FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Roots is an online platform that helps volunteer-led sports clubs and academies manage registration, payments, communication, teams and events. It takes care of the admin so you can spend your time on the pitch instead of behind a screen.

Grassroots clubs, academies and community sports organisations. It works for a parent-coach running one team and for an academy with hundreds of players across multiple age groups.

Football, rugby, hockey, cricket, netball, basketball, athletics, swimming, tennis, gymnastics and more. Each sport gets its own terminology, scoring and registration fields so the platform makes sense for your setup.

No. If you can use email and WhatsApp, you can use Roots. Most clubs are up and running within a day.

Yes. Player records, payment tracking, group lists and event registrations all sit in one place instead of being spread across spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and email threads.

Most clubs get the basics sorted in under a day. You create your club profile, set up your age groups and teams, add your products or events, and invite your members.

Yes. You can bring across your existing player records. Once families are invited, they fill in their own details, so you don't have to type everything in from a spreadsheet.

You share a club invite link or code. Parents create an account, register their children and pay as part of the same process.

Yes. We offer a Roots Light tier so you can see how it works. We're also happy to give you a walkthrough if you'd like one.

A device with a browser and an internet connection. There's nothing to install.

Parents pay online when they register or sign up for an event. The money goes directly to your club's account via Stripe. You can see who's paid and who hasn't at any time.

One-off payments, weekly or monthly instalments, and custom payment schedules. You choose what works for your club and your families.

Roots tracks failed payments and handles follow-up automatically. You can see a clear list of any outstanding issues in your dashboard.

Yes. Refunds can be processed directly through the platform for event cancellations, tournament withdrawals, or anything else.

Yes. You can create discount codes for events and products. Useful for early bird offers, sibling discounts or club promotions.

Parents register online through your club's invite link. They fill in player details, medical information, emergency contacts and any custom fields you've set up, then pay. Everything lands in one place.

The basics come built in: name, date of birth, medical details, emergency contacts. You can also add custom fields specific to your sport or club, like shirt size, position preference, or proof of age.

Families re-register with a single click. Their details carry over from last season. They confirm, update anything that's changed, and pay.

Yes. You can create separate events like camps, courses, trials or one-off sessions. Each one has its own registration, pricing and custom questions.

Yes. Every parent or guardian gets their own account where they can see their children's details, manage registrations, view billing history and make payments. This means they can sort things out themselves instead of messaging you.

Yes. You create the tournament, set up registration with payment, and Roots handles fixture generation, group stages, knockout brackets, scheduling across pitches, and live scoring.

Volunteers use a simple live scoring screen on any device. They enter goals and results, and standings, brackets and tables update in real time. No paper sheets or end-of-day data entry.

Yes. You can send invitations to other clubs or make the tournament open for public registration. Teams sign up, pay and manage their squad through the platform.

League stages, group stages, knockout rounds, playoffs, and multi-stage tournaments that combine them. You can also set up seeding based on previous results.

Yes. Fair play ratings per team and player of the match voting are built in for every match.

You set up your club's age groups (Under 9s, Under 12s, etc.) and create teams within them. Players are assigned to groups and teams, and you can see who's where at a glance.

Roots can handle group transitions automatically based on the rules you set. Players move up when they're supposed to.

Yes. You can set up different sporting divisions within your club, each with its own terminology, scoring, registration fields and custom settings.

Yes. Coaches get their own login and can see the players in their teams. You control what level of access each coach has.

Through the club messaging feature. You can message a specific group, team, or the whole club from one place.

Yes. Payment confirmations, registration confirmations, and card expiry warnings go out automatically.

Yes. Roots uses row-level security, which means people can only see the data they're supposed to. Player records, medical information and payment details are all protected.

You do. It's your club's data. You can export player records and transaction history at any time.

Yes. Personal data is stored securely, access is controlled by role, and families can manage their own information.

Get in touch and we'll talk you through the options based on your club's size and needs.

Real people. You can email us, book a call, or request a walkthrough. We built this from firsthand experience running grassroots clubs, so we know the problems you're dealing with.

No long-term contracts. You stay because it works, not because you're tied in.