Tap players to select starters. Remaining attending players become subs. Tap Confirm when ready.
On Pitch
0/7
Substitutes
Match Events
No events yet
Log Event
0
Here
0
Unsure
0
Away
0
No Reply
Mark Attendance
FA 50% PLAY TIME GUIDELINE
Every player must receive at least 50% of available match time. Red = below threshold.
SQUAD
Loading...
Players
Season Stats
Coaches
Coaching Staff
+ Add Coach
ACCESS LEVELS
Head Coach — Full access, squad management, settings Assistant Coach — Match day, training, attendance, comms Team Secretary — Fixtures, league table, parent comms
COMMS
Messages & polls
Threads
Polls
NEW MESSAGE THREAD
SUBJECT
SEND TO
SELECT GUARDIAN
MESSAGE
Thread
FIXTURES & LEAGUE
Lions FC · FA Junior League
League
Upcoming
Results
Standings
Edit Table
Import League Feed (optional)
Live import may be limited by browser security — use Edit Table to update manually.
#
Club
P
W
D
L
GD
Pts
Upcoming Fixtures
+ Add
Results
TRAINING
Session planner & history
Plan Session
History
Session Date
Age Group
Focus — choose one or more
⚽
Passing
🛡️
Defending
🥅
Shooting
🏃
Dribbling
🎯
Set Pieces
🎉
Fun/Games
Example: select Passing + Shooting to build one linked session.
Duration
Players
Notes / Objectives
Session Type
Intensity: Balanced
1 = recovery / technical, 5 = match intensity.
Session Tags
Small spaceWet weatherLow numbersHigh energyConfidence buildingMatch realistic
Saved Sessions
AI COACH ASSISTANT
FA-aligned guidance — powered by Claude
U10 warm-ups
50% rule
7v7 formation
Concussion
Confidence
Heading rules
Hello Coach! I'm your FA grassroots football assistant. Ask me anything — drills, formations, FA rules, safeguarding, or coaching advice for U6 to U16. I'll keep it practical and jargon-free.
PitchStart AI
FA RULES HUB
Official FA England grassroots regulations 2024/25
Settings → Head Coach PIN → change from 0000 before sharing your club link. Keep it safe — it gives full access to your squad data.
2
Set up your club
Settings → fill in Club Name, Age Group, Home Ground and League. Age group automatically sets the correct pitch format and FA rules on Match Day.
3
Share your club link
Settings → Copy Club Link. Share this URL with assistant coaches and parents. Everyone logs in with their own PIN — coaches get full access, parents see only their child.
👥SQUAD & PARENTS›
1
Add a player
Squad → tap + Add Player → enter name, shirt number, position and date of birth. Add medical notes if relevant (coaches only can see these).
2
Invite a parent
Tap a player card to expand it → tap Invite Guardian → enter their name, relationship and email. A unique 4-digit PIN is generated. Share it along with your club link — they log in and see only their child.
3
Parent portal
Parents open your club link → tap Parent → enter their PIN. They see live scores, fixtures, messages and availability polls for their child only. They can also message you directly from the Messages tab.
4
Add coaching staff
Squad → Coaches tab → + Add Coach. Set their role and give them a unique PIN. Confirm they hold a valid DBS check before adding.
⚽MATCH DAY›
1
Set the fixture live
Fixtures → Upcoming tab → tap SET LIVE on today’s match. This activates Match Day mode and shows the live score to parents in real time.
2
Mark attendance first
Match Day → Attendance tab. Tap each player to mark them Here ✅, Unsure ❓ or Away ❌. Only players marked Here will appear in the squad picker. Do this before selecting your lineup.
3
Pick your starting lineup
Squad tab → tap players to select starters (shown in gold). The format badge at the top shows how many starters are needed (e.g. 7v7 = 7 starters). Remaining attending players are automatically added as substitutes. Tap Auto-fill to let the app choose, or pick manually. Tap Confirm Squad when ready.
4
Start the timer & go live
Tap ▶ START on the scoreboard to begin the match timer. Use the + and − buttons to update the score as goals are scored — parents see it update in real time.
5
Log goals, cards & events
Events tab → select the team and player, then tap GOAL, YELLOW or RED. All events are timestamped and saved to the match record.
6
Make substitutions
Squad tab (once squad is confirmed) → On Pitch section shows starters, Substitutes section shows the bench. Tap SUB OFF on a player on the pitch, then tap SUB ON for the replacement. Minutes on the pitch are tracked automatically for the FA 50% play time rule.
