Just Play HQ is your team captain. We register the team, pick the lineup each week, chase the RSVPs, send the game details and step in if the team atmosphere isn't right. Nobody in the team has to take that on, and nobody expects you to know anyone when you walk in.
The team chat
Every team has its own WhatsApp group. In the app, go to Schedule, open a game, then Game details → Join the Team Chat. A Just Play staff member sits in every team group. See Team chat: how do I join my team's WhatsApp group?.
It's the easiest way to say hello before you meet anyone in person. People use it to work out who is running late and who is playing where.
Two things to know. A message in the group isn't an RSVP, so if you can't play you still need to update your RSVP in the app; see RSVPs: how do I tell you I cannot play?. And the Player Code of Conduct applies in the group exactly as it does on court. If you need us, message us in the app rather than in the group.
What the first ten minutes are actually like
Undramatic, which is the point. You find the court or pitch, look for the people in black, and say your name. Most of the people standing there signed up on their own too, so you're not walking into a group that already knows each other.
Arrive 10 minutes before your game time and find the team. Your first game: where to go and when to arrive covers where to go.
Names get swapped. You'll forget most of them. Everyone does, and by week three it has sorted itself out.
Someone asks who wants to play where. Say if you'd rather not start, or if you've never played the position. Nobody minds.
You work out a rough substitution plan so everyone gets court time. Substitutions: how do subs work, and can I bring a fill-in? has how that usually runs.
You play. The first game goes quickly.
You don't need to be good, and you don't need to be fit. Saying your name to two people is enough to belong to the team by week two. If making friends as an adult is the real reason you signed up, we wrote about that here.
For what to wear, see What do I wear, and what should I bring to a game?.
Still need a hand? Contact us.