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Basketball

Pickup basketball: find a run or start your own

Short answer: pickup basketball is a court or a gym and a group that meets at the same time every week: 10 people for 5 on 5, and 15 with a third team waiting to rotate in. Look for such groups at gyms, outdoor courts and in local chats. Can’t find one? Start your own: a gym, a Telegram group and a bot that counts spots, runs the waitlist and splits players into teams.

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Where to play basketball

At an outdoor court

In summer games happen on outdoor courts: come at a busy time and ask who plays regularly.

In a gym

In winter people play in rented gyms. The staff know the groups that book the gym on weekday evenings and weekends.

Local group chats

Runs are organized in Telegram and WhatsApp. Look for basketball chats in your city and neighbourhood, ask in expat chats and at work.

How to start your own basketball run

5 on 5 is 10 people, and with a third team waiting — 15: losers go off, the next five come on. For 3 on 3, 6–9 people are enough.

  1. Book a gym

    for an hour and a half or two at a regular time. In summer — agree on an outdoor court.

  2. Create a Telegram group

    and invite the people you’ve already played with. The first ten are usually among friends.

  3. Add the bot and create an event

    a recurring one — say, “every Thursday at 20:00”, 15 spots and the gym rent. The bot posts the card on schedule by itself.

  4. People tap “Join”

    The list and the waitlist are in the card. Before the game, the admin splits the players into three teams.

What sign-ups look like in the chat

A game card: 12 of 15 signed up, including a friend added as “+1”, the gym rent split among everyone.

Basketball sign-ups in Telegram: what the bot does

Seat limit and a waitlist

Set 10 or 15 spots — after that, the waitlist. A spot frees up — the next person gets it automatically, with a private message.

Three teams by level

The admin splits the players into 2–3 teams — at random or evenly by level — and posts the line-ups in the chat. Everyone sees their team.

Gym rent split

The gym rent is divided among those signed up, and the share recalculates by itself. Money doesn’t go through the bot.

Minimum to play

Set a minimum, say 10. A day before, the organizer learns if there aren’t enough people.

Reminders

Up to three reminders in private messages; moved or cancelled — everyone gets a message with what was and what is now.

3-on-3 tournament

For a tournament, turn on team sign-up: a captain creates a team, players join it, and the entry fee is split per team.

See it in action

Every feature in short — from signing up in the chat and the waitlist to splitting the cost, teams and attendance.

Docker Event Bot video overview — a sign-up bot for Telegram groups

The video loads from YouTube only after you press play.

Questions

How many people do you need for basketball?

5 on 5 is 10 people, with a third team waiting — 15. Streetball 3 on 3 is 6, with a spare trio — 9.

How do I organize basketball sign-ups in Telegram?

Add Docker Event Bot to the group and create an event with the number of spots. A card with a “Join” button appears in the chat, and the list and waitlist update by themselves. All the ways compared — in the guide to sign-ups in Telegram groups.

How do we split the gym rent?

Enter the rent — the card shows the share per person and recalculates it every time someone joins or leaves. You collect the money yourselves: the bot doesn’t take payments.

How do we pick teams?

The admin splits the players right in the bot — at random or evenly by level. Without the bot — the free team generator.

Is it free?

Yes: no subscription and no payments through the bot. Players don’t install anything — Telegram is enough.

Other sports and get-togethers

Start your own run

Add the bot to your basketball chat — the first sign-up card is a minute away.

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