Whether you need to catch up on wash-outs, reschedule last-minute cancellations, or simply give schools and teams a rest and reset mid-season, planning a Break Week in advance keeps your competition running smoothly.
Before creating a Break Week, make sure your Season and Competition are already set up. If you haven't done this yet, check out our guide on Setting Up Seasons and Competitions.
Method 1: Manual Upload
If you're uploading Fixtures manually via a spreadsheet, creating a Break Week is straightforward — simply leave a week's gap between whichever rounds you'd like the break to fall between when entering your round dates.
For example, if Round 4 would ordinarily fall on 14th May, set Round 4's date to the 21st May. This creates a natural break in the schedule without any additional steps.
Method 2: Fixture Generator
If you're using the Fixture Generator, follow these steps:
Step 1: Generate your Fixtures
Go to Fixtures (left sidebar)
Click Create Fixtures
Select Generate Fixtures
Fill in all required fields — Season, Competition, Mode, Start Date, and any other relevant details
Step 2: Set your number of rounds
When you reach the Number of Rounds pre-fill box under Round Robin details, enter the total number of rounds for your competition, not including the Break Week.
For example, if your competition runs for 7 playing rounds plus one Break Week, enter 7 — not 8.
Step 3: Confirm and open the spreadsheet
Click Confirm in Spreadsheet to generate your Fixtures spreadsheet.
Step 4: Add the Break Week by editing round dates
Once the spreadsheet has been generated, you'll create the Break Week by shifting the dates of the rounds that fall after the break.
Example: You have a 7-round competition and want a Break Week after Round 3.
Leave Rounds 1, 2, and 3 as generated
Edit Round 4's date back by one week
Then edit Rounds 5, 6, and 7 back by one week each
This pushes all rounds after the break back by a week, creating your Break Week in the most efficient way.
Pro tips
Plan your Break Week before generating Fixtures. It's much easier to build the break into your schedule from the start than to adjust Fixtures after they've been sent to schools.
Consider the timing carefully. Mid-season breaks (e.g. after Round 3 or 4 of a 7-round competition) tend to work well as catch-up rounds, giving enough games played before the break and enough rounds remaining to reschedule any wash-outs.
Communicate the break to schools early. Once your Fixtures are confirmed, schools will see the gap in their Fixtures Inbox. Adding a clear note in the Reason for change field — such as "Mid-season break week — no Fixtures scheduled" — helps avoid confusion.
Use the break week proactively. If you have wash-outs or cancelled Fixtures from earlier in the season, the Break Week window is the ideal time to reschedule these before the competition resumes.
Troubleshooting
I've already generated Fixtures without a Break Week — can I still add one?
Yes, but you'll need to manually edit the affected round dates in your Fixtures spreadsheet or update individual Fixtures directly. Remember that any date changes will appear in the relevant schools' Fixtures Inbox for their Admin or Manager to accept. Always include a clear reason for the change.
Schools are asking why there are no Fixtures that week
Make sure you've communicated the Break Week to schools in advance. You can include a note when making any Fixture updates, or reach out directly via email to let them know.
For additional support, contact support@clipboard.app.