Introducing Open Play Programs in Playtomic Manager (U.S. Clubs)

We're excited to introduce Open Play in Playtomic Manager! Open Play is now a dedicated program option, making it simpler for you to set up and offer this popular format to your pickleball players.

What is Open Play?

Open Play is a casual, drop-in format that lets players enjoy their sport without the structure of a tournament or formal competition. It's particularly popular in pickleball, but can be used for any sport where you want to offer flexible, social play sessions.

Players sign up for Open Play sessions that typically last one, two, or three hours. Once at the venue, participants organize themselves using a "racket stack" system: they place their rackets in a row and play in that order, ensuring everyone gets equal playing time. When multiple courts are in use simultaneously, players often self-organize by skill level across different courts (beginner, intermediate, advanced). This level-based grouping occurs naturally among players and is not handled through the Playtomic Manager or the app.

Open Play allows players to:

• Join games whenever it works for them
• Play with different partners and opponents
• Enjoy a relaxed, social atmosphere
• Improve their skills through regular practice

How to Create an Open Play Program

Step 1: Create a New Program

In Playtomic Manager, click on Programs from your main menu. Then, click on the Create Program button to start setting up your Open Play sessions.

Step 2: Fill in General Information

In the General Information section, you'll need to fill in:

• Name: Give your session a clear name (e.g., "Sunday Morning Open Play")
• Sport: Select your sport from the dropdown (e.g., Pickleball, Padel, Tennis)
• Program Type: Choose between Tournament (for competitive events) or Open Play (for casual, drop-in sessions). Select Open Play to continue.

⚠️Important: To create Open Play programs for a specific sport, your club must have at least one court configured for that sport in Playtomic Manager.

Step 3: Set Up Your Open Play Session

Fill in the remaining details for your Open Play program:

• Schedule: Set the days and times when Open Play will be available
• Restrictions: Set any player restrictions based on gender and skill level
• Capacity: Set the minimum and maximum number of players who can participate
• Pricing: Set your pricing
• Courts: Choose which courts will be used
• Additional information (optional): Add a poster image (max 3MB, PNG/JPG/JPEG format), session description, welcome pack and prizes

Step 4: Save and Publish

Once you've filled in all the details, save your program. Your Open Play sessions will now appear in your schedule.

Creating Programs from Schedule

You can also create Open Play programs directly from your schedule using Playtomic's bulk creation feature. When you click on a time slot in your calendar, select Tournament program from the drop-down menu. The Create tournament program screen will appear, and you can continue creating your Open Play program following the same steps described above.

Managing Open Play Programs

Finding Your Programs

In the Programs section, you can now sort your sessions by type:

• Use the Type filter to view only Tournaments or only Open Play sessions
• This makes it easier to organize different types of programs

Where to See Your Open Play Sessions

Open Play sessions are clearly marked and separate from tournaments in your:

• Calendar view
• Sessions list
• Reports

Open Play in Reports

Open Play data is automatically included in your club's reports, separated from tournament information for easy tracking. To view Open Play metrics, simply apply the "Product" filter and select "Open Play" in any report tab to access detailed analytics on participation, revenue, and occupancy.

For a detailed guide on using reports, see: New Revenues, Occupancy, Players & Payment Collection Reports for Club

Benefits of Using Open Play as a Program Type

• Clear organization: Keep Open Play separate from competitive tournaments
• Better tracking: See attendance and revenue for Open Play sessions separately
• Improved player experience: Players will soon be able to find and join Open Play sessions more easily in the app
• Accurate representation: Your programs now match how you actually run your club

What's Coming Next?

This is just the first step. We're working on several improvements to make Open Play even better for both clubs and players. One exciting update coming soon is the ability for players to easily find and sign up for Open Play sessions right from the Playtomic app.

💭Need Help?

If you have questions or need help setting up Open Play at your club, please reach out to our Customer Care team. We're here to help you make the most of this new feature!