This walkthrough is for club owners and admins setting up BookCourt for the first time. From zero to a live queue with members in it, start to finish. About five minutes.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to bookcourt.at/register. Free, no credit card. You need:
- Username — shown in the queue, leaderboards, and game history. Permanent — cannot be changed later.
- Email — used only for PIN resets.
- 4-digit PIN — your login password.
Step 2: Create Your Center
Go to bookcourt.at/new-center.
URL Slug
Auto-generated from your center name — e.g. "Smash Club" → bookcourt.at/smash-club. Permanent. Cannot be changed. If the auto-slug doesn't look right, adjust the center name before submitting.
Location & Sport
Set your city or neighborhood and check the sports your center plays. These show on center listing cards so players can find you.
Number of Courts
Set this to the number of courts you run simultaneously. Adjustable later in Settings.
Queue Mode
Choose how your queue works:
- Skip Mode (default) — First 4 players in line are "Next to Play." Players can skip their turn to defer one round. Best for casual drop-in sessions.
- Set Freeze Mode — Players are locked into pre-formed groups of 4 when they join. Sets play in group order. No skipping. Best when players want to know their playing partners in advance.
You can change this later in Admin → Settings.
Skip Cap (Skip Mode only)
Limits how many position-swap skips a player gets per rolling 24-hour window. 0 = unlimited. If regulars abuse skipping, set this to 2–3. Adjustable later.
Timezone
Set to your club's local timezone — this controls when the daily leaderboard resets and when operating hours are enforced.
Submit — you're automatically the Owner.
Step 3: Share Your Center URL
Go to Admin panel → Overview tab. Your center URL is shown with a copy button. Drop it in your club's WhatsApp or group chat.
Step 4: Members Join
Tell members to:
- Go to bookcourt.at/register — create a free account
- Visit your center URL
- Click Request to Join
- Let you know so you can approve them (no automatic notifications are sent)
Step 5: Approve Members
Admin panel → Members tab. Pending requests show at the top. Click Approve. Done — they immediately gain access to the queue and dashboard.
Step 6: Promote Trusted Members to Admin
For busy sessions, 2–3 co-admins are invaluable. Admins can generate sets, manage the queue, and approve new members — even from their phone while playing.
Admin panel → Members tab → Promote to Admin next to any member's name.
Step 7: Run Your First Session
- Players tap Join Queue from the dashboard.
- The first 4 players appear highlighted as Next to Play.
- When a court opens, someone taps Move to Court and confirms the 3-step flow (intent → court clear → court number).
- When done, any player on that court (or an admin) taps End Set. Players re-join the queue manually.
The queue updates live for all members. No page refresh needed.
Common First-Session Questions
"Daily stats are resetting at the wrong time."
Admin → Settings → update the Timezone to match your club's location.
"I want to automatically close the queue at night."
Admin → Settings → set up Operating Hours. You can also enable Auto-end sets and Auto-clear queue when hours close.
"I want to run a tournament too."
Tournaments are a separate feature. Go to bookcourt.at/new-tournament to create one. See the tournaments section of the full guide.
"I can't change the center URL."
Correct — it's permanent by design. You can change the display name in Settings at any time.
Need more detail on any feature? Read the complete guide — it covers centers, tournaments, queue modes, admin tools, and more.