Creating and Managing a Ladder
Setting up a Ladder
How do I create a new club or social ladder?
To create a new ladder, go to the home page menu and select Ladders > Admin. Click ‘Add Ladder’ and fill in the required details. Choose whether it’s a Club ladder (for all club members) or a Social ladder (for a specific group of friends). Set the sport, start and end dates, challenge window, and participation points. Mark the ladder as ‘Active’ to make it visible in Current Competitions, then click ‘Save’ to finish setup.
Once saved, a new ladder can be removed using the 'Delete' button any time until a match has been played. After this, the ladder cannot be deleted.
What details are required to set up a ladder?
When setting up a ladder, you’ll need to provide:
- Name: The ladder’s name (e.g., Royal Oak Club Ladder)
- Competition Level: Use 'Club' for club-wide ladders (50% weighting), 'Social' for a ladder among a group of friends (25% weighting). 'Fair Play' can also be used for either (0% weighting)
- Club: Select your club is 'Club' competition level is chosen.
- Sport: Squash or Racketball
- Start Date: When the ladder begins
- End Date: When the ladder ends (or set far in the future for ongoing ladders)
- Challenge Window: Number of places higher a player can challenge (3-5)
- Apply Participation Points: Option to automatically move players up after three challenge matches
- Active Status: Makes the ladder visible in Current Competitions
How do I set the challenge window for a ladder?
The challenge window determines how many positions higher a player can challenge. When creating the ladder, select the challenge window value (between 3 and 5 places) in the setup form. This setting encourages fair play and keeps the competition dynamic.
What does 'Active' status mean for a ladder?
Setting a ladder to 'Active' makes it visible in the Current Competitions section. Only active ladders can be viewed and joined by players, ensuring that participants see up-to-date competitions and can take part in challenges.
Player Management
How do I add players to my ladder?
To add players, go to the 'Registrations' section of your ladder dashboard.
- Type a player's name in the 'Add Player to Ladder' search bar and select them when they appear.
- Click 'Add New Player' to include them in the ladder.
- Only players with a current Competitive Adult, Lifestyle, or Junior Player subscription can be added.
Can I add club members in bulk to a ladder?
Yes, club admins can add members in bulk.
- Click 'Add Members' in the 'Registrations' section.
- Select the types of members to add and review the member count. You can filter by Females/Males and Juniors/Seniors.
- Click 'Add Members' to include all selected members with valid subscriptions.
How do I make someone a co-organiser of the ladder?
To make a player a co-organiser,
- Click on the player's name in the ladder dashboard.
- Select 'Make Organiser' to grant them organiser privileges.
- The green 'Player' icon next to their name will change to a black 'Organiser' icon.
- To remove a player as an organiser, select the player and click on 'Make Player'.
To make someone only an administrator who will not participate in the ladder as a player, once you have made them an organiser click on 'Admin Only'. Note: this step can only be done once players are seeded.
How do I remove a player before sending invites?
To remove a player before sending invites,
- Click on the player's name in the list of added players.
- Click the 'Delete' button and then 'Ok' to confirm to remove them from the ladder.
Extracting Registrations
You can download an Excel report all of players at any time using the 'Extract Registrations' button. The report includes first name, last name, gender, phone, email, level, grade, player code, status and role.
Inviting Players to a Ladder
How do I invite players to join the ladder?
To invite players, first add them to your ladder using the 'Registrations' section. Select the players you want to invite by clicking 'Select Added', then click 'Send Invite(s)' to email invitations. If the 'Send Invite(s)' button is greyed out, ensure the organiser or any other players who have already accepted are not selected. Once sent, the status changes from 'Added' to 'Invited'.
What happens after a player accepts or declines an invite?
When a player accepts an invite, their status changes to 'Accepted' and they are included in the ladder. If a player declines, their status changes to 'Declined' and they are moved to the bottom of the list. The organiser and player both receive email notifications reflecting the response.
Can organisers manually accept or decline player invitations?
Yes, organisers can manually accept or decline invitations. Simply click on the player's name in the list and select either 'Manual Accept' or 'Manual Decline'. The player's status will update from Invited to Accepted, or Invited to Declined.
Can I add players once the ladder has started?
