Manage Competitions and Seasons
Manage Competitions
From the navigation, select Settings > Permissions > choose the program from the dropdown menu > Edit Competition.
A dialog box will display on the screen with the following fields:
Competition Info
Universal ID: System-provided ID for competition. The ID will automatically generate when the competition is initially created and can not be changed
Acronym*: Provide a competition acronym. The acronym will be displayed within various data grids and report views
Name*: Name of the competition. The name will be displayed within various data grids and report views
Status: Set as applicable. Options: Active, Inactive Probation, Under Review
Type: Select the type of season: League, Tournament, General Registration Program, and Referee Registration.
Note: Referee Registration should only be used if the season is actively accepted. Referee Registrants - not to be used if Referees will be manually added or imported, or if the Competition is not intended for Referees specifically
Sport*: Using the dropdown menu, select the sport for the competition
Classification: Set applicable designation for teams/players in the competition - Youth or Adult.
Contact email, phone number, and fax: Contact information for the host organization or primary point of contact
External website: Web address of public-facing competition website
Year founded: Year competition was started/founded
Accounting Code: Select an accounting code from the drop-down menu. Accounting codes will populate from those already established in the Registration product, if applicable. Accounting codes are set by Full Admin users.
Option to search on Google Place for address: Using Google Place, enter the location or address for the competition. The address details will automatically filter into the fields below based on the information pulled from Google
Full address (street, city, state, zip code, and country): See above
Terminology
Programs vary in how they refer to baseline concepts - if needed, use the dropdowns to select terminology that is more aligned with your organizational terms.
Create and Manage Seasons
Create a new Season
From Programs, choose your program from the list, then select Season Info > Add New Season.
Enter the Season Name and Season End Date.
Once complete, click Save. The new season will now appear in the Season dropdown menu once the respective competition is chosen.
Manage
In Season Info, click Edit Season at the top of the Season Structure to begin setting up your seasonal attributes and structure depth.
2. Define Season Attributes: Indicate the seasonal scope, season end date, and the season’s Gender, Team Type, and Age Group if applicable.
Seasonal Scope: Indicate which Seasonal Scope the season is associated with (optional).
Gender: Gender is typically associated at the division level, but can be set for the entire season if necessary (optional).
Team Type: Indicate which team type this season will support. If a season needs to contain multiple team types, then set it at the grouping/division level instead of the season level.
Age Group: Age Group is typically associated with the division level, but can be set for the entire season if necessary (optional).
Season End Date: Indicate the approximate season end date, based on dates of play for the season.
Note: Access to Teams on the web, as well as the OTTO SPORT Mobile App, will automatically expire 30 days after the season end date to ensure users are only engaging with active teams within each season. Teams will also not be accessible if your season end date has been left blank.
Set as Competition Default Season: If checked, this season will be the pre-selected default for the competition on the report drop-down menus.
3. Create the Season Structure Depth to define the seasonal division structure. To create each division level, click Add Level on the Structure Depth view. Common depths are Gender and Age Group, or Gender, Age Group, and Division.
4. Review Permissions. Added into their role by Full admins, Registrars can be granted access to freely manage the seasonal division structure and oversee team placements after registrations are approved. The default position for this configuration is set to OFF and can be set up at the full season level or at specific division levels.
Adding Groupings/ Divisions
If you are not importing game schedules, create and define the seasonal division structure. To begin, navigate to Season Structure and add new groupings/divisions within the season structure. Click the Add Grouping to the right of the grouping to which you wish to add the new sub-grouping.
A dialog will open on the screen. Fill in the group’s attributes. Once completed, click Save.
Repeat this process until all necessary groups/divisions have been added.
3. Once groupings have been created, to edit/apply attributes to an existing grouping/division within the season, click the edit icon for that grouping.
4. A dialog box will open where you can change the grouping attributes.
Note: If the attribute is grayed out, this is a fixed attribute. This means it was designated at a higher grouping level and is inherited from that level. For example, if you are working in an age group, the gender may have been designated at the gender grouping level.
5. Use the Permission tab to allow Registrars to modify season structure and oversee team placements within groupings or specific division levels.
Create and Manage Commissioners
Only Commissioners with permission to manage other Commissioners or Full Admins can create and manage other Commissioners for the Program. Use the steps below to create new Commissioners and set permissions.
From the navigation, select Settings > Permissions, then click the Commissioners tab. The current list of Commissioners will display.
Note: If you have access to more than one competition, use the drop-down menu on the upper right to toggle between competitions.
