Running successful pickup games can be difficult for the organizer. It is a struggle to get the right amout of players. Too few and you lose money and might not even cover the cost of the session. Too many and people are complaining about not getting enough time to play and may not attend future games. Chasing up player commitments to ensure a well-attended game can be an endless, time-consuming struggle.

That's where XSYTE comes in... using the Game Invitation System makes it easy to run successful pick-up games time after time with the ideal amount of players to ensure a great game. Organizers no longer need to waste their valuable time sending emails and text messages or calling players to see if they are available. The Game Invitation System takes care of all of these tasks with the click of a button. Here's how it works...Let's imagine a scenario where the ideal number of players for each pickup game is 20 players plus 2 goalies.

You put all your potential players into a player pool. You can add players manually or they can request to be added via the website where you can activate them, automatically adding them to the pool. This helps grow the number of available players, increasing the chance for a full pick-up session. You can rank your players to be sure that desired players are first to get an invitation.

Now all you have to do is go to your game page and click Send Invites!  Then just kick back and watch the magic happen.

The first 20 player invitations plus 2 goalie invitations are sent automatically.

As the players respond, the game page updates indicating what the responses are. If a player indicates "Yes", then he/she will get a big green tick next to thier name letting them know they are in. "Yes" players are listed in the order of response time. If a player indicates "No", then an invitation gets sent out to the next person in line.

Sometimes players won't respond. In this case you can manually invite players still waiting for an invitation. At this point it becomes first come, first served because you will have more invitations out than are spots left in the game. After you fill up the 20 spots, further "Yes" indications are marked with an R - Reserve icon instead of a green tick. This lets players know that they are not in the 20, but may still be able to play in event of a cancellation.

Once your spots are filled, you can simply drag and drop the players to the desired team. Setting up fair teams is a great way to build a fun pickup game that everyone will enjoy. It also lets the players know what jersey to bring to the game!

Here's what a few administrators using this system had to say about it...

The features available on the GSHL Website have been a huge benefit to me personally, thereby minimising the amount of time I need dedicate to the admin of GSHL.
-Sheryn, GSHL - gshl.hockeysyte.com

The guys understood what to do without too many instructions!
-Gregor, IHL - ihl.hockeysyte.com

What's more is the Game Invitation System works seamlessly with our Game Credit System so you won't have to chase after money on game night. 

The Game Invitation System can work in conjunction with your current website!   It is easy to set up and you can be up and running in no time.

What is even more staggering is XSYTE provides the Game Invitation System absolutely free!

If you are interested in getting this system set up as part of your organization's web strategy... drop me a line at tracy@xsyte.com or visit our website at www.xsyte.com. 

HockeySYTE is a great product.  Most sports websites charge monthly or yearly fees to run, use endless data entry to get scores and stats in and don't help actually make things easier for the organizers.  HockeySYTE does.  Everything is bulk uploadable, so you can have all your members, game schedules and team rosters in the site in a snap. 

Once the groundwork is laid, scoring games can be done by your scorer on the computer as the game happens.  A neatly typed, official scoresheet can be printed and signed after the game.  Players and coaches can instantly access stats as the game is happening.  How many shots on goal in this period?  Three?!?  Put the puck on net, boys!! 

Not only does scoring live help with instant web updating, it saves money.  Now you don't have to hire someone to then type the same scoresheet into the computer.  It also allows more accurate stats.  Another person entering data can make transcribing mistakes just by human error.  How often have you seen a handwritten scoresheet that is just plain illegible?  Or how about when the scorer awards a goal to a number not on the roster?  Scoring live takes those problems and solves them all in one go.

Any hockey league organizer will know the headache of making sure players can make games and setting up substitutes when a player is not available.  HockeySYTE uses email and SMS to send out game notifications to players.  As the responses come in the rosters are updated in real time.  When a player is not available, your substitute is invited to the game.  This saves a lot of hassle for the organizer, makes sure there are enough players for the team and ensures enough money-paying people are showing up week in and week out.  This system also works fabulously for pickup/shinny sessions.   Get great pickup games each time with just the right amount of players. 

These features add great value to your organization, but HockeySYTE endeavors to do even more.  The value of every organization lies in it's member base.  HockeySYTE helps organizations tap into that value by helping to set up real, revenue generating advertising.  You have 100 hockey players that you communicate with on a regular basis.  You can bet that there are some local companies that would love to market to Hockey Players.  Play-it-again sports would be able to urge the players to come in for some cheap gear, the bar down the road could advertise cheap food after the games.  HockeySYTE makes it easy for you to sell your advertising space on your website and make money for the organization. 

Oh did I mention that HockeySYTE comes with a professional built-in store.  It allows you to sell anything and everything.  Member fees, t-shirts, advertising spots... whatever your organization wants to sell, it can.

In short, XSYTE wants to partner with organizations and help them get the most out of their website without web development costs, monthly website charges and other costs that hockey organizations would rather use in other ways.

Give it a try!  It's Free!  http://www.xsyte.com