With Team Management up and running, the next logical step was to expand ClubAssemble’s capabilities beyond fixtures and matches.
Clubs aren’t just about competition — they’re communities. Social nights, awards dinners, fundraisers, coaching courses, and holiday camps all play a huge role in the club experience. So, the next challenge was clear: build an Events system that helped clubs organise, promote, and manage all the other things that make club life special.
A Familiar Starting Point
At first glance, building an events system looked straightforward. We already had a solid foundation from Team Management — scheduling, attendance tracking, permissions, and member notifications — so it seemed logical to re-use much of that framework.
But as we began to prototype, it became clear that an event isn’t just another fixture. It might share some similarities in presentation (a calendar view, RSVP options, reminders), but the underlying logic and data needs were completely different. A fixture represents a specific competition between teams, with known participants and outcomes. An event, by contrast, is far more open-ended — anyone might attend, guests might be invited, and the information required is often quite different.
Defining What Makes an Event
To make events truly useful, we needed to rethink their structure from the ground up. When a club creates an event, it’s not enough to simply set a time and place — the organiser needs control over a range of parameters that define how that event operates.
Each event includes:
- Title and description – the what and why
- Venue and time – the where and when
- Maximum occupancy – how many can attend before registration closes
- Pricing – ticketed or free, with optional price per attendee
- Guest policy – are guests allowed, and if so, how many per member?
These attributes help clubs manage not just attendance but logistics — ensuring events don’t oversubscribe and that organisers have all the information they need at a glance.
Introducing the Events Admin Role
To manage these new responsibilities securely, we extended our role-based access control (RBAC) model again by introducing a new role: Events Admin.
This role allows designated organisers to create, edit, and manage events independently, without giving them access to team or fixture data. It’s a clean separation of duties that mirrors how many clubs operate in real life — where different volunteers handle competitions, social activities, and facilities.
Handling Guests and External Participants
One of the biggest technical and security questions was how to represent guests. Guests, by definition, aren’t members — so how do we store their information responsibly without compromising privacy or cluttering the main member database?
Our solution was to create a linked guest record structure. Each member who registers for an event can optionally declare guests, which are stored as lightweight, anonymised records linked only to that member and event. This allows organisers to see the total attendance and who is bringing guests — without storing unnecessary personal details. It’s clean, compliant, and secure.
Extending Event Functionality — The Smart Way
As we explored potential use cases, clubs often asked for things like:
- Pre-ordering meal choices for awards dinners
- Selecting training topics or equipment needs
- Registering for optional breakout sessions
We considered building an entire custom form system into ClubAssemble — but that approach risked complexity and duplication. Instead, we chose to integrate with existing tools like Microsoft Forms and Google Forms.
Now, event organisers can create flexible, detailed forms externally (complete with conditional logic, attachments, and formatting), and simply link them directly from within an event in ClubAssemble. This gives clubs maximum flexibility without reinventing something the world already does really well.
User Experience and Familiarity
While the data model for events diverged from fixtures, the user interface retained some familiar elements. Events appear within the same calendar view that users already use for fixtures — creating continuity and familiarity. This consistency means members don’t have to learn a new system; they can browse upcoming matches and events side-by-side, respond easily, and stay engaged with everything happening at their club.
The Bigger Picture
The addition of Events marked an important milestone. It transformed ClubAssemble from a team and fixture tool into a true club management platform — one that brings together sport, community, and social connection in a single, cohesive experience.