New Club? The first 5 processes You should digitize

A guide for those just starting (or upgrading): bookings, invoicing, academy, payments, communication.

Launching a new club is an exciting moment. Brand-new courts, a clean reception desk, the first academy schedule taking shape and the WhatsApp group already filling up with game requests. But between excitement and reality, there’s a critical point where many clubs fall short right from the start: management.

Phone calls for bookings, last-minute reschedulings, paper invoices, delayed payments, messages that go unanswered. It might seem manageable in the beginning — until it isn’t. And when things start to scale, what was "fine for now" becomes chaos.

The good news? You don’t need to digitize everything at once. Just start with what matters most.

This is a straight-talking guide for those opening (or modernising) a padel, tennis or pickleball club — and want to make sure the structure matches the ambition.

1. Bookings: the heart of your operation

If there’s one thing that can’t fail at a club, it’s the booking system. That’s where everything begins: game reservations, court usage, coaching sessions, tournaments.

Digitising your booking process means:
You avoid double-bookings, your reception team stops living on the phone, and players can book on their own — 24/7. With Tieplayer, your club appears directly in the app. Players check court availability in real time, book in seconds, pay online and check in via smartphone. Less stress for your team. More confirmed bookings. More time to actually manage.

2. Invoicing: more than just “sending receipts”

Billing is one of the most critical — and often overlooked — areas. If done poorly, it leads to mistakes, delayed payments, legal issues and loss of credibility.

By digitising invoicing from day one, you ensure:
Automatic invoices after every booking, lesson or product sale, sent directly to the player’s phone. Everything’s legal, clear, and synced. No more “Can you send the invoice when you get a chance?”

With TieManager, you know what’s been paid, what hasn’t, and how much revenue is coming in. In real time.

3. Academy: when growth demands structure

At first, it seems simple: a few students, one or two coaches, paper schedules and a WhatsApp group to align everything. But as the academy grows, so does the disorganisation.

Double-booked classes, overworked coaches, parents chasing invoices, students skipping sessions, unpaid fees. The manager feels like they spend all day putting out fires — with no clear view of what’s working or not.

That’s when structure becomes essential.

With TieManager’s academy module, everything is in one place: class plans, schedules, coach assignments, payments, invoicing, reporting. No more spreadsheets. No more juggling.

Now, every session is linked to a group, a coach and a specific time. One-off or recurring lessons are created in a few clicks, with prices, participants and attendance all automated. The club knows who came, who missed, who owes — and billing happens automatically.

Thanks to direct debit, the academy’s cash flow is no longer at the mercy of reminders or memory. Payments are secure and predictable — no stress for players, no chasing for staff.

4. Payments: structure creates stability

Forget chasing players or writing down notes about who paid what. With Tieplayer, all payments are centralised: whether it’s a one-off reservation, a monthly plan or a pro shop sale, everything is paid through a single, connected system — app, POS or wallet.

The result? You know what’s coming in and when. You stop wasting time on manual tasks and can focus on what matters: serving players and growing the club.

5. Communication: talk to the right people, at the right time

A modern club needs to communicate fast and clearly — not just on Instagram.

With TieManager’s built-in messaging tools connected with Tieplayer, you can send push notifications, emails and in-app messages about events, promotions, booking reminders or club news. All segmented by profile, interest or behaviour.

Your messages reach the right people, without spam or confusion. And your players stay connected — without needing to call.

Start simple, but start strong

Digitising your club doesn’t mean creating a complex operation. It means eliminating repetitive tasks, avoiding mistakes and gaining time for what really matters: growing your business.

By starting with these five areas — bookings, invoicing, academy, payments and communication — you’re building a solid foundation. A club that runs smoothly, scales easily, and keeps players coming back.

Technology isn’t a bonus. It’s the foundation of a modern sports club.

If you're just starting, start strong.
If you’re rebuilding, do it with vision.
And if you're scaling, pick a system that scales with you.