📢 Creating & Managing Events

• Why organize games in Playbox?

  Playbox takes over the admin of your game: sign-ups and waitlist, payments, teams and results with ratings. The pitch and the first players stay on you

• How to get started as an organizer?

  Arrange with the venue (if you are not the owner). Create the game in Game Builder, set venue, date, time, format, rules, price. Share the game & invite

• How to create a game and what does each setting affect?

  A game is created in three steps: Venue & time, Gameplay and Checkout. When you edit a game, the same three steps appear in the progress bar at the top

• How to limit the visibility of a created event?

  To create public games, a Game Creator must: Have at least 10 players across completed games. Their account must have show_events enabled. This right is

• What event types are available in Playbox?

  Playbox games are set up in the "Join Type" row when you create a game, with two switches, "Solo" and "Team" (at least one stays on). A new game starts

• How does a Double Stage tournament work?

  Double stage has: Stage 1 (qualification): groups or round-robin. Stage 2 (finals): playoff bracket. Teams advance based on group standings.

• What team rotation types are in Playbox?

  Round-Robin All teams play each other in turn. Configurable: number of rounds, match duration. Winner Stays On The winning team stays on the field

• How to edit details of a created event?

  You can change almost every setting of a game after creating it, right up until it starts: date and time, venue, price, number of slots, game format and

• How do Event Automations work?

  Event Automations let organizers schedule recurring games. Set up once, the system creates events automatically on the chosen days and time. --- How to

• What rights can I assign within an event?

  A game has its organizer plus helpers with one of two roles: "Manager" or "Results tracker". To assign: open the game, tap "Manage", then "Assign roles"

• What participant management features are available to me?

  Add players, move them to the waitlist or remove them before the game starts. During and after the match, change lineups with substitutions. Move players

• How do I remove a player from my game, and what happens to their payment?

  You can remove a player only before the game's scheduled start. Tap the player's name or card in the lineup or in the participants list (there is no "..."

• What information is available in the organizer profile?

  Your organizer profile is your public page and, for you, also your analytics. Everyone sees: the header with "Organizer", the number of games hosted, your

• What analytics data is available to organizers in Playbox?

  Your income, how many players came to your games and your game ratings are in the analytics on your own organizer profile: open your profile and scroll

• What happens if a knockout game ends in a draw?

  In single-elimination (playoff) games a draw is resolved by the stage's tiebreak rule, because a knockout match must produce a winner. Playbox supports

• How do I set up extra time and penalty shootouts?

  Extra time and penalties are configured in the tiebreak settings of a knockout stage (a double-stage tournament or a league playoff). Open the stage's

• How do I make a game public or private?

  Private only hides a game from Explore, public feeds, the venue page and the city Telegram hub. It does not lock the game: anyone who has the game link can

• How do I set up an Early Bird discount?

  Set it up on the Checkout step of a paid pickup game: under Price, open Special offers and turn on First spots discount. It is not available for team

• What do I need to start a test or pilot with my community?

  Very little, set-up is free, and you only pay commission on completed paid games (and nothing in commission-free regions). Steps: register as an organizer

• Why can't players join my game any more, and how do I reopen it?

  Registration closes as soon as you publish the rosters, not when the match starts. While the squads are split and confirmed, the game shows Registration

• What do I do on match day to run my game (host checklist)?

  A simple run-through for the day you host: (1) make sure the pitch is booked and you have bibs and a ball (plus a phone/tripod if you'll film); (2) share

• How do I set a late-cancellation policy (penalty) for my game?

  Settings, "Organizer tools", "Cancellation policy": turn on "Cancellation Fee" and set up to 3 tiers, each "Hours before" (1 to 24) and "Fee" (1 to 100% of

• Can I let a player join but force them to pay online instead of cash?

  Yes, instead of a full ban you can apply an Online payment only restriction to a player. Open the player's profile, choose the ban/restriction action, and

• How does the organizer (hosting) streak work?

  Your hosting streak counts how many weeks in a row (Monday–Sunday) you've hosted at least one game. Your current and best hosting streaks appear on your

• How do I pick the date and time when creating a game?

  Choose the venue first: Date and time appears on the Venue & time step only after a venue is picked (and, for a venue that can be split, after you choose

• Can my community admins run games on behalf of the community?

  Yes: any owner or admin of your community can fully run every game linked to the community without being added as a manager on each game. They can start

• Why aren't my games showing in the public Explore feed yet?

  There is no moderation: a new organizer's game is live right away, reachable by its link and by invites, but it is not in the public Explore feed yet. It

• Why did my game automation turn off by itself?