Yes - register the player, send an invite and either wait for the player to accept or manually accept for them. Once accepted, select the player and click 'Seed Accepted'. This will bring through their SquashLevel and seed them at the bottom of the ladder. Use the 'Move' button to insert them to an appropriate position in the ladder (see next section 'Seeing a Ladder').
Can I add a player who previously declined an invitiation?
Yes. A Declined player can have a new invite sent which can then be accepted.
Can players request to join a ladder themselves?
Yes. Once the ladder is active, the ladder can be publicly viewed in the Ladders < View page. The ladder will have a 'Request to Join Ladder' button available, which players can click.
Once a player has requested to join your ladder, you will see them in the Registrations list with a purple 'Request' icon. Select the player and click either 'Manual Accept' or 'Manual Decline'.
Seeding a Ladder
How do I seed the ladder for initial rankings?
To seed the ladder for initial rankings, click on ‘Seed Accepted’ after all players have accepted their invitations. This will automatically list 'Accepted' players in Level order from highest to lowest, assigning each a ladder position. Their status icon will change from green ‘Accepted’ to orange ‘Active’, indicating they are now seeded and ready to participate.
Can I adjust player positions before starting the ladder?
Yes, you can adjust player positions before starting the ladder. Simply click the ‘Move’ button next to a player’s name to shift them higher or lower in the rankings. This allows you to fine-tune the initial order before the ladder goes live.
What does the 'Active' icon indicate after seeding?
The orange ‘Active’ icon shows that a player has been seeded and is now officially part of the ladder. This means they can participate in challenges and their position is visible in Current Competitions.
How can I pause a player's participation in a ladder?
If a player needs to be temporarily removed from the ladder due to injury or other reason, click on their name in the ladder and select 'Pause'.
To reactivate a player, simply click 'Reactivate'.
Participating in a Ladder
How do players participate in a ladder?
Players can participate in a ladder by accepting an invitation sent via email from the ladder organiser. Once accepted, they are added to the ladder and can start making challenges. To join, players must have a current Competitive Adult, Lifestyle, or Junior Player MySquash subscription.
Where can players view ladders they are part of?
Players can view all ladders they are part of by navigating to Ladders > Challenge & Record. Ladders are also visible under Ladders > View, but actions like making challenges or entering results are only available through the ladder dashboard. Filters allow viewing by Social or Club ladders, district, and club.
How can a player pause or reactivate themselves in the ladder?
Players can pause themselves in the ladder if they are injured or unavailable by clicking the ‘Pause’ button on the ladder dashboard. To reactivate, simply click ‘Reactivate’ which appears once paused. This ensures players are not challenged while unavailable.
Ladder Challenges
How do I challenge another player in the ladder?
To challenge another player, go to the ladder dashboard and look for players with a light blue line next to their name—these are eligible to be challenged. Click on the player's name and confirm the challenge in the popup. The challenged player will receive an email with a link to accept or decline, along with both players' contact details to arrange the match.
How long is a challenge valid before expiring?
A challenge is valid for 72 hours. If not accepted within this time, it expires automatically. You can also cancel a challenge before it is accepted by clicking the red trash can icon in the dashboard.
What happens if the challenger wins the match?
If the challenger (the lower-ranked player) wins, they move one spot above the defender in the ladder. If the defender wins, they keep their current position.
How do I enter the result of a challenge match?
After the match, click on the box with the arrow at the bottom right of the challenge entry. Fill in the full match scores on the scorecard, click 'Save', and then 'Ok'. The match will be marked as played, and the ladder positions will update accordingly.
Viewing Ladders
How can I view all ladders in Current Competitions?
Anyone with a MySquash subscription can view all ladders by navigating to Competitions and selecting Ladders > View. You can browse through the list and click on any ladder to see its details and information.
What filters are available when viewing ladders?
When viewing ladders, you can use filters to display only Fair Play, Social or Club ladders. Additionally, you can filter ladders by district and club for more targeted browsing.
- Fair Play, Social, Club ladders
- District
- Club
How do I contact the organiser to join a ladder?
To join a ladder, click on the ladder you are interested in from the list and then click the 'Request to Join Ladder' button. This will send an email to the organiser indicating you have requested to join the ladder, which they will accept or decline.
The ladder will show 'Request to Join Pending', and then once actioned by the organiser will display 'Request to Join Accepted' or 'Request to Join Declined'.
