Team Formation

Creating Teams

PickleSync supports both dynamic match-based play and permanent team structures for league competitions. Team formation features allow you to organize players into stable partnerships for extended competitions while maintaining skill balance across the league.

Manual Team Creation

Create teams manually when you want complete control over team composition:

1. Navigate to the Teams section of your program
2. Click Create New Team and enter a team name
3. Add players to the team one at a time or in pairs
4. Assign team captains and set skill ratings
5. Configure team preferences and availability

Manual team creation is ideal for situations where players have requested specific partnerships or when you're organizing a tournament with pre-formed teams.

Automated Team Generation

For new leagues or when reorganizing divisions, use PickleSync's automated team generation:

// Example team generation configuration
{
  "team_size": 2,
  "number_of_teams": 12,
  "balance_method": "skill_based",
  "allow_skill_variance": 0.4,
  "consider_preferences": true,
  "avoid_previous_partnerships": false
}

The automated system analyzes your player pool and creates teams that are competitively balanced while respecting player preferences when possible. Each generated team receives an average skill rating calculated from its members.

Team Management

Team Rosters

Maintain accurate team rosters throughout your season with flexible management tools:

• Add Players: Incorporate new players into existing teams
• Remove Players: Handle player departures or transfers
• Substitute Players: Manage temporary substitutions for individual matches
• Skill Updates: Adjust team ratings when player skills change

Team Statistics

Track comprehensive team performance metrics automatically:

PickleSync automatically updates team statistics after each match, maintaining accurate standings and performance history throughout your league season.

League Structures

Division Management

Organize teams into divisions for larger leagues:

Scheduling Team Matches

Generate league schedules that ensure fair competition:

• Round Robin: Every team plays every other team once (or multiple times)
• Swiss System: Teams play opponents with similar records each round
• Ladder Format: Teams challenge nearby teams in ranked order
• Tournament Brackets: Single or double elimination playoff structures

Configure your league schedule with specific parameters:

{
  "format": "round_robin",
  "weeks": 10,
  "matches_per_week": 1,
  "playoff_teams": 4,
  "tiebreaker_rules": ["head_to_head", "point_differential", "games_won"]
}

Team Communication

Team Notifications

Enable targeted communication with entire teams:

• Match Reminders: Automatic notifications before scheduled matches
• Schedule Changes: Alert teams when times or courts are modified
• Standings Updates: Weekly summaries of league standings and upcoming opponents
• Playoff Announcements: Notifications about tournament brackets and advancement

Team Pages

Each team gets a dedicated page displaying:

• Current roster and player profiles
• Season statistics and standings
• Match history with detailed scores
• Upcoming schedule and opponents
• Team captain contact information

Team pages are accessible to team members through the PickleSync mobile app or web interface, keeping everyone informed and engaged throughout the season.