2. To add a new Commissioner, click the Add Commissioner button and fill out the required fields and user permissions.
Note: If the user already exists, you will be prompted to add the existing user to prevent duplicates. This can be done by adding the existing user’s information in the Email or Universal ID fields.
Commissioner Permissions Overview
Can EDIT other Commissioners: Set if the Commissioner may manage and create other Commissioners for the Competition/League
Can access Seasonal Invoices: If Competitions/Leagues are being invoiced by an Association, this setting will allow the Commissioner to have view-only access to the invoices.
Can Resolve Club Transfer Requests( Club Settings must be enabled): Allow Commissioner to manage Transfer Approvals (if applicable).
Can access Communications for all related Seasons: Allow commissioners to use the Communication product to target messages to Parents/Players or Staff that participate in their Competition/League.
Can access Registrations for all related Seasons: Set if the Commissioner should access the Seasonal Registrations view for the Competition/League. This will give the Commissioner access to manage rosters and seed teams. This must be on for team acceptance and seeding.
Can access Schedules for all Seasons: Allow the Commissioner to view and manage Schedules for all seasons in their Competition/League (Note: This does not apply to managing schedules in the Elements products)
3. Once the user is created, the Commissioner will receive an automated email with a link to log in and start managing their Competitions and Seasons.
4. To edit or remove an existing Commissioner, click on the edit icon within their card to modify their permissions or the delete icon to remove them from the role.
Team Registration Settings
Manage Season Level Registration Settings & Permissions
Designated at the season level, all configuration sets will show as inherited by the groups/subgroups below. Some configurations can be overridden at lower levels, allowing you to customize configurations for specific groupings as needed.
To begin configuring/editing season settings, click on Seasonal Mgmt and then the edit icon next to the Season name. A dialog box will open on the screen with the following configuration options.
Team Registrations
Registration windows for TEAMS is OPEN from: In order for teams to begin the registration process, a registration window must be entered. Enter an open date and time to mark the beginning of the registration window and the close date and time when registrations will close for further submissions. Applications can only be submitted during the timeframe set up within the Registration Window. The timezone will default to the respective timezone that is configured for the organization based on its geographical location. If your timezone needs to be changed, please contact Support.
Regardless of the path the registrant uses to register their team (registration via the team page inside the system or via the public registration link), teams will only be permitted to submit registrations within the registration window.
This view also provides access to the direct registration link. This link can be posted and shared as needed once the registration window is opened. Note: Full Admins can not submit registrations past the designated closing date and time.
Team Registration Fees: Choose fees to apply as seasonal fees for team registration. Click on the Seasonal Fees dropdown box and select the fees you wish to apply to the season. Note: Leave specific fees that need to be applied to groupings unchecked; those fees can be added within the seasonal fee view for those groups/subgroups.
Register from Seasonal Club Team Pages: This setting allows club admins to access and begin the registration from their Club Team Pages within the Demosphere system. If enabled, under the Register tab, the club admins will use the dropdowns to select the competition and season. Click here to view this process. Note: This setting will appear for organizations utilizing the RosterPro Registration product.
Set Roster & Staff Min/ Max Limits: Require teams applying to the season to have a minimum and/or a maximum number of participants. If teams are outside of the requirements, they will not be given the option to submit a registration. This does not apply to teams using the public registration process
Lock Rosters & Staff with these Statuses: Rosters with defined team statuses or registration statuses will be frozen, “locked” from further changes after the team is accepted into the season.
Allow Game Date Blackout Requests: Allow registrants to provide any possible conflict dates and times for games when registering a team. A max number of conflicts can be specified to help avoid any possible issues when creating the schedule for the group. The option to also indicate availability time blocks on blackout dates can also be enabled for teams. Note: Game Date Blackout Requests are managed by Commissioners with scheduling access or Full Admins.
Hide Team Status changes until: Prevent club and team admins from knowing any changes to teams' registration status by adding a specified date and time when this information will be visible to them.
Hide Team Grouping changes until: Prevent club and team admins from knowing any changes to teams' grouping by adding a specified date and time when this information will be visible to them.
BCC recipients on Registration Confirmation & Status change: Ability to add specific individuals to receive notifications about team registration confirmations and status changes during the seasonal registration. Use the dropdown menu to select from the available roles/admins or type in email addresses as needed. Selections made at the season level will cascade down to respective groups/divisions within that level. This setting can also be configured at the group/division levels, so admins can receive these updates for a fixed number of teams.
Additional Confirmation Message: Ability to include any custom information for teams submitting registrations for the respective season. Text in this area will appear in addition to any existing information that is included within the Global Registration Confirmation Message. This setting can also be configured at the group/division levels, so information sent in the confirmation email can be specialized depending on the grouping a team is in for the season.
