An Open Match is a feature that allows players to create and join matches with other players of similar skill levels. A player books a court, defines criteria like rating, and publishes the match. Other eligible players can then join. In essence, it acts as a built-in player matching system on top of court bookings.

Admins must configure Open Match policies for the feature to work correctly. These policies are applied per location (not globally) and must be set up in advance.

You can find them under:

Settings → Policies → Open Match

There are two types:

Both types use the same policy configuration.

Match Creation Lead Time

Defines how far in advance a match can be created. For example, if set to 2 hours, players cannot create matches starting sooner than that.

Pending Payment Cutoff

When a player invites others, those players have a limited time (e.g. 24 hours) to pay. If they don’t, their spot is released and becomes available to others.

Cancellation Time Window

Defines how close to the match start players are allowed to cancel or leave. For example, within 24 hours of the match, cancellations may be blocked.

Court Booking Trigger

Determines when the court is officially booked. There are three options:

If a player cancels before the cancellation window, the court is automatically unbooked and the match remains open.

If a match does not fill (e.g. only one player paid and no one else joins), the system will automatically cancel the match, refund payments, and unbook the court if it was reserved.

If an invited player does not pay within the pending payment cutoff, their reserved spot is released.

All policies are configured per location, allowing different setups for different courts or venues within the same club.

We recommend setting the court booking trigger to only when all players have paid. This avoids blocking courts unnecessarily and ensures full commitment from players.