Balla StatsAll Tutorials

Setting Up Public Competitions

Learn how to create seasons with public registration so external teams can discover and sign up for your competitions.

Beginner
10 min read

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A Balla Stats account with a group (Owner or Admin role)
  • Familiarity with season types (League, Tournament, Cup)
What is a Public Competition?

A public competition is a season with open registration enabled. It appears in the Public Seasons Directory (or Competitions page for non-logged-in users)

Tournament Organizers

Open registration for knockout events

League Commissioners

Accept team sign-ups for league seasons

Community Events

Organize open football competitions

What You'll Learn
  • Create a season with public registration
  • Configure team capacity and deadlines
  • Manage incoming registrations
  • Track entry fee payments
  • Best practices for public competitions
1
Create a New Season

Start by creating a season in your group with the competition details:

  1. 1Navigate to your group's Seasons page
  2. 3Click "Create Season" and fill in competition details
  3. 4Choose your season type (League, Tournament, or Cup)

Season Details to Configure:

  • Competition name and description
  • Season type (League, Tournament, Cup)
  • Start and end dates
  • Country (for directory filtering)
  • Group stage settings (for tournaments)
Season creation form showing name, type, dates, and description fields
2
Enable Public Registration

On the season creation form, enable public registration:

  1. 1Toggle the "Public Registration" switch to ON
  2. 2This makes your competition visible in the Public Seasons Directory
  3. 3External teams can now discover and register for your competition
Public registration toggle switch in the ON position
3
Configure Registration Settings

Set up the details for how teams can register:

Team Capacity

Maximum number of teams that can register

Example: Set to 16 for a 16-team tournament

Registration Deadline

Last date teams can submit registrations

Entry Fee

Optional fee per team to participate

  • Card payment (online)
  • Cash payment (in person)

Approval Required

Yes: You review and approve each registration manually
No: Teams are automatically accepted upon registration

Additional Information

Add venue details, rules, or any other information teams should know before registering.

Registration settings panel showing capacity, deadline, entry fee, and approval options
4
Review and Create
  1. 1Review all your season and registration settings
  2. 2Click "Create Season" to publish
  3. 3Your competition is now live and visible to the public

Your competition will appear in the Public Seasons Directory and the Competitions page

Public Seasons Directory showing the newly created competition card
5
Managing Registrations

Once teams start registering, you can manage them from your season page:

Viewing Registrations

  1. 1. Go to your season's Registrations tab
  2. 2. See all registrations with their current status
Registration management dashboard showing list of registrations with status badges

Approving / Rejecting Registrations

  1. 1. Click on a registration to view details
  2. 2. Review the team information and payment status
  3. 3. Click Approve or Reject
Registration detail view with Approve and Reject buttons

Important

Approved teams are automatically added to your season. Make sure you have reviewed their details before approving.

Tracking Payments

If you set an entry fee, payment status is tracked for each registration. You can mark payments as received for cash payments.

6
Proceed with Season Setup

Once you have enough teams registered and approved:

  1. 1Add teams to the season from the approved registrations
  2. 3Generate fixtures for the competition
  3. 4Activate the season when ready to begin

Pro Tip

You can continue accepting registrations even after generating fixtures. Late additions can be accommodated by regenerating the fixture schedule.

Tips & Best Practices

Write a Clear Description

Include rules, format, venue, and any requirements so teams know what to expect.

Set Realistic Deadlines

Give teams enough time to register. A 2-3 week window works well for most competitions.

Communicate Promptly

Review and respond to registrations quickly. Teams appreciate timely feedback.

Set Appropriate Capacity

Consider your format when setting team limits. 8 or 16 teams work well for knockout tournaments.

Common Issues

Competition Not Appearing in Directory

Check the following:

  • Public Registration toggle is enabled
  • Registration deadline has not passed
  • Season status is still UPCOMING
  • Team capacity has not been reached

Teams Can't Complete Registration

Ensure the following:

  • Registration deadline has not expired
  • Team capacity is not full
  • The team has not already registered

Late Registrations

If you need to accept teams after the deadline:

  1. 1. Extend the registration deadline in season settings
  2. 2. Or manually add the team to the season

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