Matchday goes well when most of the work has been done before anyone gets to the ground. The coaches who look calm on a Saturday morning are usually the ones who sorted availability on Tuesday, confirmed the pitch on Thursday and packed the kit bag on Friday night.
This checklist works through a typical grassroots matchday in order. Adapt it to your sport, your age group and your club, and share out the jobs so it doesn't all land on one person.
The week before
The aim this week is to know who is playing, where and when, with no surprises.
- Confirm the fixture. Check the date, kick-off time and venue with the opposition or your league. Fixtures change more often than anyone would like.
- Ask for availability early. Send your request at the start of the week and give a clear deadline, such as Wednesday evening. A single message with a yes/no reply is easier for parents than a thread.
- Chase gently. A reminder a day before the deadline catches most of the stragglers.
- Book or confirm the referee or umpire. Depending on your league, the home team may be responsible for arranging officials.
- Check the pitch or court. For home games, confirm the booking with the facility and ask about the surface if the weather has been bad.
- Plan your squad. Once you know who is available, think about positions and, for junior teams, who needs more time on the pitch this week.
For more on this stage, see managing availability without the chasing.
The day before
- Publish the squad. Tell players and parents who is in the squad, the meeting time, the venue with a postcode, and kit colour.
- Share directions for away games. Include parking notes if you know them.
- Pack the kit bag. Match kit, bibs, balls, pump, cones, first aid kit, water bottles, and the goalkeeper's gloves or any sport-specific equipment.
- Check the first aid kit. Replace anything used last week, including ice packs.
- Charge your phone. You'll need it for scoring, contacting parents and emergencies.
- Check the weather. Decide early if a call-off is likely and tell families as soon as you know.
- Have the paperwork ready. Team sheet, player registration details if your league asks for them, and emergency contact details for every player.
On arrival
Aim to arrive at least 45 minutes before kick-off for home games.
- Check the pitch or court for hazards: glass, stones, holes, animal mess, damaged posts or goals.
- Make sure goals are safely anchored. This is a genuine safety issue, not a formality.
- Set out the warm-up area and the spectator area.
- Greet the opposition coach and the referee or umpire. Agree timings and any local rules.
- Tick players off as they arrive and note anyone missing.
- Put the first aid kit somewhere everyone knows.
Warm-up
- Start 20–30 minutes before kick-off, depending on age.
- Keep it simple and active: movement, ball work, a short game.
- Tell players the starting line-up and positions during the warm-up, not in the final 60 seconds.
- For junior teams, tell substitutes when they are likely to go on. It helps them stay switched on.
- Do a final kit check: shin pads, mouthguards for rugby and hockey, jewellery removed, laces tied.
During the match
- Keep the score and note the key moments. Scorers, assists and roughly when things happened. It is much harder to reconstruct afterwards.
- Track time on the pitch. For junior teams, keep an eye on who has played how long so substitutions stay fair.
- Manage substitutions calmly. Have the next change planned before you need it.
- Model the behaviour you want. Encourage your players, respect the officials, and keep the touchline positive. Most clubs and governing bodies have a respect or code of conduct for spectators.
- Deal with injuries properly. Stop play if needed, use your first aider, and record anything significant in line with your club's procedures.
After the final whistle
- Shake hands with the opposition and thank the referee.
- Have a short, positive team talk. Save detailed feedback for training.
- Make sure every junior player leaves with a parent or an agreed adult.
- Collect bibs, balls, cones, flags and kit.
- Leave the facility as you found it.
- Submit the result to your league if that's your job, within the deadline it sets.
- Share the result and a short report the same day.
Roles for volunteers
A matchday runs better when jobs are shared. Even two or three helpers make a big difference.
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Coach or manager | Squad, line-up, tactics, substitutions, team talk |
| Assistant coach | Warm-up, substitutes, second pair of eyes on the pitch |
| First aider | Holds the first aid kit, deals with injuries, keeps any notes |
| Scorer | Logs the score, scorers and key moments during the match |
| Linesperson or club assistant referee | Helps officiate where your league allows |
| Kit and equipment | Packs and collects balls, bibs, cones and kit |
| Welfare contact | Point of contact for safeguarding concerns on the day |
| Social media or report writer | Posts the result and the report afterwards |
In small teams, one person may cover two or three of these. The important thing is that each job has a name next to it before matchday.
The one-page checklist
| When | Task | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Week before | Fixture, time and venue confirmed | |
| Week before | Availability requested with a deadline | |
| Week before | Officials arranged if needed | |
| Day before | Squad and meeting time published | |
| Day before | Kit bag and first aid kit packed | |
| Day before | Phone charged, weather checked | |
| Arrival | Pitch and goals checked for safety | |
| Arrival | Opposition and officials greeted | |
| Warm-up | Line-up and substitutions explained | |
| During | Score and key moments logged | |
| During | Playing time tracked | |
| After | Every junior player collected | |
| After | Kit collected, facility tidied | |
| After | Result submitted and shared |
Where the app fits
Match Report GO covers the stages of this checklist that usually eat into your evenings. Availability requests go out by email and parents can reply from the link with no app or account; reminders go out automatically. You can build a line-up on a pitch or court drawing and publish the squad to players and parents.
On the day, live scoring works without signal and catches up later, and the report, score and graphics come from what you logged. Log the match once, and the result, report and season stats follow from it.