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Invitations & RSVPs


This guide covers how to send invitations to players and manage their RSVPs in PlayerPing.


Overview


PlayerPing allows you to invite players to events through:

  • Individual Invitations (Pinging) - Select specific players
  • Broadcast to Club - Invite your players at the event's home club
  • Broadcast to Team - Invite the event's attached team roster

Players receive invitations via:

  • Email (free)
  • SMS (1 credit per player) — for individual pings when SMS is enabled
  • WhatsApp (1 credit per player, coming soon)

Event club/team broadcasts are email only. Off-event team messages from the Teams page can be Email or Text.


Sending Individual Invitations (Pinging)


Step-by-Step Process


  • Open Event Details
  • Navigate to Events from the menu
  • Click on the event you want to invite players to

  • Select Players
  • Scroll to the "Select Players" section
  • Check the boxes next to players you want to invite
  • You can select multiple players at once
  • Only players matching the event's sport are shown
  • If the event has a team, only that team's players are shown

  • Send Invitations
  • Click "Ping Selected Players"
  • Wait for confirmation message
  • Selected players will receive notifications

Mark players unavailable (without inviting)


If a player already told you they cannot make it, you can record that before (or instead of) sending invitations:


  • Open the event details page
  • In Select Players, check the player(s)
  • Click Mark Unavailable
  • They appear in Responses as Unavailable — no SMS/email is sent and no credits are used. This does not count as Invited or Declined in Attendance Stats.

Later club/team broadcasts skip anyone who already has a response (including unavailable). You can still ping other players as usual.


Player Selection Tips


  • Filter by Sport: Only players matching the event's sport appear
  • Filter by Team: If you selected a team on the event, the list is that roster only. See Teams.
  • Response Status: Players who already responded show their status (YES/NO/PENDING/MAYBE/WAITLIST/UNAVAILABLE)
  • Ratings: Player star ratings help you identify reliable players
  • Fill this event: Use the Fill this event button beside the player list to propose who to invite next. Add optional context (e.g. "Prefer reliable players"), review the credit estimate, then approve before anything is sent. See Event Management for details.
  • Multiple Selection: Select as many players as needed
  • Mark Unavailable: Pre-mark known absences as UNAVAILABLE without notifying them (excluded from Attendance Stats Invited/Declined/Rate)

What Players Receive


When you ping players, they receive:


  • Email Notification (if email enabled and player has email)
  • Event details (date, time, location, sport)
  • Direct RSVP link
  • If time proposals enabled: Note about proposing alternative times

  • SMS Notification (if SMS enabled and you have credits)
  • Short message with event details
  • RSVP link

  • WhatsApp Notification (if WhatsApp enabled and you have credits, coming soon)

Credit Costs


  • Email: Free (no credits required)
  • SMS: 1 credit per player
  • WhatsApp: 1 credit per player (coming soon)

Credits are only deducted for SMS and WhatsApp notifications. See Credits & Notifications for more information.


Broadcasting to Club Members


When to Use Broadcasting


Broadcasting is ideal when:

  • You need to fill a roster quickly
  • The event is associated with a club
  • You want to reach all club members at once
  • You're looking for additional players

Requirements


  • Event must have a Home Club assigned
  • Club must match the event's sport
  • Event status must be OPEN

How to Broadcast


  • Open Event Details
  • Navigate to the event page
  • Ensure event has a home club assigned

  • Start Broadcast
  • Click "Broadcast to Club" button
  • A modal window will appear

  • Select Target Audience
  • All Players - Send to all club members
  • Men Only - Send only to male club members
  • Women Only - Send only to female club members

  • Review Preview
  • Check the message preview
  • Verify the club name and event details

  • Send Broadcast
  • Click "Send Broadcast"
  • Wait for confirmation

Broadcast Behavior


Broadcasting sends invitations to:

  • Your players assigned to the selected club (not other organizers' players at a shared public club)
  • Who play the event's sport
  • Who match the gender filter (if selected)
  • Who haven't already responded to the event

Note: Event broadcasts use email only (no SMS credit charge).


Broadcasting to a Team


If the event has a team, click Broadcast to Team to invite everyone on that roster who is not already on the event. Same gender filter. Email only. The message is a normal invitation, not the club extras copy.


Club broadcast still invites the club, even when a team is set. Use club broadcast for fill-ins. Use team broadcast to call up the squad.


To message a team with no event (welcome, logistics), use Broadcast on the Teams page and choose Email or Text. Players get a reply link. See Teams.


How Players Receive Invitations


Email Invitations


Players receive an email with:

  • Event details (sport, date, time, location)
  • A personalized RSVP link
  • Information about time proposals (if enabled)

The email includes clickable links for easy RSVP.


SMS Invitations


Players receive a text message with:

  • Brief event information
  • RSVP link (shortened URL)

SMS messages are concise due to character limits. Teams-page broadcasts are capped at 612 characters for both Email and Text so a long note is not cut on SMS. SMS also applies to individual pings, not to event club/team invitation broadcasts.


