platform

Rally HQ is a technology platform, not an event organizer. We provide digital tools. We do not run tournaments.

Rally HQ ("we," "us," "our") provides software for tournament directors ("Organizers") to manage registrations, brackets, scheduling, and scoring. Think of Rally HQ as a digital clipboard—we provide the tools, but the Organizer runs the event.

We do not host, supervise, insure, referee, or have any control over tournaments listed on our platform. Tournament Organizers are independent operators solely responsible for their events. Rally HQ has no involvement in the actual conduct of tournaments and makes no representations about the quality, safety, legality, or legitimacy of any event.

2. User Types

Rally HQ serves two types of users with different responsibilities:

  • Organizers: Users who create and manage tournaments. Organizers are Rally HQ's direct customers and have additional responsibilities outlined in Section 3.
  • Participants: Players, team captains, and spectators who use Rally HQ to register for events, view brackets, or check scores. Participants' primary relationship is with the Organizer, not with Rally HQ (see Section 4).

3. Organizer Responsibilities & Warranties

For Tournament Organizers: By creating an event on Rally HQ, you accept these additional responsibilities. This is the "Organizer Shield"—Rally HQ is protected from liability for your actions as an Organizer.

By creating a tournament on Rally HQ, you represent and warrant that:

Authority

You have the legal authority to organize the tournament and, if applicable, to bind the entity, organization, club, or league hosting the event.

Legal Compliance

You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable laws, including:

  • Privacy laws (COPPA, GDPR, state privacy laws) regarding participant data
  • Tax laws regarding entry fees and prize money
  • Local permits, insurance requirements, and venue regulations
  • Sports governing body rules and regulations

Participant Consents

You represent that you have obtained all necessary consents from participants (or their parents/guardians, if minors) to:

  • Input their data (names, emails, team information) into Rally HQ
  • Display their information publicly in brackets, schedules, and standings
  • Send them communications related to your tournament

Rally HQ acts strictly as a Data Processor acting on your instructions. You, the Organizer, are the Data Controller. If a participant or guardian disputes how their data was used, the responsibility lies with you.

Event Safety & Insurance

You are solely responsible for the safety of your event, including obtaining appropriate liability insurance, first aid provisions, weather contingency plans, and participant waivers as required by your venue or governing bodies.

Payment Collection

If you collect entry fees via third-party payment apps (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal), you are solely responsible for those transactions, refunds, disputes, and any tax implications. Rally HQ has no visibility into or control over these payments.

Organizer Certification

When you create a tournament, you certify:

"I am the authorized organizer of this event. I have obtained all necessary permissions from participants (and their guardians, if minors) to share their information with Rally HQ and display it publicly. I accept sole responsibility for the legal compliance, safety, and financial management of my tournament."

4. Participant Relationship with Organizers

For Participants: Your contract is with the Tournament Organizer, not with Rally HQ. We provide the software; the Organizer runs your event.

Rally HQ is a technology platform used by independent Tournament Organizers. When you register for a tournament or participate in an event managed through Rally HQ:

No Event Liability

Rally HQ is not responsible for the safety, quality, legality, or conduct of any tournament. We do not verify Organizers' credentials, insurance, or legitimacy. If something goes wrong at an event, your recourse is with the Organizer.

No Payment Liability

Any entry fees you pay are paid directly to the Organizer via third-party apps (Venmo, Cash App, etc.). Rally HQ does not hold funds and cannot issue refunds. If a tournament is cancelled or you have a payment dispute, you must resolve it with:

  • The Tournament Organizer directly
  • The payment app you used (Venmo, Cash App, etc.)
  • Your bank or credit card company

No Dispute Mediation

Disputes about brackets, seeding, disqualifications, rules interpretations, or any other tournament decisions must be resolved with the Organizer. Rally HQ does not mediate disputes between participants and Organizers.

Data Inquiries

Your data was input by the Tournament Organizer. If you want your data corrected or deleted, contact the Organizer first. If you contact Rally HQ, we may forward your request to the Organizer for approval, as they are the Data Controller.

