If the previous stages of ClubAssemble focused on structure — teams, fixtures, and events — this one focused on connection. After all, a club isn’t just a collection of fixtures and schedules; it’s a living network of people. Coaches, players, parents, volunteers, and supporters all need to communicate and stay informed.
That’s where the ClubAssemble Messaging Hub comes in — the heart of our engagement model and the feature that ties the whole experience together.
A Unified Messaging Experience
From the outset, we wanted every user’s experience to feel seamless, even if they belonged to multiple clubs. In the real world, many people do — a player might also help coach a youth team, or play different sports for different organisations. So when they log in to ClubAssemble, they see a single, consolidated inbox that gathers all their messages across every club they belong to.
Within that unified space, each message delivers context-specific information — such as:
- Confirmation of an event booking
- Notification that a user has been selected for a team
- Updates on fixture changes or cancellations
- Club-wide announcements
Depending on the type of message, some are informational only, while others allow users to reply directly — for example, to confirm attendance or send a quick response to a coach. The goal was to make engagement effortless — everything relevant, in one place, accessible from any device.
Beyond Messages — Polls and Announcements
Alongside personal messaging, we added two new types of communication tools, each designed to serve the club community as a whole.
- Polls — Gathering Member Opinions
Polls give administrators the ability to quickly canvass their members’ opinions on club-wide topics. Whether it’s deciding on a new kit, choosing which league to join next season, or seeking feedback on policies, polls offer a structured, lightweight way to involve everyone. Each poll is linked to the club context, ensuring responses remain private to that organisation.
- Announcements — Reaching Everyone Efficiently
Announcements allow club administrators to broadcast messages to all members without cluttering individual inboxes. These are ideal for updates like registration reminders, weather cancellations, or social event promotions. Announcements appear in a dedicated area — prominent enough to be seen, but not intrusive — keeping communication clear and well-organised.
Designing for Security and Clarity
Building such a versatile messaging system required careful planning. Messages, polls, and announcements each have their own access rules and lifecycles. Some are private; others are visible to the whole club. Some need replies; others expire after a certain date.
Thanks to our document-based structure in Firebase and the extensible security model we established early in the project, we were able to manage all of these variations securely. Every message is stored and retrieved in context — by user, by club, and by message type — ensuring that privacy and performance remain intact as the platform scales.
The Administrator Experience
Just as we focused on usability for members, we also wanted the admin experience to be simple and powerful. From within the admin console, it’s easy to create and manage communication channels. We added:
- Automatic expiry, so old messages and polls can retire themselves without manual cleanup
- Links to external forms, enabling actions such as asking members to update registration details or complete a short survey
- Preview and test modes, so admins can check how messages will appear before they go live
This means clubs can communicate effectively without worrying about maintenance, clutter, or security risks.
Communication at Every Level
Finally, we looked at how communication should flow naturally within the rest of the app. On every relevant page — fixtures, team lists, and events — users can now click on a colleague’s name to send them a direct message. This supports the small, real-world interactions that happen every day in a club environment:
- Asking a teammate for a lift
- Confirming kit colours
- Sending a quick note to the team captain about availability
It’s a small feature with big impact — making digital communication feel as easy and natural as chatting after a match.
Bringing the Club to Life
The introduction of the Messaging Hub transformed ClubAssemble into something more than an administrative tool. It became a living, breathing communication space — a virtual clubhouse where every member could stay informed, connected, and engaged.
The foundation of ClubAssemble has always been about easing the burden of administration — but as this stage proved, it’s also about strengthening community.