An open match is a booking in which some places are left free: the player who creates it is looking for partners, and other members of a similar level can join it by paying their share. It is very popular in padel, which is played by four.

1. Enable open matches for a sport

1. In the left-hand menu, open Sport → Link a sport to a season.
2. Click the pencil of the sport-season concerned (for example "Padel - 2025-2026").
3. In the Open matches part, turn on Allow open reservations.
4. In Value of the level displayed?, choose the member record field that contains the players' level.
5. In Accepted level gap, choose the gap allowed between the level of the match creator and that of the players who join (± 2 by default). Example: creator at level 3 and gap ± 1, players at levels 2 to 4 can join.
6. Optional: in Forbidden hours for open matches, enter the hours and days during which no open match can be created. Add hours adds a row.
7. Click Save.

Level shown, accepted level gap and forbidden hours.

2. The players' level

To join an open match, a member must have entered their level. They do this themselves in their profile; the administration can also fill it in or correct it in the member record (Members → Manage members).

A player can only join a match if their level is close to the creator's: the difference must not exceed the Accepted level gap value set for the sport-season (± 2 by default). The creator does not choose this range.

3. What the players do

• Create an open match: when booking, the player turns on the open match option and leaves places free. They only pay their share and that of the people they add themselves.
• Public or private: a public match appears in the schedule with a colour and a badge showing the free places; a private match can only be reached through the invitation link.
• Open to: the creator chooses Mixed (all), Women or Men. For a match reserved for women or men, Plugin uses the title (Mrs / Mr) on the player's record; a player with no title cannot join.
• WhatsApp contact: by ticking Players may contact me on WhatsApp, the creator makes their phone number visible to players viewing the match; they then see a button to write to them. The option is greyed out if the creator's record has no phone number.
• Hidden prices: on an existing booking, each player only sees their own share; only the person in charge sees every player's price.
• Invite: the creator shares the match link (WhatsApp, e-mail…).
• Join: the invited player opens the match, takes a free place and pays their own share.

The player-side procedure is described in the articles How to create an open booking and How to join an open match.

4. E-mails sent

In Messages → Manage automatic e-mails, four messages concern open matches: New open reservation, Delete an open reservation, Open match - a player joined and Open match - full. Turn them on and customise their text as needed (see Manage automatic e-mails).

In the administration schedule, an open match is handled like any other booking: click it to see the players, edit it or collect payment (see Managing bookings in the schedule).