What you will do
Shape the field
For pickleball groups: Choose the right players or teams, decide whether MXD applies, and seed balanced pools before live play starts.
Run pool play live
Lock the right matchups, enter clean scores, and let standings stay visible to participants in real time.
Close the bracket properly
Finish knockout, end the tournament only after the final, and publish a recap people can return to later.
Step 1
Pickleball: Select the field and confirm whether you are running MXD
For pickleball groups: The players screen is where the event becomes real. In rotating doubles you are selecting individuals, not fixed teams, so the balance of the field matters immediately. If the night is mixed doubles, set MXD before you move on because the pool generation and matchups will follow that rule.
- Use confirmed attendance: tournament setup becomes public once games are locked.
- For pickleball groups: Check male/female balance: especially for MXD pool nights.
- Seed with intent: the strongest player list gives the best suggested pools later.
Do not treat the player list as provisional. Resetting after pool games are generated is possible, but it is avoidable friction for both you and the players.
Step 2
Assign courts, review seeded pools, and set the knockout qualifiers
For pickleball groups: The courts screen keeps the tournament grounded in the real venue, and the format screen defines the competitive shape. For an MXD pool event, review the seeded pool carefully, confirm the gender balance, and decide how many teams advance from each pool before generating matches.
- Label the real courts: use the same names players will hear on site.
- For pickleball groups: Review pool fairness: suggested pools are a starting point, not a blind command.
- Set qualifiers deliberately: that decision determines the size and shape of knockout.
Step 3
Generate pool games, lock them, and keep live scores clean
For pickleball groups: The first lock is the critical point in the whole tournament flow. That is when the pool schedule becomes visible on player devices. Review the games carefully before locking, then treat score entry as live operations: fast, accurate, and always non-tied.
- Pre-lock: verify matchups, courts, and round navigation.
- Post-lock: enter final scores only, because standings update from those results.
- Live sync: players should see the same round structure and completed games you do.
Step 4
Advance into knockout, make edits early, then finish the final
Once pool qualifiers are confirmed, build the knockout bracket. If you need to adjust the bracket, do it before the first knockout score lands. After scoring starts, bracket edits should stop and the tournament should flow toward the final and completion.
- Edit Setup is an early-stage tool: use it before the bracket is materially underway.
- Lock knockout matches just like pool matches: that keeps visibility and scoring consistent.
- End Tournament stays disabled: it only becomes available after the final score is entered.
Step 5
End the tournament and publish the recap page players will reopen later
For pickleball groups: The final action writes the tournament recap back into the group. That summary is not just a trophy moment - it becomes the reference page for champions, runners-up, knockout results, final standings, and any AI-generated post-event insight.
- Confirm the final score first: the tournament should only end from a fully scored bracket.
- Expect readable winners: champions and runners-up are shown with names, not IDs.
- Use the recap as the official record: it is cleaner than chat messages or scattered screenshots.
| Player | W-L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Leigh Waters | 3-1 | 40 | 23 | 17 |
| Ben Johns | 3-1 | 40 | 24 | 16 |
| Anna Bright | 2-2 | 34 | 27 | 7 |
| Federico Staksrud | 2-2 | 30 | 33 | -3 |
Related guides
Connect tournament operations to the rest of your group workflow
Use the participant guide for the live player view, and keep the group and session guides nearby for non-bracket nights.
Players
Mini Tournaments Player Guide
Show participants how All Games, My Games, pool standings, and the finished recap look from their side.
Foundation
Groups Admin Guide
Use this for roster management, organizer habits, and where tournament history lives after completion.
Alternative mode
Sessions Manager Guide
When you need rolling rounds instead of pools and knockout, switch to the session workflow.
Tournament habits
Three manager habits that make tournament night feel calm
That first lock is when the live event appears on player devices, so it deserves an extra review.
Bracket clarity matters more than late tinkering after the first knockout score comes in.
Champions, runners-up, standings, and knockout results read best from the completed summary page.