Setting Up Your Club

Everything on ServeLeague starts with a club. Whether you run a community table tennis group, a badminton association, or a casual office league, your club is the home for all your leagues, players, and results.

By the end of this tutorial you will have a fully configured club with players added and ready to create your first league.

What You'll Need

• An email address (or Google account) for signing in
• A few minutes to complete the setup wizard and configure your settings
• Optionally, a list of player names and ratings if you want to populate your roster right away

Step 1: Sign Up for ServeLeague

Head to serveleague.com and click "Get Started" in the top-right corner. You can sign up with your email address or use Google sign-in for one-click access.

After signing in you will land on your personal dashboard. This is where all the clubs you belong to will appear. Since this is your first visit, it will be empty.

[!TIP] Use an email address you check regularly. This is where you will receive notifications about league activity and player claim requests.

Step 2: Choose Your Sport

Click "Create Club" from your dashboard. The first step of the setup wizard asks you to pick the sport your club plays.

You will see a grid of sport tiles. ServeLeague supports six sports:

• Table Tennis
• Badminton
• Tennis
• Squash
• Pickleball
• Padel

Click the tile for your sport to select it. Your choice controls the default scoring rules, match format, and terminology used throughout the platform. For example, a table tennis club uses "games to 11" while a badminton club uses "games to 21."

[!NOTE] You can only choose one sport per club. If your venue offers multiple sports, you can create a separate club for each one or see Multi-Sport Club for how to manage this.

Click "Next →" to continue.

Step 3: Enter Your Club Details

The second wizard step asks for your club's basic information. Fill in the following fields:

• Club Name: choose something your players will recognise. For example, "Downtown Table Tennis Club" or "Midtown Badminton." This name appears on your public club page, in emails, and in search results.
• Description (optional): a short paragraph about your club, when you play, and who is welcome. This shows on your public club page and helps new players find you.

[!TIP] If you received a referral code from another club, you can enter it here for any applicable discounts. See Referral Program for details.

Click "Next →" to continue.

Step 4: Select a Plan

The third wizard step shows the available subscription plans. Each plan card lists what is included, such as the number of leagues, players, and features.

Pick the plan that fits your club size and needs. You can always upgrade later as your club grows.

Click "Continue to payment" (or "Start trial" if a free trial is available) to proceed to checkout. Once payment is complete, your club is created and you are taken straight to your new admin dashboard.

Step 5: Explore Your Admin Dashboard

Welcome to your club! The admin dashboard is your home base for managing everything. Here is what you will see:

At the top of the page you will see stat cards showing your current counts: players, leagues, live sessions, and total sessions. Right now these will all be zero, and that is perfectly normal.

Below the stats you will find Quick Actions buttons:

• "Add Player": add your first players (we will do this in Step 8)
• "Create League": set up a league (covered in Creating Your First League)
• "Club Settings": configure your club (we will do this next)
• "Membership Types": set up membership categories (covered in Managing Memberships and Payments)

On the left side is the admin sidebar with links to all management areas: Dashboard, Leagues, People, Events, Communications, Analytics, Settings, and more.

[!TIP] Look for the "Setup" item in the sidebar. This is a guided checklist that walks you through the remaining onboarding steps. It disappears once you have completed everything, so you will know at a glance when your club is fully configured.

Step 6: Complete the Setup Wizard

Click "Setup" in the sidebar to open the onboarding checklist. This guides you through the essential configuration steps so nothing gets missed. Each item in the checklist links directly to the relevant settings page.

Work through each item to get your club ready for play. The sections below cover the most important settings.

Step 7: Configure Club Settings

Click "Settings" in the admin sidebar (or use the setup checklist) to open your club settings. The settings are organized into tabs along the top.

General Tab

This is where you configure the essentials. The fields are grouped into sections:

Club Details

• Club Name: you can change this at any time
• Description: update your club description
• Logo URL: used in PDF reports and exports

Sport

Your chosen sport is displayed here as a read-only field. This was set during the creation wizard and cannot be changed after the club is created. If you need a different sport, create a new club.