  Playbox deletes a recurring schedule (autopilot) by itself after two of its games in a row were cancelled automatically with fewer than 4 players. It is

• How does a Double Elimination bracket work?

  Double Elimination runs two brackets at once, so a team must lose twice before it is out. Teams start in the winners bracket; the first time a team loses

• How do I schedule matchdays (League Tours) in a league?

  Round-robin leagues can be split into scheduled tours (matchdays), which you arrange in the tours editor as an organizer. Instead of one long list of

• How do I assign groups manually in a two-stage league?

  Yes. In a two-stage league the Creator or a Manager can put teams into groups by hand before generating the schedule, or preview an automatic split by

• How do I add a game to my Google Calendar?

  You don't need to join a game you created or organize: with Google Calendar connected it syncs under "Games I organize". Connect Google Calendar once in

• Which of my games show up in Google Calendar?

  Only games you really take part in. As a player you must be in the main lineup; the waitlist does not count. A cash sign-up counts right away, a card

• Why do I have to choose a reason when I cancel a game?

  Cancelling asks you a short question, "Why are you cancelling?", and you pick at least one reason before confirming: Not enough players, Venue problem, Bad

• Was my game cancelled by the organizer or automatically?

  Both happen, and Playbox records which one it was. An organizer (or the owner or an admin of the game's community, or a "Manager" of that game) can cancel

• How do I make my games competitive (ranked) so results affect player ratings?

  Any organizer can make a game competitive (ranked): turn on the "Competitive game" switch on the Gameplay step when you create or edit a game. There is no

• Can I change the Early Bird discount after players have already joined?

  Yes, you can edit it at any time, but the change is not neutral for players who already joined. How it behaves today: players who already paid online

• Can I set up a game that repeats every week?

  Yes. Open Settings, then Organizer tools, then Recurring events, and tap Create recurring event (or turn on Repeat on the Checkout step when you create a

• Can I organize games in a city where Playbox has no venues yet?

  Yes. Playbox works anywhere you can book a pitch, and you are not limited to venues that are already in the app. How to start somewhere new: agree a time

• Can I announce my game on a Facebook Page?

  Yes, if you have a Facebook Page connected to Playbox. After that the Page appears under "External communities" in the "Where to publish" sheet of the game

• How does my game get into the city listing?

  In cities where Playbox runs a community hub, every public game of that city that is visible in Explore gets into the city listing by itself, with no

• What happens to my game's Telegram announcement after the game?

  About 30 minutes after the game's scheduled end, or as soon as you finish it in the app, its announcement in every Telegram chat, yours and the city chat

• Can I let players off the first time they cancel late?

  Yes, and it is on by default. In Settings, "Organizer tools", "Cancellation policy" there is a switch "Warning on the first time" ("The fee starts from the

• Do I have to record stats and results, or can I keep it simple?

  You don't have to record anything. Many organizers use Playbox only to announce games, collect sign-ups and handle payments, and never touch stats. The

• Can I announce a game in advance, and will players be reminded?

  Yes. Create the game as early as you like: it opens for sign-ups straight away, and you can also set a publish time so the announcement appears in your

• What happens if I never finish my game in the app?

  Playbox closes an unfinished game for you once the game duration has passed since its last activity: the start time of the game or the start or end of the

• How do I get the first five players into my game?

  You bring the first five yourself, and from the fifth sign-up the app takes over: the game enters the city feed, the daily digest and smart fill. The

• How do results get confirmed, and who can confirm them?

  A finished game is confirmed when the organizer taps "Submit results" after adding video, or when enough players confirm it. A game with video that nobody

• What is the banner offering to turn on autopilot in my game?

  It is Playbox spotting that you run this game every week and offering to put it on a schedule for you. The banner sits in the lobby of your own game, and

• Why did the bot offer to put my game on autopilot?

  Because that game looks like a weekly habit and you have not answered the banner in the lobby yet. The bot sends the offer once a day at 10:30 to

• How do I get an API key for my games?

  Open Settings → Organizer tools → API keys (/settings/api-keys/) and create a key yourself, no need to write to support. This is available only if you

• What data does the organizer API return?

  The organizer API is read-only and returns only your own data: leagues, games, player stats and matches. Your data means: games you organize, created

• What happens when my API key expires?

  A key works for 365 days. After that the API answers with the key_expired error, and you need to create a new key in Settings → Organizer tools → API keys

• Can I publish player payments or photos from the API?

  No. Under the API terms you may use the data only to run your games, and you must not publish payments, amounts, payment methods, attendance or player

• Why does the API return 401, 403, 404 or 429?

