FTC season budget template
Teams underestimate a season by forgetting the same four things: the second event’s registration, spare parts for the failure that has not happened yet, travel for a tournament they hope to qualify for, and the field elements they have to buy again. Start from a list that includes them.
| Line item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST team registration | $275 | Per season, per team. Rookie grants may cover part of it. |
| Event registration | $75–150 each | Budget for at least two. Championships cost more. |
| Control system | $400–900 | One-time if you already own it; hubs and phones/driver hub do fail. |
| Structure and hardware | $400–1,200 | Extrusion, brackets, fasteners, bearings. |
| Motors, servos, wheels | $300–800 | Assume you will replace some mid-season. |
| Field elements | $300–600 | Reissued most seasons. Soft field tiles wear out. |
| Spare parts buffer | 10–15% of parts | Not optional. This is the line that saves a competition. |
| Tools and shop | $150–500 | Higher in year one, near zero after. |
| Shirts and pit display | $200–500 | Also the thing sponsors see their logo on. |
| Travel | $0–1,500+ | Fuel and hotels for anything past a local qualifier. |
| Outreach and demos | $50–300 | Materials, handouts, transport. |
| Awards submissions | $0–100 | Printing the portfolio and notebook. |
A first-year team with no equipment typically lands between $4,000 and $8,000. An established team reusing a control system and tools often runs $2,000–4,000.
How to run it once it exists:
- Budget by category, not by receipt. "Drivetrain" is a decision; "one $14 bearing" is not.
- Count an order against the budget when it is placed, not when the card clears.
- Keep the spare-parts buffer separate. Spending it early is how a team ends up borrowing a motor at a qualifier.
- Revisit after your first event — that is when you learn what actually breaks.
- Write down what you spent per subsystem. Next year’s team will ask.
Costs teams forget:
- The second and third event registrations
- Replacing field elements that changed this season
- Batteries — they age out, and a tired battery loses matches
- Shipping, which on a rushed mid-season order can rival the part
- Championship travel, if you are good enough to need it