Wednesday night, and you are still counting
The game is on Thursday. You have posted in the chat, again. Six people have said yes, two have said "probably", one has asked whether it is still at the same time, and someone wants to know how much it is this week.
Thursday morning, a player drops out. Then another. You message a reserve who may or may not see it. At the pitch you collect cash from whoever turns up, and you try to remember who gave you what.
None of this is football. It is admin, and it lands on one person every single week.
What actually goes wrong
- The list lives in your head. "Yes", "probably" and a thumbs-up all look alike in a chat.
- Drop-outs cost you the night before. Every gap is a message to someone new.
- The same questions come back. What time, where, how much, what to bring.
- Money is awkward. The price is mentioned once, then asked again, and collected by hand.
- Starting again every week. A weekly game means all of this happens every week.
How it works on Sociogram
You create the game once.
- The essentials. A title such as "Thursday five-a-side", what it is (type "football" and pick it), the date and time, the place, and the number of spots. For a five-a-side, set ten. You can choose any number from 2 to 50. Choose public or private. For a public game, choose open to all, or by request so you approve each player.
- Make it yours (optional). Add a short description and up to 10 conditions, for example "Bring a light and a dark top" or "Arrive ten minutes early". Set an age range if you want one.
- Set the price and how you collect it. If the game is paid, enter the price in AED and choose how you collect it: cash on site, card on site, or your own payment link. You collect it yourself, and Sociogram is free for everyone. The price is on the page, so nobody is surprised at the pitch.
- Tap Repeat. Choose Weekly, pick Thursday, and decide when it ends: after a number of times, on a date you pick, or never. Each date keeps the same time of day.
Dates appear for the coming weeks, and more are added as time passes, up to 8 weeks ahead.
What changes for you and your players
- A list you can see. Each Thursday has its own list of who is in and how many spots are left.
- Reserves with a place in the queue. If you leave the waiting list on, a full game lets people join the list. When someone drops out, the next person in line is offered the spot and has 12 hours to confirm, or less if the game starts sooner.
- Joining the whole run. Players can join this Thursday, pick several dates, or join all upcoming dates that still have room. You get one notification when someone joins several dates.
- A reminder, without you. Everyone who is in is reminded one hour before the start.
- Changes reach everyone. If the time or the pitch changes, edit it. Everyone who is in gets a short note listing what changed. You can edit one date, or this date and the ones after it.
- A chat for each game, for the host and the people who are in, so the plan has its own place.
Start next season from the same setup
Save the game as a template (you can keep up to 20) and start from it next time. Everything except the dates is filled in, including the conditions and the price line.
Good to know
- Each date has its own spots, its own waiting list and its own chat. Joining one Thursday does not join the others.
- You collect the fee yourself, in the way you chose on the page.
- Every activity on Sociogram is for people aged 18 and above.
- Sociogram is invite-only. A member invites your UAE mobile number, and you sign in with that number. You can look at the public activities first with Explore Sociogram.
Questions people ask
Can I run the game every week without recreating it? Yes. Choose Repeat, then Weekly, and pick the day.
How do I set the number of players? Set the number of spots, from 2 to 50. For a five-a-side, set ten.
What happens when someone drops out? If the waiting list is on, the next person in line is offered the spot.
How do I tell everyone about a change of time or place? Edit the game. Everyone who is in gets a short note listing what changed.
Who collects the money? You do. Choose cash on site, card on site or your own payment link, and the price shows on the page.
Set up your next game
Sociogram is the invite-only network for real plans across the UAE. Ask a member to invite your mobile number, or look at what is on first.