7
Full Time & next game
Tap ■ FULL TIME. The result is saved, the league table updates automatically and season minutes are recorded for every player. A full-time screen shows the result — if you have another game today or scheduled next, tap SET UP NEXT GAME to jump straight into the next lineup selection with attendance reset. Or tap Back to Home.
8
FA 50% play time
Play Time tab shows a bar for each player. Red = below 50% of available match time. The FA guideline requires every player receives at least half the available minutes. Track subs carefully to stay compliant.
💬COMMS & MESSAGING›
1
Start a message thread
Comms → Threads tab → + New Message Thread. Choose Send to All Parents or One Parent, write your subject and message, then Send. Parents see it immediately in their portal Messages tab.
2
Reply in a thread
Tap any thread in the list to open it. Type in the box at the bottom and tap the send arrow. The thread stays open so you can see the full conversation history.
3
Archive or delete threads
In the thread list, each row has two buttons on the right — 📁 to archive (hides from the main list but keeps it) and 🗑 to delete permanently. Archived threads can be viewed via the Archive button that appears when you have archived items.
4
Quick broadcasts
Comms → Polls tab → TRAINING MESSAGE or MATCH DAY MESSAGE. Sends a pre-formatted message using your real team data (time, ground, opponent) to all parents instantly.
5
Availability polls
Comms → Polls tab → MATCH AVAILABILITY or TRAINING POLL. Parents vote Yes / Maybe / No from their portal. Results appear live in the poll card. Use the summary to plan your squad.
6
Parents messaging you
Parents can tap MESSAGE COACH from their Messages tab to start a private thread. You will see it in your Threads list labelled PRIVATE. Reply directly in the thread.
🤖AI TRAINING & COACH›
1
Generate a session plan
Training → Plan Session → pick your age group, focus (passing, defending, shooting etc.), duration and player count → tap Generate & Save Session Plan. A full FA-compliant plan with warm-up, main drills, cool-down and a coach tip is created in seconds and saved to History.
2
AI Coach chat
AI tab → type any question or tap a quick-chip (U10 warm-ups, 50% rule, 7v7 formation, Concussion protocol etc.). The AI gives practical FA-aligned advice in plain English. For official FA documents, it will point you to thefa.com.
📅FIXTURES & LEAGUE›
1
Add a single fixture
Fixtures → Upcoming tab → + Add → Single Game. Enter date, time, opponent, venue, Home/Away and match type (League, Cup, Friendly, Tournament).
2
Add a full tournament day
Fixtures → + Add → Match Day. Set the date and venue once, then add each opponent one by one. All games are added together. On Full Time, tap SET UP NEXT GAME to roll straight into the next match.
3
Manage the league table
Fixtures → League tab → Edit Table to add teams and update stats manually. The table auto-sorts by points. When you tap Full Time after a match, your team’s record updates automatically.
PRIVACY POLICY
UK GDPR Compliant · Last updated May 2025
1. Who We Are
PitchStart is a grassroots football team management application. The Club (Head Coach or Club Secretary) acts as the Data Controller for all personal data processed through this app. PitchStart Ltd acts as a Data Processor on behalf of the Club.
2. What Data We Collect
Player names, date of birth, shirt number, position
Medical notes relevant to participation (e.g. asthma, allergies)
Guardian/parent names, relationship to player, email address, access PIN
Match attendance, play time records, goals and assists
Coach names, qualifications, contact details and DBS status
Device location (used only for live weather — never stored or transmitted)
3. Lawful Basis for Processing (UK GDPR Art. 6)
Art. 6(1)(b) — Necessary for the performance of a contract (player participation)
Art. 6(1)(a) — Consent for parent communications and availability polls
Art. 6(1)(f) — Legitimate interests in team management and FA compliance
4. Children's Data (UK GDPR & Children's Code)
All players are minors (under 18). We apply enhanced protections:
We collect only data necessary for team management — data minimisation principle
Each parent/guardian accesses only their own child's data — no cross-child visibility
Children's data is not used for marketing, profiling or any commercial purpose
Medical notes are visible to coaches only — not shared with other parents
Guardian consent is required before adding a child to the squad
5. Data Storage & Security
This version of PitchStart stores all data locally on the device (in-browser memory only). No personal data is transmitted to or stored on external servers by PitchStart Ltd. PIN authentication protects both coach and parent access. The Club is responsible for the security of the device on which this app is used.
6. Data Retention
Player and guardian data should be reviewed at the end of each football season. Data for players who have left the squad must be deleted. Medical notes must be reviewed and updated before each season. Data should not be retained for more than 2 years without active review.