  Each code has one cause: 401 means the key is missing or wrong (invalid_key), or has expired (key_expired). Check the X-Api-Key header, or create a new

• What is Quick start in my game lobby?

  Quick start is a short checklist that Playbox shows to the organizer of a game, in the Host section of the lobby, with the steps that help that game fill

• Why did Quick start disappear from my lobby?

  Quick start disappears once every step that applies to you is done, so there is nothing left to suggest. It is also not shown on league matches, cancelled

• Can I save a game as a template and reuse it?

  Playbox has no separate game templates, but you can reuse a game in two ways. After a game finishes, the creator gets a "Repeat" button. "Repeat once"

• Why was the "Inventory & Services" option unavailable, and where is it now?

  "Inventory & Services" is now available to every organizer: it is on the third step of the game form, Checkout, in the "For players" section, both when you

• Can I start my game later than the time I set?

  Yes, you can start later than the time you set. Playbox does not block a late start, and matches are not cut off at the end time of the game. The start and

• Fewer players signed up than the slots I set. Can we still play?

  Yes, play, but start the matches in the match room: a game with no match started and under 66% of its slots filled is cancelled automatically after its

• Can I send a game reminder to my players manually?

  No, there is no button to send a reminder by hand. The reminder is automatic: once, about 2 hours before kickoff, Playbox reminds the signed-up players

• Why is my game posted in a Telegram group I didn't choose?

  Because the app remembers the Telegram chats and Facebook Pages you ticked last time and ticks them again for your next game, so a group you chose once

• If I raise the slots, do players from the waitlist join automatically?

  Only if the game's waitlist type is "Auto Join" and you accept cash. Then each new free spot goes to the next player in the queue, in queue order: he is

• It says "This slot is already taken at this venue". Can I override it?

  No. Playbox doesn't allow overlapping games at the same venue, whoever created them: the game that was created first holds the time, and you can't

• Do I need to top up my wallet before I can create a game?

  No. You can create games with a zero wallet balance; no deposit is needed, for cash games too. Creating a game is blocked only when your balance is below

• What happens to players who already joined if I lower the number of slots?

  If the new number still fits everyone who joined, nothing happens to them. If it is lower than the roster, the players who joined last (the most recent

• Will Playbox cancel my game by itself if fewer players come than the slots?

  It can, but only if nobody starts a match in the app. If no match was started, there are no confirmed teams and fewer than 66% of the slots (format size

• What happens when I cancel my game: refunds, commission and who gets notified?

  Online payments go back to the players' Playbox Wallet (not to their card), cash spots have nothing to refund, and no Playbox commission is charged for a

• My players are already in a Telegram chat. How does Playbox help me?

  You keep your chat; Playbox takes over the admin around it. The pitch and the first players stay on you: Playbox doesn't book the venue and doesn't bring

• Who gets notified about my private game, and will it be posted to my Telegram channel?

  Who gets a notification about a new game depends on the game and on its community's type: Private game: only participants of the game's community, and only

• How do I make only my own players sign up for my game?

  Playbox has no "members only" or "approve each sign-up" setting for games, and community membership is never checked when someone joins. What works

• Another organizer created a game at my pitch at the same time. Can Playbox stop it?

  Yes: Playbox does not allow two overlapping games at the same venue, whoever created them. The game created first holds the time; anyone who tries to

• Can I create a game without a community, and where did "Create as" go?

  No: every regular game belongs to one of your communities, and you can't create one without it. If you have no community yet, your first game creates

• What organizer achievements are there and how do I earn them?

  Organizers have their own achievements, shown on the organizer profile to everyone: 28 kinds, each with 5 levels. They grow by themselves from your hosting

• What are the levels of each organizer achievement?

  Each organizer achievement has 5 levels; the numbers are what you need for level 1/2/3/4/5. Field host (games hosted) 8/20/60/200/600; Every week (weeks in

• What does "Does not meet" next to a player in my roster mean?

  It means this player doesn't meet one of your game's player requirements, shown in red as "Does not meet:..." with Age, Phone, Gender, Photo or Rating

• I got "Repeating game not created". Why wasn't my weekly game created?

  Because the venue slot for that date was already taken: another game (or a booking at the venue) held an overlapping time there, and Playbox allows only

• How do I add a game to Apple Calendar on my iPhone?

  Apple Calendar takes a one-time copy of a single game: there is no automatic Apple Calendar sync, only Google Calendar syncs. On the game page tap the date

• Can captains bring their permanent team to my pickup game?

  Yes, by default: a new game starts with both "Solo" and "Team" on in the "Join Type" row ("Solo and team"). Turn "Team" off if you want players to join