Grassroots Football Matchday Checklist

Before matchday

• □Confirm opponent, date, arrival time, kick-off time, venue and pitch location.
• □Check the current league or competition instructions and your club’s approved arrangements.
• □Confirm likely attendance and any goalkeeper plan through the club’s normal communication process.
• □Prepare the teamsheet and a simple first-change plan.
• □Check balls, bibs, cones, pump, goals or nets where your role requires them.
• □Know which responsible adults are covering the roles required by your club and competition.
• □Keep medical, emergency, welfare and safeguarding information in the club’s approved system—not in Grassroots Coach.

On arrival

1. Check in with the appropriate home-team or venue contact.
2. Inspect the playing area through the process required by your club or competition and raise concerns through that process.
3. Set up a simple ball activity so arriving players are engaged without needing a second full session plan.
4. Confirm attendance, starting roles and the first planned changes.
5. Give players only the match information they need now: shape, one or two team intentions and their first role.

During the match

• □Keep the next change visible and tell players what role they are entering.
• □Record only the football events you genuinely need, such as goals, awards or a useful coaching observation.
• □Let players solve football problems instead of giving a running commentary for every action.
• □Adjust the plan when attendance, the match or competition rules require it.
• □Use the club’s approved process for any medical, welfare, safeguarding or emergency matter.

After the match

1. Complete the result and any competition administration through the required channel.
2. Thank the players, opposition and relevant volunteers without turning the immediate finish into a long review.
3. Record scorers, awards, key football events and the teamsheet used while they are still clear.
4. Write one or two football-only observations that can inform the next session.
5. Review planned versus actual player involvement and note any follow-up selection decision.

What belongs in the app and what stays in the club process

Common matchday mistakes

• □Leaving the first substitution decision until several players are already waiting.
• □Giving too many tactical messages immediately before kick-off.
• □Recording every moment and missing the game itself.
• □Putting sensitive non-football information into general coaching notes.
• □Assuming last week’s venue or competition arrangements still apply.

How Grassroots Coach can help

The Match Tracker can keep fixtures, results, scorers, awards, football events, match notes and linked teamsheets together. Use it for football coaching records only; it is not a safeguarding, medical or emergency-record system.

football match trackingmatchday teamsheet planning