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Pickup football (soccer)

Pickup football: find a game or organize your own

Short answer: pickup football runs on groups: someone books a pitch or an indoor hall for an hour, and 10–16 people get together in a chat. You find such a group through pitches, friends and local chats. Can’t find one? Organize your own: a pitch, a Telegram group and a bot that counts spots, runs the waitlist and splits the rent.

Add to a group Docker Event Bot

Where to play pickup football

Ask at the pitch

Pitches and indoor halls rent time by the hour, and many have regular groups. Ask the staff which group is short of players.

Local group chats

Games are organized in Telegram and WhatsApp. Look for football chats in your city or neighbourhood, ask in expat and community chats and at work.

Amateur leagues

Want tournaments and referees — join an amateur league. Just want a kickabout once a week — you need a group with a regular pitch.

How to organize your own football game

5-a-side needs 10 people, 8-a-side — 16. Here’s how to get a full line-up without counting “+1” in the chat.

  1. Book a pitch

    for an hour at a regular time: an indoor hall in winter, an outdoor pitch in summer.

  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 Wednesday at 20:00”, 10 spots, a minimum of 8 and the pitch rent. The bot posts the card on schedule by itself.

  4. People tap “Join”

    The list, spots and the waitlist are in the card. Someone pulls out — the next person on the waitlist gets the spot.

What sign-ups look like in the chat

A 5-a-side game card: 10 of 10 spots, one on the waitlist, the pitch rent split among those signed up.

Football sign-ups in Telegram: what the bot does

Seat limit and a waitlist

Set 10 spots — the 11th joins the waitlist. Someone leaves — the next person gets the spot and a private message from the bot.

Minimum to play

Set a minimum, say 8. A day before, the organizer gets a message if there aren’t enough people — time to invite more or move the game.

Pitch rent split

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

Line-ups before kick-off

The admin splits the players into teams — at random or by level — and posts the line-ups in the chat. Everyone sees which team they’re on.

Reminders

Up to three reminders in private messages, say a day and an hour before. Moved or cancelled — everyone signed up gets a message with what was and what is now.

Tournament with teams

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 players do you need for 5-a-side?

5-a-side is 10 people, 6-a-side is 12, 8-a-side is 16. It’s worth taking one or two more sign-ups or keeping a waitlist: someone always drops out at the last minute.

How do I organize football sign-ups in a Telegram group?

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. How it compares to a poll and “+1” — in the guide to sign-ups in Telegram groups.

How do we split the pitch 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

Organize your own game

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

Add to a group Open the bot