Payment Plans
Full Admins, Commissioners, and Registrars can set up an installment schedule to allow teams to pay fees in a series of payments ranging from 2 to 15 installments. Any seasonal fee can be made either installable or non-installable. For fees that are installable, there are two options for setting up the payment schedule:
Default dates: Installments will be charged monthly on the same day of the month as the initial registration (except orders placed on the 29th, 30th, or 31st, which will each fall on the 28th of each month).
Custom dates: Select a specific month/day to charge the installment. For seasons that have an installment schedule setup, during team registration, members will elect to either pay in full OR pay on a predefined schedule that is set up here. Currently, there is a max of four installment options that can be set up for teams to choose from. Once an installment plan is selected and set by the team, the registrant will receive an auto reminder email 3 days before each payment date, and the credit card will be automatically charged when due.
Note: Custom installment dates will need to be set at least one day after the registration close date to ensure all installments are paid according to the defined schedule.
Follow the steps below to set up payment plans for team registration fees:
Move the slider to ON and select the payment frequency from the dropdown menu.
Enter a name for the plan, select any additional fees that might need to be included, and select the dates (default dates or custom dates) for the installment plan to charge. Once complete, click Save.
To add an installment plan, click the Add Payment Option button. Up to four installment plans can be created for the season.
During the team registration process on the checkout page, registrants will see an option to either pay in full or pay in installments if they are configured for the season.
Documents
Seasonal Registration Documents
Options to allow club admins and team staff access to seasonal documents for their teams can be configured on this tab. Each option is controlled by a Yes/No slider, and if multiple seasonal documents are available, then the ability to select which documents are visible can be configured.
Provide a printable Basic Team Roster option on individual Team Pages: Allows team staff and parents access to a printable roster with basic team information and contact details from the team page.
Allow Club Admin access to Team PDF Documents: This allows club admins access to team documents based on club data. If yes, use the dropdown menu option to choose which team documents the admins are permitted to access.
Allow Team Staff access to Team PDF Documents: Allows team staff access to team documents based on club and participant registration data. If yes, use the dropdown menu option to choose which team documents the team staff are permitted to access.
Permissions
Administrator Permissions
All ACCESS Commissions: List of Commissions that have the highest level of access to the program.
Restrict registrations to specific Registrars: This setting will restrict selected registrars to only view/manager chosen season.
Permissions for Registrars to EDIT Seasonal Structure and Team Placements: Allows registrars to modify the season structure and move teams into different groups/divisions. This option is managed from the Seasonal Structures permissions settings.
Allow Registrars to EDIT Seasonal Registration Settings: Allows Registrars the ability to have access to edit/ change all configurations within the Season Settings.
Allow Registrars to EDIT Player & Team Staff Roster Statuses: Allows Registrars the ability to edit/change player and team staff statuses for teams that are registered in the season. If set to YES, registrars will see an edit icon and a delete icon on team rosters.
Team Staff Permissions
Allow Team Staff to VIEW Seasonal Team Roster (visible on the Dashboard and mobile app): Make the team page visible to team staff via the Dashboard and mobile app
Allow Team Staff to EDIT Rosters (Players and Team Staff): Allows team staff to edit/make changes to seasonal rosters, including adding players and staff to rosters.
Parent & Player Permissions
Allow Players & Parents to view Season Team Roster (visible on Dashboard and mobile app): Make the team roster visible to parents/team members via the Dashboard and mobile app.
Public Permissions
Allow Rostered Staff to be publicly visible (only names and roles): Option to allow coaches to be visible on the Public Teams Widget. Click the link for more information on the Public Teams Widget.
Allow Rostered Players to be publicly visible (only names and uniform numbers): Option to allow players to be visible on Public Teams Widget. Click the link for more information on the Public Teams Widget.
Refund Policy
By default, the season will inherit the default refund policy that has been established in Global Registration Settings. To modify for the season, click the slider to change the option from Inherited to Override and enter a specialized Refund Policy for this season.
The Refund Policy will display to the registrant during the application process before their payment is submitted.
External Data
Important: To ensure all teams go through the proper registration process, this setting should remain “No.” When set to “No” (the default setting), externally connected Clubs cannot sync teams directly into the season, and only submitted team applications will be accepted.
Define Registration Settings at the Group or Subgroup Levels
As you move into configuring settings for the group and subgroup levels of the season, select settings will be available for further modification within those levels. Inherited configurations from Team Registration, Permissions, and Documents are all available to be overridden from the level above them. To modify an inherited configuration:
Click on the edit icon for the grouping or subgroup you wish to modify.
