Automated Pickleball Open Play Signups and Waitlists

Run neighborhood open play without counting replies in chat threads or turning players away at crowded courts. When you publish a session, it syncs to your club Google Calendar with a strict player cap tied to court count. Players sign up through a single shared link, drop-in fees route straight to your Stripe account, and cancellations automatically bump the next person on the waitlist with a confirmation email.

Join the waitlist

Updated

How it works

From scheduling court times to handling last-minute dropouts, sessions manage their own caps and waitlists automatically.

  1. 01

    Publish session to calendar

    Set your court count, player cap, and skill level. The session publishes directly to your club's Google Calendar.

  2. 02

    Share the signup link

    Paste the signup link into your group chat. Players claim confirmed roster spots or take the next spot in the waitlist queue.

  3. 03

    Collect optional drop-in fees

    If running a paid open play or clinic, players complete payment via Stripe Checkout directly into the club's Stripe account.

  4. 04

    Auto-promote waitlisted players

    When a registered player drops out, the system automatically promotes the next waitlisted player and emails them their confirmed spot.

  5. 05

    Send session reminders

    Registered players receive an automated reminder email the day before play begins so open spots can be freed early.

What it connects to

  • Google CalendarBuildable

    One sign-in on the app's own screen

    Publishes capped sessions directly to your club's public or shared schedule.

  • Stripe CheckoutAvailable today

    Built into Sidechat

    Collects clinic and drop-in session fees directly into your own Stripe account.

  • Email NotificationsAvailable today

    Built into Sidechat

    Sends roster confirmations, waitlist promotions, and day-before session reminders.

What it costs to run

1 hosted open play web application, 800 session confirmation and waitlist update emails, 120 calendar synchronization calls, 900 roster and waitlist table updates come to about $4.95 a month at side.chat's default rates.
ItemUsageMonthly
Hosted open play web application
side.chat default cost table (billing_get_cost_table), as of
1 hosted apps / month × $0.00$0.00
Session confirmation and waitlist update emails
side.chat default cost table (billing_get_cost_table), as of
800 emails / month × $0.003$2.40
Calendar synchronization calls
side.chat default cost table (billing_get_cost_table), as of
120 integration calls / month × $0.02$2.40
Roster and waitlist table updates
side.chat default cost table (billing_get_cost_table), as of
900 table writes / month × $0.00017$0.15
Monthly total$4.95

Estimated based on a club running four weekly open-play sessions across multiple courts with active rosters and waitlists.

Questions

When a confirmed player drops out, the system automatically advances the first person in line on the waitlist, updates the roster table, and emails that player to confirm they now have a spot.

Drop-in and clinic fees are processed through Stripe Checkout connected directly to your club's own Stripe account. side.chat never holds your money.

Yes. Each session is configured individually with its own skill level, court allocation, player cap, and specific signup link.

SMS text notifications can be enabled for your workspace on request, allowing the app to send waitlist promotions and session alerts via text message.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. More players than courts is identified as the most common open play problem for organizers. SignUpGenius, .

Automated Pickleball Open Play Signups and Waitlists

Join the waitlist
SidechatJoin the waitlist