In this guide
- Why game day goes better with a checklist
- List 1 — two days before: who is coming?
- List 2 — the night before: pack the bag
- List 3 — arrival and warm-up
- List 4 — during the game
- Worked example — a Saturday game for fourteen players
- List 5 — after the final whistle
- The game day checklist
- How Play 2 Earn Sports supports a coach's game day
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
Watch the video guide
Read the video transcript
A calm game day, start to finish
0:00 By the end of this video, you will have a game day checklist you can reuse all season. It covers the two days before, the morning, the game itself and the hour after. We will go through five short lists. Two days out, the bag, arrival and warm-up, the game itself, and the jobs after the final whistle.
Two days before: who is coming?
0:20 Game day starts two days before. Check who is coming on Thursday, not on Saturday morning. Ask families to answer Going, Maybe or Can't go, so you plan with real numbers. Then send parents one clear message.
0:35 Give the kickoff time, the field, the arrival time and what to wear. One message with every detail works better than five small ones. Draft the lineup and a simple substitution plan at home, while you are calm. Share playing time fairly, and write the plan down so an assistant can run it too.
The night before: pack the bag
0:53 The night before, pack the bag. Balls, a pump, cones, bibs, the first-aid kit, spare water and the emergency contact list. Check the first-aid kit, and replace anything used last week.
Arrival and warm-up
1:06 On the day, arrive before the players. Walk the field and look for holes, glass or standing water. Say hello to the referee, and check that the goals are secure. As players arrive, check shin guards and water bottles.
1:22 Run a warm-up that gets everyone moving. Keep the team talk short, with one focus and a reminder to enjoy the game.
During the game
1:30 During the game, run the substitution plan you wrote. Praise effort out loud. At halftime, name one thing that is working and one thing to try. Ask parents to cheer, not coach.
A worked Saturday
1:42 Here is a typical example. It is illustrative, not a specific club. A coach has fourteen players on the roster for a nine versus nine soccer game. Kickoff is ten o'clock on Saturday.
1:55 On Thursday, ten players are Going, two are Maybe, one Can't go and one has not answered. That is fourteen in all. The coach sends one reminder in the app that evening. By Friday, twelve are Going, one is Maybe and one Can't go.
2:11 Twelve players means nine on the field and three on the bench, so the coach plans the rotation. The game is two halves of thirty minutes. Nine places for sixty minutes gives five hundred forty player minutes. Shared by twelve players, that is forty-five minutes each.
2:29 The coach arrives at nine, and the players at nine fifteen. The warm-up runs from nine thirty. With a five-minute halftime, the final whistle comes at five past eleven.
After the final whistle
2:39 After the final whistle, cool down together and give each player one positive word. Then mark attendance while it is fresh: present, late, absent or excused. Check any knocks, and talk to the parent before they leave. Thank the referee and the volunteers. Then post the next game's time in the Parents channel.
How Play 2 Earn Sports helps
3:00 Now, how Play 2 Earn Sports helps. Players and parents answer Going, Maybe or Can't go, and coaches see counts and names. A coach can send one manual in-app reminder per item, at most once every twenty-four hours. Coaches and club staff mark attendance separately, as present, late, absent or excused.
3:21 When a team event, team game or club game changes, affected families get in-app, email and push notices by default, and can opt out of event email and push. Coaches and club admins use the same lineup builder. Check RSVPs early, pack the bag the night before, run your plan, and mark attendance after. The full checklist is on the page linked in the description.
3:43 Coaching one team? Start a free club account for your team. Starter is free for clubs with up to 10 teams. Thanks for watching.
Why game day goes better with a checklist
Head counts arrive late
Without an early answer from each family, the coach finds out who is missing at kickoff.
The bag is packed in a hurry
A pump, the first-aid kit or the bibs are the things most often left behind.
Playing time drifts
A substitution plan made on the sideline tends to favor whoever is standing nearest.
The details live in five messages
Families ask the same question several times when the time, field and kit are spread out.
Attendance is never recorded
By Monday, nobody remembers who was late, who was excused and who did not come.
A checklist turns each of these into a two-minute job at the right moment.
List 1 — two days before: who is coming?