WhatsApp Invitations (Coming Soon)


When available, players will receive WhatsApp messages with event details and RSVP links.


RSVP Process for Players


Player's View


When players click the RSVP link:


  • View Event Details
  • See date, time, location
  • Understand what they're being invited to

  • Respond
  • Click YES to confirm attendance
  • Click NO to decline
  • If the roster is already full for their gender, YES places them on the waitlist instead
  • Response is saved immediately

  • Propose Alternative Time (if enabled)
  • If event allows time proposals
  • Click "Propose New Time"
  • Enter proposed date and time
  • Add optional message
  • Submit proposal

  • Chat (after confirming YES)
  • Confirmed players can message the organizer from the RSVP page
  • Organizers reply from Event Chat on the event details page
  • Players with an email receive a free email when the organizer replies (with a link back to the RSVP page)

Response Statuses


  • YES ✅ - Player confirmed attendance
  • NO ❌ - Player declined invitation
  • PENDING ⏳ - Player hasn't responded yet
  • MAYBE - Soft interest (organizer/API; player RSVP UI is YES/NO)
  • WAITLIST - Player wanted YES but the gender quota was full

Viewing Responses


Event Details Page


The Responses section shows:

  • Player Name
  • Response Status (YES/NO/PENDING/MAYBE/WAITLIST)
  • Response Time - When the player responded
  • Icons - Visual indicators for each status

A separate Waitlist section lists waitlisted players with a Promote button.


Response Tracking


  • Responses refresh about every 15 seconds while the event page is open (and when you return to the tab)
  • You can see who confirmed, declined, is pending, or is waitlisted
  • Response times help you track engagement

Roster Status


The event page displays:

  • Men: X / Y - Confirmed men vs required
  • Women: X / Y - Confirmed women vs required

This helps you see at a glance if you need more players. When both quotas fill, the event becomes CONFIRMED automatically.


Managing Responses


Full Roster and Waitlist


When an event reaches its required number of confirmed players for a gender:

  • Additional YES RSVPs for that gender go to the waitlist
  • Players see that they've been waitlisted and will be notified if a spot opens
  • You can Promote someone from the Waitlist section to YES
  • When a confirmed player cancels, the oldest same-gender waitlisted player is auto-promoted

Following Up


  • Check Pending Responses
  • Review players who haven't responded
  • Consider sending reminders

  • Invite More Players
  • If roster isn't full, ping additional players
  • Use club or team broadcasting if you need many players

  • Update Event
  • Change required players if needed
  • Adjust event details if necessary

Notification Settings


Your Notification Preferences


Control how invitations are sent in Settings:


  • SMS Enabled - Send SMS notifications on pings (costs credits)
  • Email Enabled - Send email notifications (free)
  • WhatsApp Enabled - Send WhatsApp notifications (costs credits, coming soon)
  • Push Notifications - Browser alerts for RSVPs, chat, and upcoming events (free)

See Credits & Notifications and Settings for details.


Player Contact Information


For best results:

  • Ensure players have email addresses
  • Verify phone numbers are correct
  • Include country codes in phone numbers

Best Practices


Invitation Timing


  • Send Early - Invite players as soon as event is created
  • Follow Up - Ping players who haven't responded
  • Remind - Send reminders a day or two before event

Player Selection


  • Check Ratings - Consider player ratings when selecting
  • Match Sport - Only players matching the sport are shown
  • Balance - Ensure gender requirements are met
  • Use AI - Generate recommendations when the roster is large

Broadcasting Strategy


  • Use for Large Events - Broadcasting is efficient for filling rosters
  • Gender Filtering - Use gender filters to target specific needs
  • Timing - Broadcast early to give players time to respond
  • Team vs Club - Team for the squad; club for extras

Credit Management


  • Monitor Balance - Check credits before sending many SMS pings
  • Use Email - Email is free, use it when possible
  • Purchase Credits - Buy credits in Settings when needed

Troubleshooting


Players Not Receiving Invitations


  • Check notification settings (SMS/Email enabled)
  • Verify player contact information is correct
  • Ensure you have credits (for SMS/WhatsApp)
  • Check spam/junk folders for emails

Can't Select Players


  • Verify players exist for the event's sport
  • If a team is set, only that roster is selectable
  • Check that players are in your roster
  • Refresh the page

Broadcasting Not Available


  • Club broadcast requires a home club matching the event sport
  • Team broadcast requires a team on the event
  • Event status must be OPEN

Credits Not Deducting


  • Email notifications are free (no credits)
  • Event club/team broadcasts are email only
  • Only SMS and WhatsApp cost credits
  • Check your credit balance in Settings

Response Not Updating


  • Wait a few seconds for the automatic refresh, or reload the page
  • Check that player clicked the correct link
  • Verify response was saved

Related Guides




*Want to allow players to propose alternative times? Check out the Time Proposals guide!*


Previous: Event ManagementNext: Time Proposals
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