Tournaments and box leagues
Beyond the ladder, clubs can run:
Knockouts. Classic single-elimination brackets. The draw is built after entries close, so the bracket always fits the
actual field (top seeds get byes when it's short). The organiser picks how many seeds the draw carries — 2, 4, 8 and so
on, with a recommended count for the field size. Seeds take their protected positions — seeds 1 and 2 can only meet in
the final, and the top four can't meet before the semis — and everyone else is drawn at random, just like a real
tournament. The seeds start in rating order; to choose them yourself, open the Draw card: tap a seed's name to pick the
player (pick someone who's already a seed and the two swap places), or use ▲ ▼ to move a seed up or down. Your choice is
saved straight away, and Generate draw uses exactly the seeds you see.
Telling your players. When you generate the draw, every player gets one email and a notification with their first match
(or their group and order of play) — leave Send everyone the draw now switched on. Prefer to check the draw first?
Switch it off, look it over (re-draw if you need to), then tap Announce the draw at the top of the bracket when you're
happy. The draw shows every round — swipe between rounds on your phone. Win and you're into the next round straight away
— your name appears in your next match the moment your result is in, with the other side shown as TBD until that match
is played, so you can see who you could meet and start arranging. Champions land in the club's Hall of Fame. Champions
bank Court Coins (100 as standard) — and when the organiser puts up prizes, the page shows them (e.g. 🏆 300 coins to the
winner · 🥈 150 to the runner-up), paid automatically when the final is saved.
Scorers. Running a tournament night with helpers? The organiser can name scorers on the tournament (Organiser →
Scorers). A scorer can enter and fix results and score matches live for that tournament only — they can't change the
draw, entries or settings, and it ends when the tournament finishes. If a scorer is playing too, their own match still
goes to the other side to confirm.
Entering. A tournament may show an entry deadline ("Enter by…") — you can enter right up to the end of that day — and
some cap the number of places, so the card says "Full" when they're gone.
Adding people yourself (organisers). Running a tournament for people who haven't signed up? On the tournament's Entries
card tap Add a player (or Add a pair for doubles). Search a club member so they get their fixtures and notifications, or
type a name for someone not on Tennis Ladder. The window stays open so you can add the whole field in one go. Got a list
already? Choose Paste a list, paste one pair (or player) per line, straight from WhatsApp or a spreadsheet, and tap
Check list. You'll see who matched a club member, who'll be added as a typed name, and anyone who's already in, before
anything is added. Anyone you add from the club gets a "You're entered" notification, then the draw email like everyone
else.
Who logs the scores? The players do: either side taps Log result on their match, the other side confirms, and the draw
moves on by itself. That works for anyone entered from the club list (or who entered themselves), because we know who
they are. A typed name isn't linked to anyone, so they can't log their own results — you or a scorer enter those. Add an
email beside a typed name and, once they sign in with it, they can log their own too.
Someone turns up after the draw? In a group stage or round robin, open the tournament's Organiser tab and tap Add a late
entry. They join a group (the smallest, or the one you pick) and play everyone in it; their matches slot into the order
of play and results already in don't change. Their group-mates get a heads-up about the extra match. In a knockout, use
Replace on the pair that dropped out instead.
Setting up a tournament (organisers). Open the Organiser tab → Competitions → + Create and tap Tournament. Give it a
name, then check each row — tap any row to change it: Who plays (singles or doubles, age group), Format (groups then
knockout, a straight knockout, or a round robin — each one says what it means), Scoring, When (one day, a date range, or
a set number of days per round), Prizes and Entries. Tap Create tournament to open entries straight away, or Save as a
draft if you want to get it right first — only organisers can see a draft until you publish it.
Running a ladder or box league (organisers). In Organiser → Competitions, tap any competition to open it on its own
screen. Players is where you add people, share the join link and (for box leagues) run the rounds — the Box rounds card
says whether a round is running and offers the one next step: Start the first round, or Close round & promote /
relegate; Results lets you fix or remove a result; Settings holds the name, rules, season and status. Tap All
competitions (or your phone's back) to return to the list.
Sharing a tournament so people can enter. Open the tournament and, on the Organiser tab, use Share entry link (or Copy
link / QR code). Anyone at the club who opens it taps Enter — for doubles they pick their partner from the club. Someone
who isn't a member yet is taken through joining the club first, then straight back to enter. Signed out? They sign in
and land back on the tournament.
How long do players get for each match? Pick Date range under When and you'll see an estimate — e.g. "With 16 entries:
about 4 rounds, so roughly 10 days to play each match". Each round gets its own play-by date, spread across your dates;
players get a reminder 3 days before, on the day, and every few days if they're overdue. Prefer a fixed pace? Choose Per
round and set the days.
A one-day round robin? Create a Tournament with the Round robin format: any number of players or pairs, everyone plays
everyone once, and the best record wins. Want more than one box? Under Boxes pick 2 or more: players are split evenly
across the boxes (top seeds kept apart), everyone plays everyone in their box, and the box winners play a knockout for
the title. Box leagues are for longer seasons, split into boxes of 4–8 (or everyone in one box).
Fixing or undoing a result (organisers). Open the tournament, and under the draw tap Played — fix or undo a result. Fix
result corrects the score or the winner; Undo puts the match back to unplayed. If the winner changes, only the match
they went on to is reset (back to TBD until the right player is in) — the rest of the draw is untouched. Once the final
is played, earlier results are locked; correct the final itself if it's wrong.
Changing settings after set-up (organisers). On the tournament's Organiser tab, tap Edit settings at the top. You can
always rename it and change the dates, days per round, each round's play-by date and the prizes. Changing the dates or
days per round re-spreads the round deadlines, unless you've set a round's date by hand. The format, scoring and entry
settings lock once the draw is out, because the draw is built from them.
Doubles tournaments. Entering a doubles event asks you to pick your partner first — search a club member, or type a name
and email for someone not on Tennis Ladder yet. Partner can't make it after all? Until real results are in, use "Partner
can't make it? Change your partner" on the tournament page to swap them yourself — no need to wait for the organiser.
Either partner can withdraw the team.
Playing over weeks. Tournaments run over a period give every round a "Play by" date — either spread across the event's
dates or a set number of days per round. The date shows at the top of each round in the draw and on your fixture, and
you'll get a heads-up three days before it's due, a nudge on the day, and reminders if it goes overdue — by email and
notification. Consolation matches get the same treatment, with the consolation final set for finals day alongside the
main final.
Advancing. The moment your next opponent is known — the groups feed the knockout, the match before yours finishes, or
the consolation bracket fills — you get an email and a notification naming your opponent and your play-by date, so you
can arrange the match straight away. No need to keep checking the bracket.
Group stages. Round-robin groups feeding into semis and a final — e.g. two groups of four where the winner of Group 1
plays the runner-up of Group 2. Standings show wins first, then head-to-head between two tied players, then game
difference — so every game in every set counts, even in a dead rubber.
Box leagues. Everyone in your box plays everyone over the round (usually a month). Top finishers promote to the box
above, bottom finishers drop — so you're always playing people at your level. Same tiebreak rules: wins, then
head-to-head, then game difference.
Scoring formats vary — full best-of-three, Fast4, or a match tiebreak third set. Every competition shows its rules right
at the top, so you always know the format before you play.