Check RSVPs on Thursday
Ask families to answer Going, Maybe or Can't go for the game. Thursday gives you time to plan; Saturday morning does not.
Follow up once
If some families have not answered, send one friendly reminder, then plan with the answers you have.
Send one clear message to parents
Kickoff time, field, arrival time, what to wear and what to bring. One message with every detail works better than five small ones.
Draft the lineup and the substitution plan
Do it at home, while you are calm. Share playing time fairly, and write the plan down so an assistant can run it.
Sort the rides
If some players need a lift, ask in the parents' channel early rather than in the car park.
List 2 — the night before: pack the bag
| In the bag | Why |
|---|---|
| Balls and a pump | Enough balls for the warm-up; the pump saves a flat ball |
| Cones and bibs | Warm-up grids and a quick way to split groups |
| First-aid kit and ice packs | Check it and replace anything used last week |
| Spare water | A forgotten bottle is common; a spare jug helps the whole team |
| Emergency contact list | One list per team, kept with the first-aid kit |
| The written sub plan | So the plan survives a busy sideline |
| A spare top or two | For a player who arrives in the wrong color |
Keep the emergency contact list current and private. It belongs with the first-aid kit, not on a public noticeboard.
List 3 — arrival and warm-up
Arrive before the players
Fifteen minutes before the team is a good habit.
Walk the field
Look for holes, glass, rocks and standing water. Check that the goals are secure.
Say hello to the referee
A friendly word before the game sets the tone for the whole morning.
Check gear as players arrive
Shin guards, laces, water bottles and no jewelry. Adjust for your sport's equipment.
Run a warm-up that gets everyone moving
Keep it simple and familiar, so players arrive at kickoff ready.
Keep the team talk short
One focus for the day, one word of encouragement, and a reminder to enjoy the game.
List 4 — during the game
Run the substitution plan you wrote
Adjust for injuries and fatigue, not for the score.
Praise effort out loud
Specific praise ("great run back to defend") lands better than general praise.
Use halftime well
Name one thing that is working and one thing to try. Give water first, words second.
Keep the sideline positive
Ask parents to cheer and leave the coaching and refereeing to the adults with those jobs.
Keep safety first
Stop to check on any player who goes down, and follow your club's head-injury policy.
Worked example — a Saturday game for fourteen players
Illustrative example, not a specific club.
A coach has fourteen players on the roster for a nine versus nine soccer game. Kickoff is 10:00 on Saturday. The game is two halves of thirty minutes with a five-minute halftime.
Thursday: the first RSVP check.
| Answer | Players |
|---|---|
| Going | 10 |
| Maybe | 2 |
| Can't go | 1 |
| No answer yet | 1 |
| Roster | 14 |
The coach sends one reminder in the app on Thursday evening.
Friday: the plan. By Friday, twelve players are Going, one is Maybe and one Can't go (12 + 1 + 1 = 14). Twelve players means nine on the field and three on the bench.
Fair playing time. Nine places for sixty minutes gives 9 × 60 = 540 player minutes. Shared by twelve players, that is 540 ÷ 12 = 45 minutes each. The coach plans three rolling changes in each half so every player gets about forty-five minutes.
The morning.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Coach arrives, walks the field, checks the goals |
| 9:15 | Players arrive; gear and water check |
| 9:30–9:50 | Warm-up |
| 9:50 | Team talk: one focus |
| 10:00–10:30 | First half |
| 10:30–10:35 | Halftime |
| 10:35–11:05 | Second half |
| 11:05–11:15 | Cool-down and one positive word each |
Attendance after the game. Eleven players were present and one arrived late, which matches the twelve who said Going (11 + 1 = 12). The Maybe player did not come and is marked absent. The player who said Can't go is marked excused. In all, 11 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 14.
The arithmetic in one line. 10 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 14 on Thursday; 12 + 1 + 1 = 14 on Friday; 9 + 3 = 12 players; 9 × 60 = 540; 540 ÷ 12 = 45 minutes each; 10:00 + 30 + 5 + 30 = 11:05.
List 5 — after the final whistle
Cool down together
A short jog and stretch, then one positive word for each player.
Check knocks
Talk to the parent of any player who was hurt before they leave, and note what happened.
