# Pool Play

Pool Play is a popular format that groups teams into smaller "pools," where each team plays every other team in their group once. It’s a great way to ensure balanced competition and keep things organized. Matches are spread across all available courts to keep the action flowing and the tournament moving smoothly.

Unlike other software that locks each pool to its own court, Scoreholio distributes matchups across *all* available courts. This means teams get to play on different courts, enhancing the player experience. It also prevents situations where a team ends up playing all day on the championship court—eliminating any sense of “home court advantage” later in the tournament. Plus, Scoreholio schedules pool games in a way that ensures all pools finish around the same time, so one slow-moving pool doesn’t hold up the entire event. Efficient, fair, and fun—that’s how we roll.

## Video Tutorial

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/0yBlqj_RNfs>" %}

## Setup pool play

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FMyUzxZHRL5KmotOOk0zL%2FScreenshot%202024-04-18%20at%2010.42.04%20AM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=d34a2fdd-f60f-4b1f-9058-f82fbad677ef" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Add teams to pool play

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FkJGGPMU2zSbCj2VxUmzm%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=56de5adf-3d7f-4460-852e-a809ac76c7b6" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Add Players to a team

1. Add a player to the **Unassigned Player/Sub list**
2.

```
<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FAzeNMrGKBtNtGRZjuKmI%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=08129705-f949-45d8-8041-87e8bcf892d8" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
```

3. Click on the player in the **Unassigned Player/Sub List and add them to their team**
4.

```
<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FvRVZ0JkVWANF5YoQF2BX%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=decc7e67-72c3-4b58-ac85-ac848a621e95" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
```

## Assigning teams to a pool

{% hint style="success" %}
It is very important to remember that pools are **case sensitive**.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

There are a few ways to add teams to a pool

1. Click on a team and enter the pool name
2. Click the boxes next to a team name and then the green **Assign to Pool** button
3. Mass import a CSV with the pool name on the spreadsheet

#### Clicking a team to assign a pool

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FNPaDPXsn4f2X95lJO771%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=41ada4ca-a601-4fcf-8ba4-55e4a885bbb2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Click the boxes next to a team name and then the green **Assign to Pool** button

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FEFBfIKKLvKRcakwMfurf%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=8200ad91-98f0-4a24-95d6-56587182cdd1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Mass import a CSV with the pool name on the spreadsheet

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FGD9HguGhpLxPncesxOGW%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c90f24db-edad-463a-bb0d-3c1e0d6f2ae7" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Download the Sample File**\
\&#xNAN;*Important: Do not modify or delete the column headers. You may leave the rows beneath the headers blank, but the structure of the columns must remain unchanged.*

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FG7BtLIWQNBJTNRLBa9us%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9435e675-73dc-4cc3-962c-9a9e60863418" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Start Pool Play

**Important:** Be sure to click the **Start Tournament** button to begin pool play. This step assigns teams to their designated pools and ensures that each team plays every other team in their pool only once.

<figure><img src="https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2Fuploads%2FUYiW8B8RYx6lJjhPHXKr%2FScreenshot%202024-04-18%20at%2010.45.32%20AM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ca2b6048-e3ae-4b89-9844-653de7747a7b" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

![](https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2F-MhPExi8JFiuFXwA-LgL%2F-MhPH5JGcSPdG4DUvbwH%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=95f66080-01fb-480a-8103-cc66a7e9942d)

## Pool Play Display

As mentioned above all pools will play across all of your courts. Players can check their app or you can [display pool play on a TV](https://docs.scoreholio.com/scoreboards-and-dashboards/display-dashboard-on-a-tv).

![](https://2830358067-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MNzFwCQPtCEArD8DRaL%2F-MhPExi8JFiuFXwA-LgL%2F-MhPHtgBZVKwx-kvI-Tt%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=32533b8e-ba87-4111-9404-8b1c7c491598)

## Playoffs

Using [Additonal brackets](https://docs.scoreholio.com/tournament-admin/additional-brackets) you can create multiple brackets after your pool play has been completed.&#x20;