1 Creating a tournament
Start by visiting /manage and clicking New Tournament.
Name
Date
Courts
2 Security & scoring access
Rally HQ uses two authentication methods for public scoring. Both are automatically set up when you create a tournament.
A 4-digit PIN is auto-generated for your tournament. Find it in Settings and share it with designated scorekeepers. The PIN protects against unauthorized scoring.
Captains can score any match without a PIN. Their team portal link serves as authentication. Great for self-officiated games — captains are trusted as designated scorekeepers.
As the organizer, you can score from the Manage dashboard without any PIN — your login is your authentication.
When a captain signs in via Magic Link, they may set a display name on their Rally HQ account. Rally HQ now shows that display name in your Teams views and roster surfaces, with their email address available as a tooltip / secondary label. Captains who haven't set a display name (or who registered through the legacy verification-code flow without claiming an account) continue to show as their email address. You don't need to do anything differently — the change is purely cosmetic on the organizer side.
3 Check-in process
Set up a check-in station where captains confirm their team is present. This helps you know which teams are ready before starting pool play.
Confirm arrivals
Finalize pools
Brief your scorekeepers
4 Scoring rules
Rally HQ supports flexible scoring formats. Configure these in Settings.
Quick pool play matches, time-limited events.
Bracket play, championship matches.
Recreational leagues, faster turnaround.
Many sports require winning by 2 points. Rally HQ enforces this automatically when enabled.
5 Running the event
Assign teams to pools in the Pools tab. Aim for 3–4 teams per pool to ensure everyone gets enough play time.
Matches are scheduled automatically based on court count. Each pool uses a round-robin format (everyone plays everyone). Standings update in real-time as scores come in.
Once pool play is done, go to the Bracket tab. The system automatically seeds teams based on record.
Click Generate Bracket to build the elimination tree. Pool winners get top seeds (1, 2, 3…). Second-place finishers follow (4, 5, 6…).
On game day, toggle Tournament is Live in Settings. This shows the LIVE badge to spectators.
6 Handling ties
Rally HQ breaks ties automatically. You don't need to intervene unless there's a special circumstance.
Win-loss record
Point differential
Head-to-head
7 Troubleshooting
Ensure all pool play matches have final scores.
Check that you have at least 2 pools.
Verify teams are assigned to pools (not unassigned).
Both captains should agree on the final score.
You can edit any match score from the Schedule tab.
Changes are logged for transparency.
Double-check the PIN is correct.
Make sure they're using the right court link.
Try refreshing the page on their device.
8 Managing leagues (Pro)
Leagues are available with a Pro subscription. They're perfect for recurring events like weekly leagues across any sport.
Leagues have a hierarchical structure: Event → Season → Weeks.
Event — the overall league (e.g., "SoCal Beach League").
Season — a time period (e.g., "Spring 2026").
Week — individual tournament within the season (Week 1, Week 2…).
Teams register once for the league and their roster persists across all weeks. No need for teams to re-register every week.
Teams register at /events/[slug]/register. Their roster is
automatically copied to each week's tournament. Standings track their cumulative
record across the season.
Standings update automatically as matches complete. The public standings page shows real-time rankings.
3 points per win · 1 point per tie · 0 points per loss.
1. Add a new week from the season dashboard.
2. Team rosters are copied automatically.
3. Run the week like a normal tournament (pools, bracket).
4. Season standings update automatically.
9 Billing & plans
Access your billing dashboard from /manage by clicking Billing in the header.
View your plan — see your current tier (Free, Plus, or Pro).
Payment history — all past invoices with download links.
Tournament passes — list of tournaments unlocked with Plus.
Manage subscription — update payment or cancel via Stripe.
All payment processing is handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number.
Frequently asked questions
As an organizer, you're responsible for participant data, safety, insurance, and payment handling. Rally HQ is software — you run the event.