Club management · Play-Cricket syncGuide · Club admin
Cricket club pre-season checklist: January to the first ball.
Every club has the same first Saturday in April: no scorebook, a captain who didn’t know they were captain, and three new players nobody added to Play-Cricket. This checklist spreads the work across four months, with an owner for every job, so the first ball is the easy part.
How to use it
Copy the list into a shared document at the first committee meeting of the year, put a name against every job, and review it once a month. The owners below are typical; your club’s roles may differ. Who does what on the committee.
January
| Job | Owner |
|---|---|
| Confirm league entries and team numbers for the season | Secretary |
| Request friendlies and confirm ground availability | Fixtures secretary |
| Book indoor or outdoor nets for March and April | Fixtures secretary |
| Agree the season budget from the AGM’s fees | Treasurer |
February
| Job | Owner |
|---|---|
| Open subs for the new season, with rates and any instalments | Treasurer |
| Register new players on Play-Cricket | Secretary |
| Review the safeguarding policy; check who needs checks renewing | Club Welfare Officer |
| Order balls, kit and scorebooks | Captains |
| Start recruiting: nets dates, social media post, junior parents | Chair |
March
| Job | Owner |
|---|---|
| Confirm captains and vice-captains for every team | Committee |
| Publish the selection policy and availability deadlines | Captains |
| Start nets; welcome newcomers by name | Captains |
| Roller, mowers and covers serviced; square work under way | Groundsman |
| Renew insurance and check it covers the season’s activities | Treasurer |
April
| Job | Owner |
|---|---|
| Fixtures live on Play-Cricket and in the club’s app | Fixtures secretary |
| Availability open for the first month of fixtures | Captains |
| Match fee rates set; captains know how to collect on the day | Treasurer |
| Teas rota and bar rota for the first month | Social secretary |
| First aid kit and defibrillator checked; emergency contacts up to date | Club Welfare Officer |
| Pre-season friendly, then the first league game | Everyone |
The jobs that matter most
Subs before the first game
Members whose subs aren’t paid usually can’t be selected, because the club’s insurance only covers members. Open subs early, offer instalments for larger amounts, and set the deadline before the first league fixture. What clubs charge, and how to cost yours.
Captains who know the system
A captain’s first match is the worst time to learn how availability, selection and fees work. Walk every captain through it in March, and publish the selection policy before anyone is picked. The captain’s weekly checklist is a good handout.
Players who are actually registered
Leagues expect players to be registered before they play, and some penalise sides that field unregistered players. Ask new players for their details at their first nets session and register them on Play-Cricket that week, not the Friday before the first game.
Safeguarding, not just paperwork
The Club Welfare Officer reviews the policy, checks who needs their checks renewed and makes sure every junior has emergency contacts on file. The ECB’s safeguarding pages set out what’s required. Running a junior section covers the rest.
New players, welcomed
March nets are when most new players arrive. Name a contact who meets them, and get them a game in their first few weeks. How to recruit players and keep them.
Setting up the season in MVP Cricket
- Play-Cricket sync. Fixtures, results and scorecards come in every morning. Choose which of the club’s teams appear in the app, and new sides added on Play-Cricket are flagged so none goes missing.
- Subs (Premier plan). Set named rates for the season (adult, junior, life member at £0) and assign every member a rate, with per-member overrides for bursaries or late joiners.
- Availability and selection. Players answer once per match day; captains draft and publish sides from the same list.
- Match fees. Set standard, home, away and junior rates once; captains request fees from the team sheet.
- The leaderboard. Free forever, live from the first scorecard, so players have something to follow from week one.
The leaderboard and Play-Cricket sync are on the Free plan; availability, selection and match fees are on Club; the subs board is on Premier. How the Play-Cricket sync works.
Questions committees ask
When should a cricket club start pre-season preparation?
In January. League entries, ground bookings and nets are booked early, and players make their summer plans in the new year. Leaving it to April means competing with every other club for nets and players.
What does a cricket club need before the first game?
League entries confirmed, players registered on Play-Cricket, insurance in place, a reviewed safeguarding policy, captains appointed, the ground ready, fixtures published, availability open and a way to collect match fees.
When should cricket subs be collected?
Open subs in February or March and set a deadline before the first league game. An early-payment discount, or instalments for larger amounts, helps more members pay on time.
Set the season up once: Play-Cricket sync, subs, availability and fees in one place. Start free.