Running a weekly pickup game

The two ways a regular game dies

A weekly game usually ends one of two ways. Either too few people turn up a couple of weeks in a row and everyone quietly stops coming, or too many turn up, half of them stand around, and the regulars stop bothering. Both come from the same thing: nobody knows who's coming until they arrive.

Fix the numbers first

Decide the minimum you need to play and the maximum the court or field holds. For five-a-side football that's ten players, maybe twelve with subs. Then make people say yes in advance, and cap it at the maximum. “First twelve to reply play” is fair, easy to explain, and gives people a reason to answer early.

Set a cutoff, the evening before for example, after which you know whether it's on. If you're below the minimum at the cutoff, call it off then, not on the court.

Keep a stand-by list

The people who didn't make the cap are your insurance. When a confirmed player drops out, and every week someone does, offer the spot to the next person on the list straight away. Players who missed out this week learn to reply faster next week, and the game rarely ends up short.

If some regulars should always get priority, for example the people who pay for the court booking, it's fine to rank the list instead of running it first come, first served. Just say so, so nobody feels skipped.

Make it the same every week

Same day, same time, same place. Every change is another chance for people to get it wrong. Put changes (a different court, an earlier start) in a single clear message rather than mentioning them partway through a chat. And share the cost the same way every week, so money never becomes the reason someone stops coming.

In Planarchy

Make the event once, set it to repeat weekly, choose the sports category, and cap the spots. Choose first come, first served or a priority list you rank. When someone backs out, they give a reason, the group sees it, and the next person in line is offered their spot. An RSVP deadline gives you your cutoff.

Plan it on Planarchy

Everything above works with a group chat and some patience. Planarchy keeps it in one place instead: the date vote, the guest list, the stand-by list and the chat all live on the event, and it's free.

Try Planarchy