Team admins and coaches do most of their league scheduling asynchronously. Here are a couple tools for making that process run smoother.

Tip #1: Create a Copy of this Scheduling Matrix

While you can certainly just email back-and-forth with all of the teams in your division, setting up a scheduling matrix can eliminate a lot of the work. It allows you to see the games you still need to schedule and identify a date that might work for both teams, without a lot of back-and-forth to inquire about available dates.

Efficient League Scheduling with the Scheduling Matrix 📅 – Watch Video

Don’t wanna watch a video? Here’s how it works:

  1. Make a copy of our Scheduling Matrix for your division
  2. Change the Share settings so that anyone with the link can edit.
  3. Enter header info and fill in the team names in Column A
  4. Get the list of coaches and team contacts for your division from the league and email them the link (see sample email below).
Copy Scheduling Matrix Tip
Choose File -> Make a copy to create a copy of the template that you can edit.

Here’s an example of a mostly complete scheduling matrix:

Scheduling Matrix Example
Fill in the teams in your division in Column A and share the file with the other team contacts. Put an “x” in a cell if there are lots of teams in your division and you won’t play all of them. There’s space below to list scheduling contact names, emails, phone, as well as home field location, desired dates and blackout dates, and team colors.

Here’s an example of an email you could send to your division contacts:

Hi everyone, 

I’m Brett Dickson of Cincy SC B16 Orange in CPL BU9 Div 4.

I created a scheduling matrix to help out with scheduling our division. It’s easy to use and proven to be very effective at limiting the amount of back-and-forth trying to find an agreeable date and while also ensuring that each team gets the right number of games scheduled.

Scheduling Matrix for CPL BU9 Div 4 for Spring ’25

As a first step, please fill in the scheduling contact(s) for your team and any unavailable dates at the bottom. From there, you just need to “own your column” by filling in the date/time/location for games once you’ve agreed to them with the other team. You can also enter proposed dates into a cell as a suggestion to the other team.

It may help to mark cells “H” or “A” for Home and Away, and put “x” for any teams that you won’t play. I suggest you do the same before you start scheduling games.

Tip #2: Use This Season-at-a-Glance Scheduling Aid

This printable, one-page, Season-at-a-Glance scheduling aid replaces printing a calendar or using a calendar app on your phone or computer. Why is that better? Because it puts your entire season on one page (no flipping pages or toggling between windows) and makes it really easy to see where you have openings. I suggest that you print it out and set it beside your computer if you’re scheduling at home, or stick it on a clipboard if you’re using it at an in-person scheduling meeting. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Season-at-a-Glance Example
Example of my season schedule in progress.

Tip #3: know the process for your league

Buckeye Premier Youth Soccer League (BPYSL or Buckeye)

BPYSL is a self-schedule league and scheduling is asynchronous (no scheduling meeting). Create a copy of the Scheduling Matrix for your division and share it with the other teams. Gather any blackout dates (tournaments, spring breaks, etc.) before scheduling games to avoid any reschedules.

Developmental League (DL)

The Developmental League schedules all games at one site per weekend across several weekends during the season. Coaches and team managers are only responsible for telling the league managers what weekends they can’t play.

Cardinal Premier League (CPL)

CPL is a self-schedule league. If possible, please try to attend the league scheduling meeting with your coach. One person can handle it, but it’s easier with two. Gather any blackout dates before the meeting to avoid any reschedules (tournaments, mainly). 

Self Scheduling Meeting Pro Tips

Pre-covid, most league games were scheduled at pre-season scheduling meetings. Some leagues have returned to in-person meetings, but most have not. These tips apply either way.

  1. Print and use the Season-at-a-Glance. It’s great to have one page that you don’t have to flip.
  2. Check to see how many teams are in your division. If there are 7, 8, or 9 teams, the “who to play” decision is normally pretty simple: everyone once. If there are 6, or more than 9, it gets more complicated. Make sure each team decides WHO they’re going to play before everyone tries to figure out WHEN they’re going to play.
  3. Gather any blackout dates beforehand. This would include tourney weekends as well as any dates that you know would be a conflict for your coach or a large chunk of your team.
  4. Before the meeting, make sure you know what tournaments your team will attend. If you’re not sure, ask a club director. Note any blackout days for tourneys, spring breaks, etc.
  5. If meeting in-person, arrive 30 minutes early. A lot of the scheduling takes place before the official meeting starts (some also may occur days before by email).
  6. At the meeting, it helps to have a 2nd person as a runner to go to the field schedulers.
  7. Schedule the farther away teams first before you and they run out of available weekends/fields. The nearby teams can usually be squeezed in on a weeknight at your home fields.
  8. Especially if you’re playing in OSSL, GLC, or Buckeye, know that there will be some travel outside of your city. When deciding where to play, don’t be a jerk, but don’t be a pushover either. Sometimes there are fields that are in between the two teams.
  9. Let the other team know we are navy or white and ask the other team what they would like to wear. Saves you the trouble of looking it up or emailing them later.
  10. Consider whether you’d be ok playing 2 games in Columbus or Dayton in a day or weekend as it may come up.
  11. Mention The EPIC Cup (in Oxford in April/May), but only to people that seem super-cool.
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