7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Right of Access — Request a copy of data we hold about your child
Right to Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate data
Right to Erasure — Request deletion (Settings → Request Data Erasure)
Right to Restrict Processing — Limit how data is used
Right to Object — Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to Withdraw Consent — Withdraw consent for communications at any time
To exercise any right, contact your Club's Head Coach or email: [email protected]
8. FA Safeguarding Compliance
This application is designed to support FA safeguarding requirements. All coaches must hold a valid enhanced DBS check and FA Safeguarding Children qualification. Player data may only be accessed by authorised club officials. The Club is solely responsible for ensuring all users have appropriate FA clearance before being granted coach access.
9. Complaints
If you believe your data rights have been violated, you may raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or call 0303 123 1113.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
PitchStart App · FA England Grassroots
1. Acceptance
By using PitchStart, all coaches and guardians agree to these Terms. Use of this app constitutes acceptance of these terms and the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the app.
2. Authorised Users
This app is for use by:
FA-registered grassroots football coaches holding a valid DBS check
Club secretaries and team managers of FA-affiliated clubs
Parents and guardians of registered players (via Parent Portal access only)
Coaches are responsible for ensuring only authorised staff are given coach-level PIN access.
3. FA Compliance
Users agree to comply with all applicable FA England regulations, including:
FA Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures (current version)
FA Whole Game System requirements for team sheets and registrations
Age-appropriate game formats as specified in the FA Player Pathway
FA 50% minimum play time guideline for all youth matches
FA concussion protocols and heading restrictions by age group
FA Code of Conduct for coaches, parents and players
4. Safeguarding Responsibilities
Coaches using this application must:
Hold a valid enhanced DBS check and FA Safeguarding & Protecting Children qualification
Never share coach-level PINs with players, parents or unauthorised adults
Ensure all medical information is accurate and kept up to date
Report safeguarding concerns immediately through FA and Club channels
Never use player data beyond team management and FA compliance purposes
5. Data Responsibilities
The Club (Head Coach / Club Secretary) is the Data Controller. Coaches must:
Obtain guardian consent before adding any player's personal data
Keep all player and guardian data accurate and up to date
Delete data for players who have left the squad without undue delay
Respond to subject access requests within 30 days
Not export or share player data without a valid lawful basis
6. Parent Portal
Guardian access via the Parent Portal is strictly limited to:
Live match score for their child's team
Upcoming fixtures and results
Messages from the coach about their own child only
Availability polls for their own child
Guardians cannot access other players' personal data, attendance records, play time or medical information under any circumstances.
7. Communications
All communications via PitchStart must be football-related, appropriate for a family audience, and compliant with the FA Code of Conduct. Direct communication with players by coaches must never bypass parents.
8. Limitation of Liability
PitchStart is a management tool only. The Club and coaching staff remain solely responsible for all decisions regarding player selection, participation, medical welfare and safeguarding. PitchStart Ltd accepts no liability for decisions made based on data in the application or for inaccurate data entered by users.
9. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
10. Changes to These Terms
These terms may be updated to reflect changes in FA regulations or data protection law. Continued use of the application after notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
PS
PITCHSTART
Parent Portal
PARENT
🏠
Home
📅
Fixtures
💬
Messages
📊
Polls
🏠
Home
⚽
Match
👥
Squad
💬
Comms
🏆
League
📋
Training
🤖
AI
⚙️
Settings
Add Player
Fill in the player details. You can invite their guardian(s) after adding — each guardian gets a unique PIN for Parent Portal access.
⚠️ GDPR: Ensure you have guardian consent before adding this player's data.
Invite Guardian
Each player can have up to 3 guardians. Each guardian receives a unique PIN — they log in with their PIN only and are automatically shown their child's data. No player selection dropdown. They cannot see any other player's information.
When two guardians reply to a poll, only one vote counts per player (automatic deduplication).
🔐 GDPR: The guardian's PIN gives access only to their child's data — live score, fixtures, messages about their child, and availability polls.
Add Fixtures
Single game or full match day
OPPONENTS — ADD EACH GAME
Edit League Table
Select a team and update their record. The table will re-sort automatically.
Add Coach / Staff
Each coach gets their own PIN and access level. They sign in using the Coach login with their PIN.
⚠️ By adding this coach you confirm they hold a valid DBS check and FA Safeguarding & Protecting Children certificate.
PS
ADD TO HOME SCREEN
Tap for full screen mode ? no browser bar
ADD PITCHSTART TO HOME SCREEN
1??
Tap the Share button at the bottom of Safari (the square with an arrow pointing up)
2??
Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen, then tap Add
1??
Tap the three dots menu in the top right of Chrome