Floodlit 5-a-side football pitch at night
Help Center

RSVP & Booking

Tired of chasing people on WhatsApp every week? RSVP mode lets players book their own spot through the app. You can even go fully hands-off with Auto-Pilot.

The three match modes

Manual (default)

You manage everything yourself. Add players to the pool, balance teams, share when ready. This gives you full control but means more work.

RSVP

Players book their own spot by tapping a link. You still balance and release teams when you're ready. Best of both worlds — less chasing, but you keep control of when teams go out.

Auto-Pilot

Full hands-off mode. Players book, and when the match is full, Capo automatically balances teams and sends them out. You don't need to do anything unless there's a problem.

Tip

You can set a default mode for all new matches in Settings, then override per match if needed.

How RSVP booking works

1

Create a match

Set the date and team size. The capacity is calculated automatically (team size × 2).
2

Players get notified

Players using the app will be notified automatically when a new match is created (if they have notifications enabled). You can also tap Share to send the booking link via WhatsApp or copy it for players who aren't on the app yet.
3

Players book in

Players tap Book from the app or link. They'll see their status (booked, waitlisted, or not responded).
4

Watch the pool fill

You'll see bookings appear in real-time. The activity feed shows who's in, who's dropped out, and waitlist movement.
5

Balance and send

When you're ready, tap Lock & Balance just like normal. Review teams, save, and share.

The waitlist

When the match is full, new bookings go to the waitlist. If someone drops out, the first waitlisted player gets offered their spot automatically.

Waitlisted players see their position ("3rd on waitlist") and get notified when they're promoted to the main pool.

Dropouts affect everyone

When someone drops out after teams are saved, you may need to re-balance. Capo will prompt you if the teams become uneven.

Auto-Pilot mode

Auto-Pilot is set-and-forget. You create the match and then don't need to touch it until game day. It handles everything:

  • •Auto-balance — When the match is full, teams are balanced automatically using your chosen method
  • •Auto-send — Teams are shared with players immediately after balancing
  • •Dropout recovery — If a player drops out, Auto-Pilot offers the spot to the next person on the waitlist, then rebalances and resends teams automatically
  • •Smart timing — Balancing happens when capacity is reached, not before

You can still intervene at any point — unlock the pool, re-balance, or make manual changes. Auto-Pilot just handles the happy path so you don't have to.

Pausing bookings & adding players manually

In RSVP or Auto-Pilot mode, you can pause bookings at any time if you need to temporarily stop players from signing up (e.g., waiting on a venue confirmation).

You can also still add players manually to the pool — useful if someone needs to make up numbers or a player isn't using the app. Manual additions work alongside RSVP bookings.

Tip

Not everyone needs to be on the app. You can share the booking link via WhatsApp and players can book through the web browser — no download required. This works great for groups where some people use the app and others prefer a simple link.

Managing capacity

Capacity is set automatically based on team size (e.g., 9v9 = 18 players). If you need more or fewer, edit the match and change the team size.

In RSVP mode, you can't add players beyond capacity — this ensures the match settings match reality. To add more, increase the team size first.

The activity feed

The activity feed shows everything that's happened with bookings:

  • •Bookings — When someone books in
  • •Dropouts — Highlighted in red so you spot them quickly
  • •Waitlist changes — Who joined, who got promoted
  • •Admin actions — When you added or removed someone manually

It's collapsed by default — tap to expand and see the full history.

Paid bookings

If your group collects match fees, players pay when they book. Payment is required to secure a spot — no more chasing people for money.

  • •Payment at booking — Players pay by card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay
  • •Instant confirmation — Spot is confirmed as soon as payment completes
  • •Pass holders skip payment — Season pass holders book with one tap
  • •Refunds when cancelling — Players can cancel anytime and get refunded (minus a small transaction fee)

Tip

To set up paid matches, connect your Stripe account in Payments → Stripe first. See Match Payments for details.

Related articles

Creating a Match →Match Control Centre →Match Payments →