Football Match Day Planning Guide

It's 8:45 on a Saturday morning and the Junior 10th Grade is supposed to kick off in fifteen minutes. The nets aren't on the goals because the clips are missing. Two parents are arguing about which half of the double pitch their game is on. The canteen volunteer thought their shift started at ten. And nobody can find the corner flags - they were in the shed last week but someone moved them.

Every one of these problems has a simple fix. None of them should be happening at 8:45 on game day. They should have been sorted by Thursday.

This is the operational planning guide for football match day at your community club. If you're looking for the broader picture of what a good match day feels and looks like, read our football game day experience guide. This guide is about the logistics: the checklists, the volunteer roster, the weather plan, and the week-of timeline that makes Saturday run itself.

The week-before timeline

Wednesday - confirm and lock

Wednesday is your hard checkpoint. Everything that matters on Saturday should be confirmed by end of day Wednesday.

• Confirm the draw with your federation or competition provider. Check for byes, rescheduled games, or venue changes. NZ Football federations publish draws weekly - check yours.
• Confirm which grades are playing at home, on which pitches, and in what order. A busy club might run five or six games across a Saturday: junior 7-a-side from 9am, youth grades through midday, senior reserves and firsts in the afternoon.
• Contact opposition clubs. Confirm start times, kit colours (to avoid clashes), and any special requirements.
• Confirm referee appointments through your federation. If you're using club referees for junior grades, confirm those names now.
• Confirm all volunteer roles - canteen, gate, first aid, set-up crew, pack-down crew. Each person gets a message with their name, role, start time, and finish time.
• Check ground bookings with council if you share fields.

Thursday - equipment and stock

• Walk the equipment shed. Check match balls (at least two per pitch per game), corner flags (a full set of four per pitch), goal nets and net clips, portable goals for junior 7-a-side pitches, and the line marker with paint.
• Check the first aid kit: ice packs, strapping tape, bandages, antiseptic, gloves. Football produces ankle and knee injuries regularly - make sure you have compression bandages.
• Confirm the defibrillator is charged and accessible. At least two people on site should know its location and operation.
• Stock check the canteen: pies, sausage rolls, sausages, bread, drinks, coffee, milk, confectionery. Order anything short.
• Count the float - $200 in mixed coins and notes. Charge the EFTPOS terminal.
• Print team sheets if required. Print the run sheet showing every game, pitch, and kickoff time.

Friday - weather and final reminders

• Check the weather forecast for Saturday. If rain is expected, confirm who makes the ground-closure decision and by what time. Council grounds usually have a closure hotline or website - save the link.
• If conditions look marginal, prepare for both scenarios: game on with wet-weather adjustments, or cancellation with early communication.
• Send final reminders to all rostered volunteers.
• Confirm the canteen order has arrived.
• If you're line marking on Saturday morning, confirm the person and their arrival time. A full football pitch takes one person 30 to 40 minutes with a wheeled marker.

Game day - early morning

For a Saturday starting with junior games at 9am, first volunteers arrive by 7am. For afternoon-only fixtures, two hours before kickoff.

Ground setup

• Walk every pitch before anything else. Check for glass, holes, sprinkler covers, or debris. Football pitches on council parks often share space with dog walkers during the week - check the goal areas carefully.
• Mark the pitches if council hasn't done it. Centre circle, penalty areas, goal areas, halfway line, touchlines. For junior 7-a-side, you may need to mark smaller pitches across the main field.
• Set up goals. For full-size pitches, check the nets are attached with all clips and pegged at the base. For junior goals, wheel portable goals into position and anchor them - unsecured goals are a serious safety risk. NZ Football requires all portable goals to be anchored.
• Place corner flags on every pitch in use.
• Set out team benches and the fourth official's table (for senior grades).
• Put up sponsor signage at the entrance and along the main pitch.

Canteen and facilities

• Open the canteen 30 minutes before the first game. Coffee should be ready for parents arriving with their eight-year-olds at quarter to nine.
• Start the pie warmer and BBQ.
• Set up the bar area if licensed, with the duty manager on site.
• Unlock change rooms and toilets. Check paper and soap.
• Post the run sheet at the entrance where every arriving team, parent, and referee can see it.

Safety

• Set up the first aid station near the main pitch in a visible, signed location.
• Confirm defibrillator location is signed.
• Write down the ground address and nearest hospital for visiting teams and emergency services.
• For wet conditions, place a boot-wash station outside the change rooms.

Running the day - between games

Football's multi-grade scheduling puts pressure on the gaps between games. A typical changeover is 10 to 15 minutes.

