My players just write "+" in the chat. Will signing up in an app scare them off?

Signing up is one tap and needs no download. Share the game link in your chat: the game opens in Telegram or in a browser, joining is a single button, and Telegram users are signed in silently with no form to fill.

What the player gets for that one tap, which a ”+” in a chat cannot give: they see who else is coming and how the teams look before kickoff, they get a reminder so they do not forget, they can pay in advance or in cash as you prefer, they keep a profile with their goals, stats and rating, and they take a waitlist spot automatically when somebody drops out.

A practical way to move a chat over: run the first game with both options open. Post the link with your usual announcement and keep adding by hand the people who still reply with ”+”. After two or three games most of the chat signs up on its own.