Club Configuration

• Competition Year End: the month and day your annual competition cycle resets (e.g. December 31). This controls when yearly standings and ratings roll over.
• Club Week Reset: the day and hour your weekly cycle resets. Match reports and weekly summaries are generated at this time.

Regional Settings

• Timezone: set this to your local timezone so session dates and times display correctly for your players
• Currency: choose your currency for membership fees and payments
• Default Language: the language your club page and emails will use

Location

• Address: your club's physical address. This helps players find you and appears on your public page.
• Latitude / Longitude: used for map display. These are filled in automatically when you enter an address.

Privacy

• Private Club: turn this on if you want your club to be visible only to members. When off, anyone can find your club page and view public information.

Club Rules

• Rules: a free-text area where you can write your club's house rules. These rules are displayed on your public club page so that players and visitors can see them. Use this for policies like dress code, equipment requirements, court etiquette, guest policies, or any other expectations you want to communicate upfront.

Click "Save Changes" after updating each section.

[!WARNING] Make sure you set your timezone before running any sessions. If the timezone is wrong, session dates will display incorrectly for your players.

Branding Tab

Click the "Branding" tab to customize your club's appearance:

• Primary Color: the main color used in your club page, emails, and branded materials
• Secondary Color: used for accents and highlights
• Font: choose a font for your club's branded communications

You can click "Preview Email" to see how your branding looks in player emails, and "Reset to Defaults" to go back to the ServeLeague standard colors.

[!TIP] A well-branded club page looks more professional and helps attract new players. Upload a logo and choose colors that match your club identity. See Club Branding and Customization for a full guide.

Tax Tab

Click the "Tax" tab to configure tax settings for your club's membership fees and payments.

• Country: select your country from the list. This loads the correct tax rules and terminology for your region.
• Province / Territory: for countries with regional tax rates (such as Canada), a second list appears so you can select your province or territory. The correct provincial tax rates are applied automatically.
• Tax Number: enter your tax registration number (e.g., GST number, HST number, or VAT number). The label for this field changes depending on your selected country.
• Pricing Mode: choose how prices are displayed to your members:
  • Tax-inclusive: the prices shown to members already include tax. What they see is what they pay.
  • Tax-exclusive: prices are shown without tax, and the applicable tax is added at checkout.
• Tax-exempt: check this box if your organization is a non-profit or otherwise exempt from collecting tax. When enabled, no tax is applied to any charges.
• Active Tax Rules: a read-only section that displays the tax rates that will apply based on your country and region selection. Each rule shows the tax name, its percentage rate, and a "compound" badge if the tax is calculated on top of other taxes.

Click "Save Tax Settings" when you are done.

[!NOTE] If you are unsure about your tax obligations, consult your accountant or local tax authority. ServeLeague calculates tax based on the rules you configure, but it is your responsibility to ensure the settings are correct for your jurisdiction.

Integrations Tab

Click the "Integrations" tab to connect third-party accounting software to your club. ServeLeague supports integration with:

• Xero
• QuickBooks Online

This is a Pro-tier feature. If your club is on a lower plan, you will see an upgrade prompt explaining the benefits of connecting your accounting software.

Once connected, the Integrations tab expands to show:

• Account Mapping: map ServeLeague revenue categories (memberships, events, bookings) to the correct accounts in your accounting software.
• Sync Dashboard: view the status of recent syncs, see any errors, and trigger a manual sync if needed.

[!TIP] Connecting your accounting software eliminates manual data entry for membership payments and event fees. Revenue flows directly into your books.

Access Control Tab

The "Access Control" tab lets you connect a physical access control system to your club. This allows you to grant and revoke building or facility access for your members directly from ServeLeague.

Supported systems:

• Kisi
• Salto KS
• Brivo

This is a Pro-tier feature. On lower plans, you will see an upgrade prompt.

To connect, enter your system's API Key and API Secret, then click "Connect".

Once connected, the tab shows:

• Active Grants: a list of members who currently have physical access, with the option to revoke access individually.
• Access Log: a chronological log of access events (entries, exits, denied attempts) for auditing purposes.
• Emergency Controls: a button to immediately revoke all access grants in case of an emergency.

