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Frequently Asked Questions

This page covers the questions Team Coordinators, Event Hosts, and school administrators ask most often: what a team costs, how much time it takes each week, how the Sphero Robotics Competition (SRC) Matching Team Grant works, and what hosting an event involves.
If yours isn’t answered here, contact us and we’ll help.

Sphero Robotics Competitions

What programs does TEAM Alliance offer, and what ages do they serve?

TEAM Alliance runs four programs under two tracks. Sphero Robotics Missions covers three age divisions: indi Missions for under-9, BOLT Missions for under-12, and RVR Missions for under-15. Sphero Robotics Competition runs Blueprint Robotics Competition, for high school students under 19, which is new for the 2026-2027 season.

Registration is priced per team and depends on the program and format. A Missions team (indi, BOLT, or RVR) pays a $200 season registration fee for In-Person events, or $100 for Online Submission, and the fee covers entry into multiple events across the season. A Blueprint Robotics team pays $500 for the 2026-2027 season, rising to $600 in future seasons. Robots and kits are bought separately, and the first year can cost the most because teams reuse the same robots and field every season. The program comparison page itemizes the equipment and first-year cost for each program.

Plan on 2 to 3 hours a week over 6 to 8 weeks for a Missions team, and 3 to 4 hours a week over 8 to 10 weeks for a Blueprint Robotics team.
There are two ways to compete. An In-Person event takes place at a physical venue on a set date, and it is the way to compete whenever your team can get there. If your team can’t attend a venue, Live Remote is available as a backup: it is part of the same In-Person event and follows its schedule, with your team competing from its own location, and it is open to every program.

Online Submission works differently: teams submit their work rather than competing live, at one of three events a season (Eastern US, Western US, and rest of world). It’s available for Missions only. Blueprint Robotics has no Online Submission route.

SRC 2026-2027 Grants

What is the SRC Matching Team Grant?
The SRC Matching Team Grant is a $1,299 matching grant toward a two-kit Blueprint Robotics purchase, funded by an anonymous donor. The full two-kit package is worth $2,598; your team pays the remaining $1,299 balance, and ground shipping on those two kits is covered. One grant is available per registered team, and an organization running multiple teams can receive multiple grants.
The grant is tied to a paid or purchase-order-processing 2026-2027 SRC team registration. Your team has to attend an In-Person qualifying event (or join it by Live Remote if your team can’t travel) in both the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons; if your team can’t compete in both, the granted equipment has to be returned. The Team Coordinator and students also complete end-of-season surveys, including a team photo and student feedback.

Register your team on myTEAMevents.org, then apply for the grant once your registration is eligible. TEAM Alliance verifies eligibility and issues a redemption code, which you use to order the two Blueprint Robotics kits on Sphero.com. Visit the SRC Matching Team Grant page for the full application details.

Event Hosts

What does hosting an event involve?

A host provides the venue, usually a school gym or similar open space, and a point of contact who coordinates with TEAM Alliance before and on event day. TEAM Alliance staff support the host leading up to and on the day of the event. If a host is short on help, TEAM Alliance can send its own support team to help run the event, even when the host has only two volunteers. To host an event, register and secure your event date on myTEAMevents.org.

What hosting an event involves covers the host support package and the volunteer guides TEAM Alliance provides to hosts.

TEAM Alliance and Sphero jointly fund an Event Host Support Package: medals and trophies for winners, a TEAM Alliance banner, exclusive TEAM Alliance and Sphero items to hand out to teams, and access to Sphero Competition Fields and game elements at reduced cost or free.
Yes. Hosting can help an organization fund its season. Hosts can raise money through event registration fees, local sponsorships, and concessions, alongside the support package described above.

School districts and administrators

What does this cost across multiple teams or campuses?
Registration fees are set per team, as listed above, and each team needs its own robots. Each registered SRC team can apply for its own Matching Team Grant, so a school running several Blueprint Robotics teams can receive several grants.
Sphero Robotics Missions is designed for elementary and middle school students in classroom-aligned programs, and Blueprint Robotics serves high school students during or after the school day. Because programs are Student-Powered™, the staff member coordinating a team doesn’t need robotics experience. To see how a program fits your district’s career and technical education or STEM requirements, contact TEAM Alliance.
Yes. Registration is per building, not per district. Each participating school claims its own free organization number and can register as many teams as it wants under that number.

TEAM Alliance

What is TEAM Alliance?

TEAM Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs robotics programs for students from under-9 through under-19. Every program is designed so a new team can score its first point within its first minute, the same way anyone can score a goal in soccer regardless of experience. Read more about TEAM Alliance’s mission.

Neither the students nor the adult Team Coordinator needs technical experience to get started.

No. TEAM Alliance’s programs are Student-Powered™, which means the student runs the robot and the adult coordinates. A Team Coordinator needs no robotics background to lead a team.

Coordinators still mentor their students throughout the season. Student-Powered™ means they can do that without technical expertise.

You can browse upcoming events by program, format, and location on the events page. Team and event registration happens on myTEAMevents.org, a separate site from teamalliance.org.

Student safety is covered by TEAM Alliance’s Youth Protection Policy and Code of Conduct, both published in full. To report a concern, speak with the Event Host or TEAM Alliance staff, or email youthprotection@teamalliance.org. If a student may be in immediate danger, contact local law enforcement.

Have a question this page doesn’t answer? Contact TEAM Alliance directly.

Our Partners

TEAM Alliance partners with Sphero to run its robotics missions and competitions. Special thanks to Shook, Hardy & Bacon for legal support.