5. Accounts and Access

Account Requirements

You must be at least 18 years old to create a Rally HQ Organizer account. Organizer accounts require email verification and acceptance of these Terms.

Magic Link Access

Participants may access parts of the Service via "Magic Links" sent to their email. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your email account. If you believe a Magic Link has been compromised, contact the tournament Organizer.

Minors

If you are under 18, a parent, guardian, or authorized adult (coach, team manager) must register on your behalf. Rally HQ does not knowingly collect information directly from users under 18. All minor participant data is input by adult Organizers or team captains who have certified they have appropriate consent.

6. Payments and Fees

Important: Rally HQ is NOT a payment processor. We do not collect, hold, or transfer any tournament entry fees or payments between users.

Tournament Entry Fees (Organizer ↔ Participant)

Rally HQ facilitates the sharing of payment information (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal links) between participants and Organizers. This is solely a convenience feature. All payments for tournament entry fees are made directly between the participant and the Organizer. Rally HQ:

  • Never takes possession of tournament entry fees
  • Does not process payment transactions between users
  • Does not hold funds in escrow
  • Has no visibility into or control over payments between users
  • Cannot issue refunds for tournament fees

Rally HQ Subscription Fees (Organizer ↔ Rally HQ)

Rally HQ charges subscription fees to Organizers for platform access. These fees are processed through Stripe. Rally HQ does not store credit card data on our servers. You agree to pay all applicable fees and taxes, including local sales or lease transaction taxes (such as the Chicago Cloud Tax) which will be calculated based on your provided billing address. Subscription fees are subject to our refund policy presented at checkout. This is the only financial relationship Rally HQ has with users.

Data Security

Rally HQ is responsible for the security of cardholder data that we possess or otherwise store, process, or transmit on behalf of the customer, or to the extent that we could impact the security of the customer's cardholder data environment. Rally HQ uses Stripe as our payment processor and does not directly handle, store, or process payment card information on our systems.

7. User Content

You retain ownership of content you submit (tournament names, team names, player rosters, scores, etc.). By submitting content, you grant Rally HQ a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute such content in connection with providing the Service.

Public Visibility: Tournament brackets, schedules, scores, and standings are publicly viewable by default. Do not use sensitive personal information (such as full addresses, phone numbers, or private details) in team names or other public fields.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to use Rally HQ to:

  • Organize fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal events
  • Collect payments for tournaments you do not intend to run
  • Upload offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate content
  • Impersonate other users or tournament Organizers
  • Input participant data without appropriate consent
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, exploit, or circumvent platform features
  • Interfere with the operation of the Service or other users' experience

9. Limitation of Liability

Please read this section carefully. It limits Rally HQ's liability to you.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, RALLY HQ AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

  • Personal Injury: Any injuries, accidents, or incidents occurring at tournaments managed via our platform. Tournament organizers are solely responsible for event safety.
  • Financial Loss: Any funds lost, stolen, disputed, or misappropriated via third-party payment apps (Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, etc.) or any other means. Rally HQ does not handle money and cannot recover funds on your behalf.
  • Tournament Cancellations: Events cancelled, postponed, or materially changed by organizers. Rally HQ has no control over whether organizers fulfill their commitments.
  • Data Errors: Incorrect bracket advancements, scoring errors, scheduling conflicts, or any technical issues that affect tournament outcomes.
  • Third-Party Actions: The actions, omissions, or conduct of tournament organizers, participants, or any other third parties using the platform.

IN NO EVENT SHALL RALLY HQ'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO RALLY HQ IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS COMPREHENSIVE AND APPLIES TO ALL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING (WITHOUT LIMITATION) COMPENSATORY, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSS OF DATA, INCOME OR PROFIT, LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, AND CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, WHETHER ARISING FROM CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Rally HQ and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any rights of another party
  • Any tournament you organize using the platform
  • Any claims by participants regarding events you organized
  • Any claims related to data you input into the platform

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. RALLY HQ DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Rally HQ does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided by tournament organizers or other users.

