I'm not on a team currently. I've been on teams twice (including leading one). I'd be very hesitant to start or join another one.

People didn't showing up to events they committed to...and I ended up calling anyone who would answer the phone trying to find a replacement the night before an event. Ended up playing a tournament with a new player who'd never played before. I've also ended up missing events I committed to (and pissing off a good friend) because of an emergency at work the night before. Expect **** to happen.

People commit to pay for gear/uniform/whatever, and after you order it they decide they didn't want it or don't have the money anymore. Not cool, but pretty common. Thankfully I only ended up out a few hundred dollars over things like that.

Friends that turn into teammates can easily to turn into enemies. There's a few people that used to be my friend who won't talk to me anymore, and there's one ******* who I'd spit on if saw him (even after 17 years) due to **** he pulled. Expect drama.

At this point I'd be VERY hesitant to join a team unless it's very casual (with a written charter to keep it casual. Things tend to slowly creep towards the hardcore.)

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None of the things you're asking about are unreasonable, but make sure it's all communicated up front. People form teams for all sorts of different reasons and with all sorts of different expectations. It's important to communicate what you expect from members.

I'd strongly recommend having a written charter that covers what you expect from players and what players can expect from the team. Equipment requirements? Age limits? Mandatory training? Mandatory events? Paying gas to haul your "tank" to an event on the other side of the country? Spell it all out so there's no misunderstandings.

Don't assume that all the guys you're currently playing with will have the same goals, ambition, budget, etc.. If they don't want to join your team it's not a big deal.

I've never heard of a team that wasn't invite-only. Some teams hold open tryouts, but players are still only invited to the team based on how they meshed with the existing team members.

Most teams only last a couple years (if that), so expect this to be temporary.

 

Thanks for the feedback
Were pretty solid and know **** happens when it comes to events, we want a bigger team but its hard finding people up to our standard. Were all exmil and mostly combat gigs so I think it's scaring people away...I've been 'recruiting' at my local VFW and have been successful in getting guys interested and some have even come out, maybe that's just my best option for getting players.