Sideline Help Open Sideline

Set up your club with the setup checklist

When you create a club, Sideline opens the setup checklist. It has 12 numbered steps. You do each step on the normal screen for that job, so you learn Sideline as you set up.

Nothing is locked. You can open any screen at any time. Other officials of your club can use Sideline too. They see one line that tells them who is setting the club up and how many steps are done.

Before you start

Have your club's pages on the FA Club Portal open. The FA Club Portal is where clubs register teams, players and officials. You copy some names from it.

The 12 steps

  1. Create your club. See Create your club.
  2. Add your season.
  3. Add your leagues.
  4. Add your teams and venues.
  5. Set your subs and fees. See Set up your subs and fees.
  6. Add your club officials.
  7. Get a head coach on every team. See Add your coaches.
  8. Add affiliation numbers. See Add your affiliation numbers.
  9. Add your club badge.
  10. Connect your payment account.
  11. Your Sideline plan and terms. See Change your Sideline plan.
  12. Open registration. See Open registration for your teams.

Sideline works out each step from what you add. You do not tick a step yourself. A progress bar shows how many steps are done.

Do the steps

  1. Open your club. The checklist shows a tick on each step that is done.
  2. Select the amber button on the next step.
  3. Do the step on its screen. Each step screen has a banner, for example Step 4 of 12, with Back to the checklist. Select ? at the top of the screen for help with that step.
  4. Select Back to the checklist to see your progress.

Some steps offer ways in that use AI. The AI way is first on the screen and has an AI mark. You copy a page from the FA Club Portal and paste it in. Sideline sorts it into a list, and you tick what is right. Each step has a limit of 10 AI reads in 30 days. If you run out, the other ways still work. If you prefer not to paste, select Show the normal screen instead.

Add your leagues (step 3)

There are three ways to add your leagues. Use them in this order.

  1. Paste your Teams page. Copy the Teams page from the FA Club Portal and paste it in. Sideline finds the league of each team. Tick the leagues to add.
  2. Find a league we list. Sideline keeps a list of leagues for your area. Type 3 letters or more of any word in the league's name, for example "Liverpool" or "Girls". Then choose your league.
  3. Add your league. If your league is not on the list, type its name and choose the day it plays. Use the name that FA Full-Time shows.

When you add a league yourself, the Sideline team checks it. If it is a real league, they add it to the list for other clubs. Your league stays as it is.

If you paste your Teams page at step 4 first, and a team's league is not on the list:

  • On the check screen, keep Add (league) as your club's league ticked and choose the day it plays. The teams go into your season when you add them.
  • If a team still waits for its league, the Teams screen shows Add (league). Select it. You do not type the name again.

Step 3 is not done while a team waits for a league that you did not add.

The menu in setup mode

  • A menu item that waits for an earlier step is dimmed and has a lock. It still opens. Sideline shows which step it waits for. Select Go to step to do that step, or Open it anyway.
  • The menu item for your next step has an amber dot and a Next chip.

Set up from a workbook instead

Under the steps, select fill in the starter workbook. See Set up your club from a workbook. To use a spreadsheet you already have, see Import your own spreadsheet.

Put a mistake right

You can remove a record while nothing depends on it. For example, select Remove team on a team, or Remove beside a league. A box asks you to confirm. If something depends on the record, the box says what to do instead.

The Leagues, Teams and Officials steps have Start this step again. The page lists what Sideline will remove and what stays. After you confirm, select Undo this to put everything back. Only an owner can start a step again.

Leave setup mode

Under the steps, select Leave setup mode. Your club opens on the Dashboard. The Dashboard shows the steps that are not done, until all 12 are done. To see the full checklist again, select Open the checklist on the Dashboard.

When your first team opens for registration (step 12), setup mode ends.

After step 12

Extra time shows optional tasks: policies and terms, finish your venues, fixtures from FA Full-Time, and sessions and training.

Common questions

Why must I copy names exactly from the FA Club Portal?

FA Full-Time is where leagues publish fixtures, results and tables. Sideline matches your fixtures on FA Full-Time by the team names and your club's name. If a name is different, the fixtures for that team do not match.

Why can parents not register for my team yet?

A team opens to parents when it has a plan and a head coach with full details. Your club must also have a badge, the required officials and a payment account. The opening check shows what is missing.

Does the checklist lock anything?

No. A step that waits for another step says which one. Select Open it anyway to go on.

What does Skip for now do on the badge step?

It counts the step as done. Your club then shows its initials instead of a badge. The Dashboard keeps offering the badge until you add one.