The pickleball session is set, courts are booked, and your roster's full. Then game day arrives and half your group doesn't have the app. Two people can't find the session, someone made a second account, and you're calling out matchups between every round instead of playing.
Five minutes of setup before game day prevents most of this. Here's what to do.
Why it's worth the ask
Creating a free account takes about a minute. Here's what it unlocks:
- Court assignments: During a round robin, players get a push notification telling them which court to go to when their next match starts. Without the app, you're the announcement system.
- Pre-game reminders: Automatic reminders go out before the session so players don't forget or show up late.
- Session chat: Every session has a group chat. That's where players ask if the session is still on, and where you post last-minute changes or weather updates.
- Invites: When you send an in-app invite, it shows up as a push notification. Push is faster and more timely than email.
- Waitlist notifications: When a spot opens up, waitlisted players are notified automatically. Without the app, they might not see it in time.
One organizer put it well: "Get people to use their own phones and enter their own scores. Things go faster and smoother when players take responsibility for their own tasks."
There's an upside for your players too. Once they're on the app, they can find and join other games near them, get notified about sessions at courts they follow, and track their stats over time. Getting them set up for your session brings them into the broader pickleball community as a bonus.
đź’ˇ Good to know: You don't need your players to enter scores. If you prefer, you can handle everything yourself so players can just focus on playing.
Share your invite link before game day
From your session or group page, tap or click Invite and copy the invite link. Drop it wherever your group already communicates: a text thread, WhatsApp, GroupMe, email, whatever.
Anyone who taps the link can join directly, even without an account — though you'll be asking them to create one in the next step.
Invite options at a glance:
- Invite link: Fastest for an existing group chat or email thread.
- QR code: Best for on-site signups. From your group or session page, open the invite widget to generate a printable PDF with a QR code (web) or show a scannable QR code directly in the app for players to scan as they arrive.
- Bulk invite: If you have a list of emails or phone numbers, go to your group page, open the invite widget, and choose Bulk Invites (web only). Paste your list and send.
For the full walkthrough of every invite option, see All the Ways to Invite Players.
Push notifications: the one setup step that actually matters
Once your players have the app installed, they'll see a prompt asking for notification permission. They should tap Allow.
Without it, players won't receive:
- Court assignments when your round robin scheduler starts each round
- Pre-game session reminders
- Session chat messages and updates from you
If a player missed that prompt or dismissed it, they can turn notifications on manually:
- Open the Pickleheads app.
- Tap the profile icon in the top left to open settings.
- Go to Notifications and enable push notifications.
Players can also fine-tune what they receive there: session reminders, chat messages, group updates, and more.
Court assignments are the most important one on game day. When the organizer kicks off each round, players get a push telling them which court they're on. If notifications are off, that message goes nowhere.
One account per player
This is the most common issue that comes up, and it's easy to prevent.
If a player creates a Pickleheads account and then later signs in using a different method, they can end up with two separate profiles. That splits their session history, means invites might land on the wrong account, and causes problems if they're connecting a DUPR profile.
The fix: pick one way to sign in and always use it. Saving the login to a password manager or the device's saved passwords makes this easier.
If a player thinks they already have two accounts, they can contact Pickleheads support to get them sorted out.
Drop these messages into your group chat
Here are two messages to send. The first gives your group context and the link. The second walks them through account setup — paste it into the same message or send it right after.
Message 1 — context and link:
"Hey everyone — we're running our sessions on Pickleheads from now on.
Tap here: [your invite link]. Create your free account and once you're in, you'll get court assignments and matchups sent to your phone on game day and you can enter your own scores.
Thanks!"
Message 2 — account setup steps:
"Follow these three steps to get set up:
- Tap the session link and join.
- Create your free Pickleheads account. One thing: save how you signed up and always use the same login.
- Download the Pickleheads app and sign in with the account you just created.
That's it! Let me know when you're done so I can confirm you're all set."
Getting Reluctant Players on Board
Sometimes there's a few players that will drag their feet. "I don't want another app." "Just text me the details." "I'm not good with technology."
The easiest angle: make it about game day, not the app. Players who've stood at the courts confused about which court they're on get the pitch immediately.
If that doesn't work, letting them know they might miss an invite should do the trick.
Once your group is in the app, matchups and score entry take care of themselves on game day. You can focus on running a good session instead of managing the logistics.
You're good to go.