Service Interruptions & Data Loss

Rally HQ explicitly disclaims all liability for service interruptions, outages, or data loss that may occur during tournament operation. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Server Downtime: Planned maintenance, unplanned outages, or degraded performance during critical tournament phases
  • Data Loss: Loss of brackets, scores, team rosters, match history, or any other tournament data due to technical failures, database errors, or system issues
  • Software Bugs: Errors in bracket generation, scoring calculations, seeding algorithms, or any other platform functionality that affects tournament outcomes
  • Third-Party Failures: Outages of our hosting providers (Vercel), database services (Supabase), authentication services, or other third-party dependencies
  • Real-Time Features: Delays or failures in live scoring updates, real-time bracket updates, or notification delivery

Organizers are strongly encouraged to maintain backup records (paper brackets, spreadsheets, or alternative systems) for critical tournament data. Rally HQ is a convenience tool, not a system of record for official competitions.

12. Force Majeure

Rally HQ shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under these Terms arising from causes beyond its reasonable control. Such causes include, but are not limited to:

  • Third-Party Service Providers: Outages, failures, or degraded performance of Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database), Stripe (payment processing), or any other third-party infrastructure providers upon which the Service depends
  • Internet & Network: Internet service provider failures, DNS issues, network congestion, or telecommunications outages
  • External Events: Acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, government actions, civil unrest, pandemics, or other events outside our control
  • Cyberattacks: Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, hacking attempts, or other malicious activities by third parties

During any force majeure event, Rally HQ's obligations shall be suspended for the duration of the event without liability. We will make reasonable efforts to resume normal operations as soon as practicable.

13. Dispute Resolution

Between You and Rally HQ

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. You waive your right to participate in class action lawsuits against Rally HQ.

Between Organizers and Participants

Disputes between participants and Organizers—including payment disputes, bracket disagreements, disqualifications, or any other tournament-related issues—must be resolved directly between those parties. Rally HQ does not mediate user disputes. We may, at our sole discretion, provide information to assist, but we are under no obligation to intervene.

14. Reporting Violations & Trust and Safety

We take reports seriously. Rally HQ maintains a Trust and Safety process to review and act on reports of fraudulent or concerning organizer activity.

What to Report

Please report the following types of issues:

  • Fraudulent Events: Organizers collecting fees for tournaments they don't intend to run, or events that appear to be scams
  • Repeated Cancellations: Organizers with a pattern of cancelling events after collecting fees
  • Inappropriate Content: Offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate tournament names, descriptions, or team names
  • Safety Concerns: Reports of unsafe conditions at events, organizers ignoring safety requirements, or concerning behavior patterns
  • Data Misuse: Organizers collecting data beyond what's needed for tournament operation, or sharing participant data inappropriately

How to Report

Submit reports to trust@rallyhq.app with the following information:

  • Tournament name and URL (if available)
  • Organizer name or email (if known)
  • Detailed description of the issue
  • Any supporting evidence (screenshots, receipts, communications)
  • Your contact information for follow-up

Our Response Process

All reports are logged and reviewed within 48 hours. Depending on severity, we may:

  • Contact the Organizer for their response
  • Temporarily suspend the tournament or account pending investigation
  • Permanently ban Organizers engaged in fraud or repeated violations
  • Cooperate with law enforcement if criminal activity is suspected

We maintain records of all reports and actions taken for compliance purposes. While we cannot guarantee specific outcomes, we are committed to maintaining platform integrity.

15. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account or tournament that violates these Terms, appears fraudulent, or is otherwise harmful to the platform or its users. We may take action without prior notice in cases of suspected fraud or illegal activity.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Organizer Warranties) shall survive.

16. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or through the Service with at least 30 days' notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

17. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois, and the parties hereby consent to personal jurisdiction and venue therein.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@rallyhq.app.