What is a Private Open Match?
A Private Open Match — also referred to as an Invite Match — works the same way as a standard Open Match, with one key difference: the match is restricted to selected players only.
Instead of appearing in the open match listings where any eligible player can find and join it, the creator chooses exactly who can see and join the match.
How It Works on the Player Side
When creating a private open match, a player can either:
Invite individual players directly, or
Use a saved group — for example, their regular playing partners
Saved groups are managed by players themselves and can be reused, so a player can quickly invite the same set of people to future matches without re-selecting everyone each time.
Only invited players, or members of the group the match was shared with, can access the match. It stays invisible to everyone else on the platform.
Admin Responsibility
Private Open Matches are configured through the same area as standard Open Matches:
Settings → Policies → Open Match
As with all open match policies, these are applied per location — so a club running multiple venues can configure each one independently.
How Policies Work for Private Matches
Private Open Matches use the same policy types as public open matches, including:
Match Creation Lead Time
Pending Payment Cutoff
Booking Cancellation Time
Court is Booked When (and the associated Court Booking Grace Period)
Book Ahead Limit
Rating ranges for competitive and friendly matches
The important distinction: while the policy types are identical, the values can be set differently for private matches than for public ones.
This means public and private open matches share the same policy structure, but each can carry its own independent configuration. For example, a club might allow private matches to be created with less lead time than public ones, on the basis that a group of regular partners organising among themselves needs less notice than a match that has to attract strangers.
Key Takeaway
Private Open Matches give players controlled, invite-only access to a match, while giving admins the flexibility to define separate policy settings from public matches — even though the underlying policy types remain the same.
For the differences between Public, Invite, and Super League matches, see the Open Match Types Guide. For a full breakdown of each policy setting and how courts get booked and unbooked, see the Open Match Policies — Admin Guide.