Go to the section within the grouping/division settings and move the slider for the configuration from Inherited to Override.
Edit as necessary. Once complete, click Save.
In this example above, we are viewing/editing configurations for the Boys > BU11 subgroup. The group or subgroup name will display in the top right of the Edit dialog.
Configure Seasonal Fees & Discounts
Team Registration Fees
Fees created on this screen will form a library of fees for the season. These fees can then be selected and applied to different groups or subgroups for team registration, and even applied to different registration scenarios.
Select Fees & Discounts under the Team Reg section. Once in the season, select Seasonal Fees from the dropdown menu. Click on the mini-menu, then Add Fee.
2. Enter a fee name and amount. Select an accounting code from the dropdown menu. Accounting codes will populate from those already established in Global Registration Settings and are managed by Full Admins.
3. Select to make the fee installable (fee total amount divided amongst installment plans or due at the time of initial payment). The default setting is set to OFF, so if the fee should be installable, the slider will need to be moved.
4. Once complete, click Add.
5. The fee will now be added to the seasonal fee library. To modify the fee, click on the edit icon. The fee name, amount, accounting code, and installment options can all be modified.
Team Registration Discounts
Select Fees & Discounts under the Team Reg section. Once in the season, select Seasonal Discounts from the dropdown menu. Click on the mini-menu, then Add Discount.
2. Enter the discount name, amount, and code. The discount code is case sensitive, and therefore, the registrant must match the code exactly for the discount to apply.
3. Once complete, click Add.
4. The discount will now display on the screen. To modify the discount, click on the edit icon or the delete icon to remove the discount. The discount name, amount, and code can all be modified.
Create a Registration Form
Use the Team Registration form to gather any additional information needed for seeding, season planning, or scheduling.
Select Team Reg Form under the Team Reg section. Click on the Add Section button to add another section. Click on the mini-menu to move, edit, or delete the section.
2. Click on the Add Item button to begin adding fields.
Note: All fields will require a “data name” to be entered as part of the setup. This name field is not visible to the public and is meant to be an identifier for the item that will be used for reporting purposes. The item label will be visible to the registrant and should serve as the question/information you are asking for them to answer.
Input/Layout Items Overview
Text Input: Open-ended input where a registrant can answer as necessary
Multiple Choice: Limit possible answers with a multiple-choice format. Select a display option and input answer options that can be moved and made the default.
Checkbox: Used for simple either/or questions where the registrant can simply check the box to answer
Memo Text: For longer text inputs required
Free-form Text: Use this layout item to add any instructions or context to the registration form.
Visual Spacer: A horizontal line that can create space between registration fields within the same section.
3. Use the Undo/ Redo Changes button while creating the form to edit/remove changes, and the Public View/Admin View button to switch back and forth to see how the form will display during the registration process. All changes automatically save as you create the form.
Define Game Dates
While defining game dates for your season is optional, they can serve two purposes:
During Registration – Teams can submit blackout requests based on the defined game dates. You may also set a maximum number of games and choose whether blackout requests apply to full days or partial days.
During Scheduling – The entered game dates automatically populate as leg dates in the Schedule Generator (Step 2) when creating team matchups.
To begin defining game dates for the season, click on the Scheduling, then select the edit icon next to the season name.
2. A dialog box will appear on the screen. On the Game Dates tab, enter the opening and closing dates.
3. Within the months selected, a calendar will be displayed. Click on the dates on the calendar when games for the season are set to be played.
4. Once completed, click Save.
5. If blackout requests are enabled for the season, the defined game dates will appear on the registration form for registrants to select any dates when they know members of their team are unavailable
Team Registration Workflow
To preview and provide guidance on the team registration workflow, support articles are located in the links below:
Manage Team Registrations
Accept/Decline Teams
From Seasonal Mgmt, select Team Registrations from the Report menu.
Use column filters or the search box to locate team(s). Teams that appear in the Registered status will need to be reviewed for entry into the season.
3. Click on the forms icon to view the team’s registration form.
4. A dialog box will open and display the registration form. Review the form as needed and scroll to the bottom of the window. Use the buttons provided to Accept or Decline the team. Click the Cancel button if you are not ready to change the status of the application and exit the forms.
5. If choosing to decline a team, there is also space for a memo to be included in the decline. A memo will be required to be entered before denying the team. The memo text will be included in a status update email to the registrant, letting them know the team has been denied entry.
6. When selecting to Accept or Decline a team, a verification box will display confirming your choice. Press SAVE if you wish to continue.