• Ensure outgoing teams clear the pitch and bench area promptly. The game day coordinator should manage this - don't rely on coaches to self-organise.
• Incoming teams warm up on the pitch while the previous teams pack their gear.
• Canteen traffic peaks between games. Have pies and drinks ready for the rush.
• Check in with the first aid officer. Restock ice if needed.
• For junior games running on multiple small pitches simultaneously, have a roving volunteer who can handle issues across fields.
• If any game runs over, communicate the adjusted start time to the next teams immediately.

Weather contingencies

Rain and wet grounds

1. Is the ground safe? Walk it. Standing water, dangerously soft areas, or a council closure means games are off. Contact your federation.
2. If play goes ahead: Extra towels, boot-wash station, waterproof covers for electronics, extra hot drinks for the canteen.
3. Communication: Cancel or delay decision by 7am for morning games, 10am for afternoon. One clear message on your club's main channel.

Wind

Strong wind affects football significantly - especially junior small-sided games. If sustained winds make conditions unsafe for small goals or young players, shorten games or cancel junior grades while keeping senior fixtures. Secure all portable goals, signage, and marquees.

Lightning

Play stops immediately if lightning is visible or thunder audible. 30/30 rule: shelter if the gap between flash and thunder is 30 seconds or less. Wait 30 minutes after the last flash before resuming. Non-negotiable.

Equipment checklist

Ground setup:

• ] Match balls (2 per pitch per game, plus spares)
• ] Corner flags (full set per pitch)
• ] Goal nets and net clips
• ] Portable goals for junior pitches (anchored)
• ] Line-marking equipment
• ] Team benches / chairs
• ] Scoreboard (if used)
• ] Sponsor signage

Safety:

• ] First aid kit (stocked)
• ] Defibrillator (charged, pads in date)
• ] Incident report forms
• ] Emergency contacts list

Canteen:

• ] Float ($200 mixed)
• ] Stock: pies, sausage rolls, drinks, coffee, BBQ supplies
• ] EFTPOS terminal (charged)

Administration:

• ] Team sheets
• ] Run sheet posted at entrance
• ] Referee payment envelopes
• ] Volunteer sign-in

Volunteer roster template

For a full Saturday with junior and senior grades:

| Role | Shift 1 (7am–11:30am) | Shift 2 (11:30am–4pm) | Shift 3 (4pm–6pm) | |------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------| | Game day coordinator | All day | | | | Canteen | 2 volunteers | 2 volunteers | 1 volunteer | | BBQ | 1 volunteer | 1 volunteer | - | | Gate / welcome | 1 volunteer | 1 volunteer | - | | First aid | 1 volunteer | 1 volunteer | - | | Pack-down | - | - | 3 volunteers |

Confirm by Wednesday. Use TidyHQ's volunteer management to automate reminders and let people claim or swap shifts without the coordinator chasing everyone by text.

Pack-down

Three people, 25 minutes:

• Remove corner flags from all pitches
• Take down goal nets and store clips securely (lost clips are the most common equipment problem)
• Wheel portable junior goals to storage and secure them
• Clear team benches and any sideline equipment
• Close and clean the canteen - wipe down, empty bins, secure cash
• Lock change rooms, check for left-behind gear
• Lock all buildings and storage
• Final ground walk - pick up rubbish, check for equipment left out
• Report any pitch damage or maintenance issues to council

How TidyHQ helps with match day planning

The weekly cycle of confirming volunteers, checking gear, and communicating fixture changes is admin that compounds when it runs on text messages and memory. TidyHQ's event management lets you set up recurring fixtures with volunteer roles attached. Members claim shifts, reminders go out automatically, and you see a confirmed roster by Thursday - not a list of maybes on Friday night.

Post-match, check-in data feeds into your membership database for participation tracking, grant applications, and federation reporting.

Frequently asked questions

How many volunteers do we need for a single senior game?

Six to eight: coordinator, canteen (2), first aid (1), fourth official or scoreboard (1), and pack-down (2). For a full multi-grade day, 10 to 14 across staggered shifts.

How early should line marking start?

A full senior pitch takes 30 to 40 minutes for one person with a wheeled marker. For multiple junior pitches marked inside the full pitch, add another 20 minutes. Start at least 90 minutes before the first game.

What if the opposition doesn't show?

Contact your federation immediately. Most competitions have forfeit protocols. Your canteen is already open and volunteers are on site - run training or a club activity instead so the morning isn't wasted.

References

• NZ Football - The national governing body for football in New Zealand, including community club resources and competition regulations
• Football Game Day Experience Guide - Our companion guide to creating a great match day atmosphere at your NZ football club
• Sport NZ - The government agency responsible for supporting and investing in sport and recreation across New Zealand
• TidyHQ Event Management - Recurring fixture setup and volunteer rostering for community clubs
• TidyHQ Membership Management - Member database and participation tracking for reporting