Team selections lost in the chat
The message in the group scrolls away under twenty replies, someone doesn’t read it, someone replies privately. On Friday evening you still don’t know who’s available or whether you have enough players for 7v7.
The app for youth football coaches you use from WhatsApp
U9s on Tuesday and Thursday, U12s on Saturday morning, an Easter tournament and a different pitch every week. Ugo drafts team selections, works out meeting times for away games, records attendance and playing time and keeps your club’s tournament invites in order.
An app for youth and grassroots football coaches has to speak the language of junior football: mini-soccer from U7 to U10, 5v5 and 7v7, then 9v9 at U11 and U12, short periods, festivals and end-of-season tournaments. Whether you coach a mini-soccer age group or an U14 or U16 side in an 11-a-side league, the pitch is only part of the job: there are teams to pick, parents to update, lifts to arrange for away games, registrations and consent forms to keep on top of.
Ugo works on WhatsApp with your calendar, inbox and the club’s sheets. You say “pick the U9s for Sunday, except Luke and Sam who are on a school trip” and it drafts the message for each parent, which goes out from your WhatsApp Business only after you confirm. Ask where you’re playing on Sunday and it finds the ground, the route and the meeting time.
In youth football what matters is that everyone plays and enjoys it, and that’s the spirit behind The FA’s youth formats. Ugo helps you keep track of attendance and playing time, so at the end of the season you know every child has had their share of minutes and you can show parents the numbers, with no arguments.
What eats into a youth football coach’s time
The football is the easy part. Saturday’s logistics, much less so.
Always a different pitch
Festivals and tournaments take you to 3G pitches in places you don’t know. Address, parking, where the changing rooms are, meeting time: the same questions from parents every week.
Tournaments and invites to manage
Tournament invites for U9s and U12s arrive from across the county, each with different fees, rules and entry deadlines. Replying on time and keeping track is a small admin job of its own.
Fair playing time for everyone
Parents notice straight away if a child plays less than the others. Without a record of attendance and playing time, relying on memory at the end of the season is risky, and unfair on whoever sat on the bench.
How to use Ugo at your youth football club
From Friday’s team selection to the end-of-season tournament.
Individual team selections to parents
Ugo reads the group list from the club’s sheet, drafts the selection message with time, pitch and what to bring and sends it to each parent from your WhatsApp Business, after you confirm.
Skills used
Pick the U9s for Sunday at Stockport, meet 9:15 at the ground, except Luke and Sam who are on a school trip
I’ll send this message to 12 parents, from your WhatsApp Business: “Hi, on Sunday the U9s are playing at Stockport, at the council pitches. Meet at 9:15 at the ground, with full kit, shin pads and a water bottle. Can you let me know if they’re available? Thanks, Coach Dave” Left out: Luke and Sam. Shall I go ahead?
The away ground and meeting time
Type the name of the ground: Ugo finds the address, works out the journey time with traffic and suggests a realistic departure time. You can also ask for a Street View image of the entrance to share with parents who don’t know the place.
Skills used
Sunday tournament at Bolton’s Leverhulme Park, starts 9:30. How long from Sale?
From Sale to Leverhulme Park in Bolton is about 28 km, 31 minutes with current traffic. To arrive 45 minutes before the start, leave around 8:10. Would you like the Street View image of the entrance to share with parents?
Tournament invites in your inbox
Ugo searches your email for tournament invites, gives you a summary with dates, age groups, fees and entry deadlines and, for the ones you choose, creates the event in your calendar and drafts the reply to the organiser.
Skills used
What tournament invites have come in for the U12s?
I found 3: 1. Spring Tournament – Altrincham Juniors, 25 April, U12s, entry £60, closes 31/1 2. Memorial Cup – Didsbury FC, May bank holiday Monday, entry £50 3. Summer Festival – Urmston Town JFC, 2 June, free, closes 15/3 Shall I add the ones you’re interested in to your calendar and reply to the organisers?
Attendance and playing time
After the game you send a voice note with who played and for how many periods. Ugo updates the season sheet and, whenever you like, tells you who has played least, so you can balance things out next match.
Skills used
🎤 Voice message (0:24)
I’ll update the “U9s – Season” sheet, today’s game against Heaton Mersey: • 3 periods: Peter, Alex, Kevin, Ethan, Freddie • 2 periods: Ryan, Omar, Gabriel, Tom • 1 period: Lewis, Chris Shall I go ahead?
