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Coach Quick Start Guide

Start using Pitch Planner as a coach with account setup, team creation, player entry, lineup building, and your first live match workflow.

Get up and running in minutes. This guide walks you through everything from signing up to running your first match.

1. Create Your Account

Create a free account here. This opens the signup tab on the Pitch Planner app.

After signing up, check your email for a confirmation link. Click it, then log in.

2. Create Your Team

  1. Go to My Teams or open /app/teams
  2. Tap New Team or Create Team
  3. Enter your team name, age group (e.g., U10, U12), and default format (4v4, 5v5, 7v7, 9v9, or 11v11)
  4. Tap Save

If your plan is already at its active-team limit, New Team is disabled and the page shows your team-count limit. Choose an active team or upgrade before creating another one. Your player limit is based on your plan, not the match format.

3. Add Your Players

  1. Open your team and go to Players
  2. Tap Add Player
  3. Enter their first name, last name (optional), jersey number (optional), and preferred position (optional)
  4. Repeat for your full roster

Positions help with formation setup and the position heatmap after matches, but they’re completely optional.

4. Create Saved Lineups

Saved lineups let you quickly load a starting formation on match day.

  1. Go to Lineups from the team menu
  2. Tap New Lineup
  3. Give it a name (e.g., “League Starting XI”) and optionally pick a formation
  4. Tap Create
  5. On the lineup editor, tap a formation, tap pitch slots, then tap players from the roster to assign them
  6. Tap Save

The number of saved lineups depends on your plan. Free teams can save 1 lineup. During match setup, you’ll be able to load saved lineups as a starting point.

5. Track Attendance (Optional)

If you want to track who shows up to practices and events:

  1. Go to Attendance from the team menu
  2. Tap Log Event
  3. Choose a type (Practice, Scrimmage, or Other) and set the date
  4. Open the event and mark each player as Present, Absent, Late, or Excused

When you have attendance data, the match lineup setup will show colored dots next to each player’s name — green for perfect attendance, yellow for 50-99%, red for below 50%. If you haven’t tracked any attendance, these indicators won’t appear.

6. Create a Match

  1. Go to Matches from the team menu
  2. Tap New Match
  3. Fill in the opponent name, match date, format, 1st Half, 2nd Half, and Target Min %
  4. Tap Create Match

This takes you into the lineup setup flow.

Changing the format updates the default half length: 4v4 and 5v5 use 20-minute halves, 7v7 uses 25, 9v9 uses 30, and 11v11 uses 40. You can override either half before creating the match.

7. Set Up the Match Lineup

The setup has 4 steps:

  1. Choose a starting lineup — start fresh, use last match’s lineup, or load a saved lineup
  2. Select players — pick your starters and arrange them on the formation. Mark anyone absent as “Not Attending”
  3. Plan rotations (optional) — set automatic substitution intervals so subs are prompted during the match, or skip for manual subs
  4. Confirm & Start — review the lineup, then choose:
    • Confirm Lineup & Start Match — run it yourself right now
    • Save for Manager — save the lineup so a team manager can run it at the field
    • Save & End Match — save the lineup without using the live timer

8. Run the Match

During a live match:

  • The game clock runs automatically
  • Tap a bench player, then tap a field player to substitute
  • Use the Goal, Assist, and Opp Goal buttons to record events
  • If you’ve enabled extra match tools, you’ll also see buttons such as Pass, Shot, YC, RC, and GK Save
  • Tap End Half at halftime, then Start 2nd Half when ready
  • Tap End Match when the game is over

9. Review the Summary

After the match, the summary shows:

  • Final score
  • Per-player minutes, goals, assists, cards, and saves
  • Substitution timeline
  • Position heatmap (if enabled in settings)
  • Player of the match (if enabled)
  • Export as PDF or CSV
  • Post to Feed to share results with parents

What’s Next?