Thank the helpers
The referee, the volunteers and the parents who drove.
Mark attendance while it is fresh
Present, late, absent or excused.
Share the next game
Post the next time and place in the parents' channel, and say when you will next be in touch.
The game day checklist
Two days before
- RSVPs checked; one reminder sent to families who have not answered
- One message to parents: kickoff, field, arrival time, kit
- Lineup and substitution plan written down
- Rides sorted for players who need one
- The night before
- Balls, pump, cones, bibs
- First-aid kit checked, ice packs, emergency contact list
- Spare water and a spare top
- Arrival and warm-up
- Arrived before the players; field walked; goals secure
- Said hello to the referee
- Gear and water checked; warm-up done; one focus for the talk
- During the game
- Sub plan followed; effort praised; halftime: one thing working, one thing to try
- After the whistle
- Cool-down and one positive word each
- Knocks checked and parents told
- Helpers thanked; attendance marked; next game shared
How Play 2 Earn Sports supports a coach's game day
Game day runs from the same team schedule the whole club uses, inside club management software for every team.
RSVPs with names
Players and parents answer Going, Maybe or Can't go, and coaches see counts and names.
One reminder, when you choose
A coach can send one manual in-app reminder per item, at most once every 24 hours.
Attendance, separate from RSVPs
Coaches and club staff mark attendance as present, late, absent or excused.
Changes reach families
When a team event, team game or club game changes, affected families get in-app, email and push notices by default, and can opt out of event email and push.
One lineup builder
Coaches and club admins use the same lineup builder; soccer gets a pitch view.
A Parents channel
Each team has Team, Coaches and Parents channels. Coaches and guardians post in Parents, so ride questions and next-game details have one home.
Coaching one team?
Start a free club account for your team at club starter. Coaches can join their club through the coach sign-up, and the club approves them. Coaching one team on your own? Start a free club account for your team. Every organization feature is on every plan.
Plan your next game day in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Arrive before the players, walk the field, say hello to the referee and check gear as players arrive. Run a familiar warm-up and a short team talk with one focus. During the game, follow the substitution plan you wrote and praise effort. Afterwards, cool down, check knocks, thank the helpers and mark attendance.
Balls and a pump, cones, bibs, a checked first-aid kit with ice packs, spare water, the team's emergency contact list, the written substitution plan and a spare top or two. Pack it the night before, and replace anything you used from the first-aid kit last week.
Many teams ask players to arrive thirty to forty-five minutes before kickoff, so there is time for a gear check and a twenty-minute warm-up. The coach arrives a little earlier to walk the field. Put the arrival time in the same message as the kickoff time.
Ask families to answer for each game, and check the answers two days before rather than on the morning. In Play 2 Earn Sports, players and parents answer Going, Maybe or Can't go, and coaches see counts and names. A coach can send one manual in-app reminder per item, at most once every 24 hours.
An RSVP is the plan: who says they are coming. Attendance is what happened: who was present, late, absent or excused. Keeping both shows you patterns over a season. In Play 2 Earn Sports, coaches and club staff mark attendance separately from RSVPs.
Multiply the places on the field by the game length, then divide by the players available. Nine places for sixty minutes is 540 player minutes; with twelve players, that is forty-five minutes each. Write the rotation down before the game and follow it, adjusting for injuries rather than the score.
Yes. Start a free club account for your team at /club-starter. Coaches can join their club through the coach sign-up, and the club approves them. Coaching one team on your own? Start a free club account for your team. Starter is free for clubs with up to 10 teams, and every organization feature is on every plan.
Starter is free for clubs with up to 10 teams. Pro is $49.67 USD a month for 11 to 25 teams. Unlimited is $99.67 USD a month for 26 or more teams. Every organization feature is on every plan. See pricing.
Related guides
- Parent communication for sports clubs
- What parents should be able to see about every game and practice
- How coaches build a real connection with players and families
- A five-step rainout routine, from closure to make-up
- Parents missing schedule changes? A five-step fix
- See who is coming to every game
- The coach's week in one app
- The team app
Keep teams, schedules and family messages together with club management software for youth clubs, compare current plans and pricing, or request a demo.