Confirm
Done. Since the start of the season Lewis and Chris have played the fewest periods: 9 out of 18.
A youth football coach’s match day with Ugo
Match day, from breakfast to the post-match squash.
- 7:00
Scheduled task: Ugo sends you the day’s game with pitch, kick-off, meeting time and the list of selected players.
- 7:30
A mum messages to say Freddie can’t make it: you tell Ugo with a voice note and it updates the selection sheet.
- 8:00
You ask for the route to the ground and the Street View image of the entrance, to share with the parents driving.
- 9:15
At the ground you ask for the list of selected players with shirt numbers, to fill in the team sheet without mistakes.
- 12:30
Game over, a voice note with playing time: the season sheet is up to date.
- 20:00
You draft the notice for Tuesday’s training and send it to parents after confirming.
Your football club’s tools, connected to Ugo
Nothing to install for parents or club officials.
Squad and season in Excel
A file on OneDrive for each age group with the squad, shirt numbers, parents’ contacts, attendance and playing time. Ugo updates the cells and sends you the tables as an image you can read on your phone.
The fixtures calendar
Games, festivals and tournaments in your Google or Outlook calendar. When the league publishes the season’s fixtures, Ugo helps you create the events with the pitch address, one after another.
The club inbox
League notices, tournament invites, questions from families. Ugo finds them, sums them up and drafts replies, which you send after reading them.
A selection template on Drive
A document with {{agegroup}}, {{pitch}} and {{meettime}}: Ugo fills it in for every game, handy to print for the clubhouse noticeboard or to file at the end of the season.
The skills to switch on
The most useful Ugo features for this job, starting with the first one to turn on. You switch them on from the portal in a few minutes.
FAQ about youth football
What’s the best app for managing team selections in youth football?
One that parents actually read. Dedicated apps work if every family installs them; otherwise you end up back in the WhatsApp group. With Ugo you stay on WhatsApp: you put together the selection with one message and it sends it to each parent from your WhatsApp Business number, individually, after you confirm.
What are the age groups and formats in youth football?
In England, mini-soccer runs from U7 to U10, with 5v5 at U7 and U8 and 7v7 at U9 and U10; U11 and U12 play 9v9, and 11-a-side starts at U13. Age groups are based on the school year. For the exact pitch sizes, ball sizes and match lengths, check The FA’s current youth football rules and your county FA.
How do I organise away games with parents?
Share the address, meeting time and journey time well in advance, and ask who can give lifts. A picture of the entrance saves people driving around in circles. With Ugo you work out the route with real traffic, get the Street View image of the ground and send the notice to every family from your WhatsApp Business.
How should a youth football club handle children’s data?
Collect only what you need for registration and activities, share contacts only with people who need them and don’t put photos or sensitive information in the chats. For consent and medical forms, recording the renewal date is enough. Ugo only answers verified numbers, keeps data on servers in Frankfurt and asks for confirmation before anything is sent.
Can Ugo do the team sheet?
Ugo doesn’t access The FA’s systems, such as the Whole Game System or matchday apps. It can, though, read the squad from your Excel sheet and give you the list of selected players with shirt numbers and the details you need, in order, so you fill in the team sheet in a few minutes. If you use a template on Drive with placeholders, it can fill that in for you too.
Do I need to install anything to use Ugo?
No. Ugo works on WhatsApp: you add it as a contact and message it. You connect the skills, such as calendar, Excel and WhatsApp Business, once from the portal. Parents don’t need to do anything: they get messages on their WhatsApp as usual.
Useful references
Associations, bodies and official sources for the sector: external websites, independent of Ugo.
- The FA – The Football AssociationEnglish football’s governing body: rules, registrations, safeguarding and coach education.thefa.com
- England FootballThe FA’s grassroots site, with youth formats, guidance for coaches and resources for clubs.englandfootball.com
- NSPCC Child Protection in Sport UnitSafeguarding guidance for clubs, including photos and videos of young players.thecpsu.org.uk
- ICO – Information Commissioner’s OfficeGuidance on protecting young people’s personal data, including photos and video.ico.org.uk
Team selections ready before kick-off
Connect your calendar, squad sheet and WhatsApp Business: organise next weekend with a voice note.
