Overview
Pools are sub-groups within competitions that help you organise teams into smaller divisions. They're useful for creating geographic divisions, skill-level groupings or tournament structures within a single competition.
Important: If you're using Pools in your competition, you cannot use the Fixture Generator to create fixtures automatically. You'll need to create fixtures manually or import them from a spreadsheet.
When to Use Pools
Pools work well for:
Geographic divisions - Separating teams by region (e.g., North Pool vs South Pool)
Skill-level groupings - Dividing teams within a grade by ability
Tournament formats - Creating round-robin groups before finals
Gala day structures - Organising teams into manageable groups for one-day events
Creating and Managing Pools
Setting Up Pools
Navigate to Seasons > Competition
Either create or select a Competition
Within your Competition setup, you'll find 'Pooling'
Switch the toggle on to allow the creation of Pools
Assigning Teams to Pools
Once schools have nominated their teams:
Go to the Competition tab within your Season
Under the 'Options' column select Manage Pools
You'll see all nominated teams for each Grade
Add your Pools and give them clear, descriptive names (e.g., "Pool A", "North Division", "Junior Pool")
Drag and drop teams into the appropriate Pools, or use the Add Team option
Pro Tip: Organise your Pools before creating any fixtures to avoid complications later.
Creating Fixtures with Pools
Important Limitation
If your competition uses Pools, you cannot use the Fixture Generator. Instead, you'll need to create fixtures using one of these methods:
Manual Upload - Create fixtures one by one in the spreadsheet
Import Fixtures - Upload a pre-prepared spreadsheet with your fixture schedule
This limitation exists because the Fixture Generator cannot currently handle pool-based fixture structures.
Best Practice for Pool Fixtures
Plan your fixture schedule in a spreadsheet first
Ensure you've included all pool matchups
Use the Import Fixtures tool to upload your schedule
Review fixtures carefully before publishing to schools
Moving Teams Between Pools
Sometimes you'll need to move a team from one Pool to another. However, there's an important constraint:
⚠️ Important: You cannot move a team if they have future fixtures scheduled.
Process to Move a Team:
Delete all future fixtures for that team (both Competition and Friendly fixtures)
Schools will receive these deletions in their Fixtures Inbox
Wait for the affected school to accept the deletions in their Deleted tab
Once confirmed, you can move the team to a different Pool
Create new fixtures for the team in their new Pool
Important: Moving teams mid-season requires coordination with schools and may disrupt schedules. We recommend finalising Pool assignments before creating fixtures.
Pools and Ladders
How Ladders Work with Pools
Each Pool displays its own ladder
All Pools in a competition use the same ladder configuration (scoring rules, ranking method)
Ladder rankings are calculated separately for each Pool
Managing Finals After Pool Play
Currently, Clipboard Compete does not automatically progress teams from Pools to finals. You'll need to:
Determine which teams qualify from each Pool (e.g., top 2 from each Pool)
Manually create knockout or finals fixtures
Assign the qualifying teams to these fixtures
Pro Tip: Plan your finals structure in advance and communicate qualification criteria to schools at the start of the season.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"I can't remove a team from a Pool"
Solution: Check if the team has future fixtures scheduled. You must delete or complete all future fixtures first, then wait for the school to accept the deletions before you can move the team.
"Schools can't see which Pool their team is in"
Schools nominate teams into Grades - Pool assignment is managed at the association level. The Pool structure primarily affects fixture scheduling and may not be prominently displayed to schools.
"I need different ladder rules for different Pools"
Ladder configurations apply to the entire competition, not individual Pools. If you need different scoring rules, you'll need to create separate competitions for each group.
FAQ
Q: Can we have cross-Pool fixtures?
A: Yes, you can manually create fixtures between teams from different Pools. This is common for finals or special matchups.
Q: What happens to the ladder if we move a team between Pools?
A: The team's results remain in their original Pool's ladder history. You may need to make manual ladder adjustments if required.
Q: Can schools nominate directly into Pools?
A: No, schools nominate into Grades. You then assign teams to Pools during your setup process.
Q: Why can't I use the Fixture Generator with Pools?
A: The Fixture Generator is designed for simpler competition structures. Pool-based competitions require more specific fixture planning that's best handled through manual creation or spreadsheet import.
Need additional help? Contact our support team at support@clipboard.app for assistance with Pool setup and fixture management.