[!WARNING] Revoking all access using the emergency controls is immediate and affects every member. Use this only in genuine emergencies.

Subscription Tab

Click the "Subscription" tab to view and manage your ServeLeague plan.

This page shows:

• Your current plan: the plan name and billing cycle.
• Feature comparison: a side-by-side table showing what is included in each plan tier. Features listed include leagues, ratings, statistics, membership management, events, communications, facility booking, financials, documents, custom branding, API access, automation engine, and embeddable widgets.
• Upgrade / Downgrade: buttons to change your plan. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle.

[!TIP] Review the feature comparison table to see if upgrading would unlock capabilities your club needs. Many clubs start on a basic plan and upgrade as they grow.

CCTV Tab

The "CCTV" tab lets you connect a camera system for live-streaming and recording sessions. This is a Pro-tier feature.

When connected, players can watch live matches from home or review past sessions on their own time. See your plan's feature list to check availability.

Automation Tab

The "Automation" tab gives you access to the automation engine, which lets you set up trigger-based workflows for your club. For example, you can automatically send a welcome email when a new member joins, or notify admins when a player claim is submitted.

This is a Pro-tier feature. For a full guide, see Automating Club Workflows.

Team Tab

Click the "Team" tab to manage who has admin access to your club.

Admin List

The top section shows all current admin users. Each row displays:

• Avatar: the admin's profile picture
• Name: their display name
• Email: their email address
• Role badge: their permission level (e.g., Owner, Admin)

The club owner can remove non-owner admins by clicking the remove button next to their row. To add a new admin, click "Add Admin" and enter their email address. They will receive an invitation to join as an admin.

Pending Player Claims

Below the admin list, the Pending Player Claims section shows players who have requested to claim a profile in your club. Each pending claim displays:

• Claimant name and email: who is requesting the claim
• Claimed player name: the roster profile they want to link to their account
• Message (optional): any note the player included with their request
• Date: when the claim was submitted

For each claim, you can click "Approve" to link the player's account to the profile, or "Reject" to deny the request.

[!NOTE] An info box at the top of the Team tab explains the different admin permission levels and what each role can do. Review this if you are unsure about what access level to grant new admins.

Step 8: Add Your First Players

With your club configured, it is time to build your roster. In the admin sidebar, click "People", then "Members".

Click "Add Player" to open the player form. Fill in:

• First name: the player's given name
• Last name: the player's family name
• Pronouns (optional): choose from the list or enter a custom value

If you know the player's current rating from another league or system, turn on the "I know their rating" switch. This reveals three optional rating fields:

• Singles: their singles rating
• Doubles: their doubles rating
• Merit: their merit score (if your club uses merit scoring)

If you do not know their rating, leave the switch off. The player will start in the residual pool and receive a rating after their first few matches.

Click "Add Player" to save. Repeat this for each player in your club.

[!TIP] You do not need to wait for players to sign up before adding them. Create profiles now so you can start running leagues right away. Players can later claim their profile to link it to their account and access their own match history and stats. See Adding Members to Your Club for details on the claiming process.

[!NOTE] For clubs with many existing players, you can use the "Import" feature to upload a CSV file instead of adding players one by one.

Check Your Player List

After adding a few players, your People page should show them listed with their names and rating status. This confirms everything is working.

Summary

You have created your ServeLeague club, chosen your sport, set your timezone and branding, and added your first players. Your club is now ready for its first league.

Here is what you accomplished:

• Signed up and created a new club
• Chose your sport (which sets up scoring rules automatically)
• Selected a subscription plan
• Configured your timezone, location, and branding
• Set up tax settings, integrations, and access control
• Managed your admin team and player claims
• Added players to your roster

Next steps:

• Adding Members to Your Club: bulk import players, manage your roster, and learn about profile claiming
• Creating Your First League: set up a league format and add players
• Navigating the Admin Dashboard: get familiar with all the admin tools available to you
• Club Branding and Customization: personalize your club page with logos, colors, and custom settings