7. The team will now be listed as Accepted or Declined on the Team Registrations view.
8. When a team’s status has been changed, the registrant will be notified via email about the update.
Place Teams into Divisions
Teams will appear in the appropriate gender/age grouping to which they were registered. If needed, admins can override this automatic placement and place them into different groupings.
Navigate to Season Info and expand the structure to show the groups and subgroups.
2. Use the drag icon to reposition any team in the structure and move it from one grouping to another.
Note: When placing teams into a group, the team will adopt the seasonal attributes of that group. For example, if a team has the attributes of Type = Recreational, Gender = Coed, and Age =U13 and is THEN placed into a division where Type = Competition, Gender = Female, and Age =U14, the team’s attributes will adopt the latter data.
3. If a team has already been scheduled for games in the grouping, the move option will be greyed out. They must be removed from the games before they can be moved to a new group.
Team Registration Reports
The Reports menu has multiple options to keep track of important registration information for your season. Information within all these reports is updated in real-time as team registrations are submitted and can be exported out to a PDF, CSV, or for printing by using the mini-menu adjacent to the Reports menu. Use the mini-menu to also modify columns within the reports to tailor to your organizational needs.
By default, the reports will display data for the entire season. If you wish to drill down and see numbers and details for specific groups/subgroups, use the Season Structure and click on the name of the group/subgroup. The report will automatically update to reflect the data within the chosen group.
Notification History
This report provides a historical view of all communications sent by Commissioners to Club Admins. It also provides a visual indicator if a Club Admin has addressed a specific issue or comment sent by a Commissioner. Notifications are sent from the team roster view within the Registrations product.
Participanting Clubs
A report containing a breakdown of each club participating in the season.
Participating Teams
A report containing a list of all teams currently participating in the season. Team status can be updated by using the edit icon in the team’s row.
Registration Overview
Use the Registration Overview dashboard for a snapshot of ongoing registrations for the season. The dashboard is a series of widgets, including graphs, charts, invites, and totals for seasonal competition data. See a breakdown of each widget listed below:
Rostered Players: Sum of all players on teams participating in the season
Rostered Staff: Sum of all coaching personnel on teams participating in the season
Total Team Regs: Sum of all teams that have submitted registrations
Total Fees: Sum of all registration fees from teams who have submitted registrations for the season
Total Registration Fees: Bar graph showing the breakdown of each fee type and the sum gathered for the fee type
Registration Statuses: Pie chart providing a visual display of the number of teams within each registration status
Most Recent Activities for Registrations: List of the five most recent team registrations submitted.
Clicking on a section of the Registration Statuses pie chart will update the Most Recent Activities for Registrations to display teams within that status.
Rostered Players
List of each player participating in the season. Player names can be clicked on to manage their profile information. Use the mini-menu > table configuration tool on this report to expose household information or Custom Club Player data for each player.
Rostered Staff
List of each staff member participating in the season. Player names can be clicked on to manage their profile information. Use the mini-menu > table configuration tool on this report to expose household information or Custom Club Team Staff data for each staff member.
Team Registrations
Comprehensive report displaying all team registration details, including submitter name, order number, and payment details. Use the form icon for each team to view, accept, or decline a team’s registration for the season. The order number will be linked directly to the submitter’s household so that full admins can manage payments and refunds.
Grouping: Team’s gender and age group placement for the season/competition
Team: Team’s name and Team Universal ID #
Form: Click the form icon across from the team listing to view the team’s seasonal registration form for the season.
Status: View team registration status for the competition
Roster: Displays amount of players on the team roster
Staff: Displays amount of coaching staff on the team roster
Blackouts: Displays the number of blackout days submitted by the team on the application. Requested blackout dates can be viewed on the team seasonal registration form
Submitter: Name and UUID of the team/club representative who submitted the application for the team.
Note: Only Full Admin Users can click on the submitter name to view their profile and order history.
Order: Includes order number and timestamp of when the application was submitted.
Note: Only Full Admin users can click on the order number to see detailed payment information including order overview, order items with fee breakdown, payment schedule (if applicable), and order transaction history. Full Admins will also have the ability to refund orders from this page if necessary.
Registration #: Displays registration application number
Amount Paid: Amount that has currently been paid for any registration fees
Amount Due: Amount that is still outstanding for any registration fees
Amount Total: Total sum for all registration fees
Row Actions: Option to change the team’s registration status from Accepted > Declined or Declined > Accepted.
Note: A change in registration status for a team will trigger an email confirmation to be sent to the registrant, letting them know there has been a change to their status.
