Before You Begin
Before creating Fixtures, it's worth taking a few minutes to make sure your account is properly configured. This will save you time and prevent issues down the track.
Check your score templates (Ladders)
Each Competition uses a specific score template attached to a Ladder that determines how results are entered and calculated. Before fixturing, make sure each Competition is using the correct template.
Go to Setup > Ladders
Select the Ladder you will be using for each Competition and review its score template, use Preview to see how the score entry will look
Consider whether the template suits your Competition (e.g. does it include the fields you need, such as goals and behinds for AFL?)
If you need adjustments to the scoring template or Ladder formula, contact the Clipboard support team; do not edit the formula yourself
Video: What to Remember Before Creating Competitions and Fixtures
Note: You can reorder or hide fields within a Ladder, but any changes to the underlying formula should go through Clipboard support.
Choosing a Fixture Creation Method
There are three ways to create Fixtures in Compete. Choose the method that best suits your situation:
Method | Best for |
Fixture Generator | Round robin competitions with consistent scheduling |
Import Fixtures | Large volumes of Fixtures, or Fixtures you're building over time |
Manual Upload | Small numbers of ad hoc Fixtures, such as friendly games |
Method 1: Fixture Generator
The Fixture Generator automatically generates a full round-robin draw based on your competition structure. It supports unavailability and marquee game preferences.
Important: The Fixture Generator currently supports only round-robin competitions.
Step 1: Add unavailability and marquee games (optional)
Before generating, set up any scheduling constraints within your Season:
Navigate to Seasons and select the relevant Season
To add unavailability, select Add Unavailability, enter the relevant dates, school, Activity, and Grade(s), then click Save
To add a marquee game (a required matchup on a specific date), select Add Marquee Game, enter the schools, date, Activity, and Grade(s), then click Save
Step 2: Generate your Fixtures
From the Fixtures List, click Create Fixtures > Generate Fixtures
Select the correct Season
Select the Competition
Set your Start Date
Choose your scheduling frequency (e.g. one round per week, every Saturday)
Select the Grades to include
Enter the number of Rounds
Review your settings and click Confirm
Step 3: Review and create
The system will generate your draw and display it in a spreadsheet view. Review all Fixtures before confirming:
Check that byes have been applied correctly where unavailability was set
Add Locations where needed — if you use sub-locations (e.g. Field 1 within a parent venue), make sure to select the sub-location to avoid clash warnings
Add Start and End Times if required — if no end time is entered, it defaults to 60 minutes
Once you're happy, click Create.
Important: The Fixture Generator creates the draw by matching teams based on seeds, pairing the highest and lowest seeds first, then working inward, while also respecting any unavailabilities and marquee game preferences. Read more about its behaviour in the Assigning Seeds section of Setting Up Seasons and Competitions.
Video: Create Fixtures Using the Fixture Generator
Method 2: Import Fixtures
This method lets you prepare Fixtures in a spreadsheet and import them into Compete. This is the recommended approach when you're creating a large number of Fixtures or working on your draw over multiple sessions.
Step 1: Prepare your spreadsheet
Set up your spreadsheet with column headings that match Compete's field names exactly. Your spreadsheet should include columns for:
Round name
Date
Start time (Optional)
End time (Optional — Fixtures will default to 60 minutes if not included)
Activity
Friendly
Competition
Home Grade, Home School, Home Team
Away Grade, Away School, Away Team
Location
Bye
Knockout (if applicable)
Important: Make sure all schools, Grades, Competitions, Activities, Teams and Locations referenced in your spreadsheet already exist in your Compete account.
Step 2: Import your spreadsheet
From your Fixtures list, click Create Fixtures > Manual Upload
Select the correct Season
Click 'Import Fixtures'
Either click 'Upload spreadsheet' or open your spreadsheet, highlight all rows, including the header row and copy
Paste into the import field and click 'Next'
Step 3: Match your fields
Work through the field-matching screen to confirm each column from your spreadsheet maps to the correct field in Compete. If a field hasn't matched automatically, select the correct option from the dropdown.
Click Next when done.
Step 4: Match schools, Teams and Locations
The system will present any schools, Teams and Locations from your spreadsheet for you to confirm or correct the match to records in Compete. Review each one carefully and click Next when satisfied.
Step 5: Review and create
Your Fixtures will populate in a spreadsheet view. Check that all details are correct; edits can be made directly in this view. Once you're happy, click Create.
Video: Manually Upload Fixtures Using 'Import Fixtures'
Method 3: Manual Upload
Use this method to add a small number of Fixtures directly into Compete — for example, a few Friendlies or Knockout Fixtures.
Important: Because the Manual Upload screen can't be saved, we recommend using Import Fixtures if you're entering a large number of Fixtures or working across multiple sessions.
From your Fixtures list, click Create Fixtures > Manual Upload
Select the correct Season
Enter the Round Name, Date and Start Time for each Fixture
If the Fixture is a friendly, tick the Friendly checkbox — this removes the requirement to select a Competition
Select the Activity, Home School, Home Team, Away School and Away Team
Add a Location if required
Review all details and click Create
Video: Create Fixtures Using Manual Upload
Publishing your Fixtures
When creating Fixtures, you'll be asked whether to save them as Draft or Live:
Draft: Fixtures are sent to schools' Fixtures Inboxes and visible in their Clipboard accounts, but are not visible on your public Compete site. Points do not pull to the Ladder.
Live: Fixtures are visible to schools and appear on your public Compete site. Ladder results will update as scores are entered.
Important: If you notice results are missing from your Ladder, check that your Fixture Visibility is set to Live. You can change the visibility of Fixtures after creation by selecting them in your Fixtures list and using More > Manage Visibility.
What happens next
Once Fixtures are created, they will appear in the Fixtures Inbox of the relevant schools. Admin and Manager users at each school will need to accept the Fixtures before their staff, parents, and students are notified. For more information to share with your schools, see How to Get the Most Out of the Fixtures Inbox.
Troubleshooting
I can't add a Grade to my Competition.
Check that the Activity for that Competition is assigned to the Grade. Go to Setup > Grades, select the Grade, and confirm the Activity appears. See Before You Begin above.
I'm seeing a clash warning.
This usually means two Fixtures are scheduled at the same Location at the same time. If you're using sub-locations (e.g. fields within a ground), make sure each Fixture is assigned to the correct sub-location rather than the parent venue.
Results aren't appearing on the Ladder.
Make sure your Fixtures are set to Live. Draft Fixtures do not pull results to the ladder.
Schools say they can't see the Fixtures.
Fixtures appear in the school's Fixtures Inbox once created. The school's Admin or Manager user needs to accept them before they are visible to staff, gaurdians and students.
I need to make changes after creating Fixtures.
You can edit Fixtures individually or in bulk from your Fixtures list. Use the More menu to access bulk edit options, including spreadsheet edit for large-scale changes.