Match attendance: who was (not) there?
Practice attendance gets recorded everywhere; who actually showed up on match days, almost nobody tracks. Strange — because Saturday is where availability hurts or pays off.
Why match attendance deserves its own record
The practice attendance record measures effort in preparation; match attendance measures availability when it counts. The two don't always align: the player who makes every practice but has 'something on' three Saturdays a season gives you a different problem than the mediocre practice attendee who shows up for every match. Without a record, those two pictures blur into one vague feeling.
Two questions, two moments
Don't confuse this record afterwards with signing up beforehand. On a scheduled match the players pass on themselves whether they are coming — I'm coming or Can't make it, with a reason if they want to give one. That's a planning question: on Friday you know how many players you'll have on Saturday and how many cars you need. The match attendance below is a different question: who was actually there that Saturday? A player can sign up perfectly properly and still wake up ill. The availability block disappears once the match has been played; what stays is the season picture.
Recording it in seconds
For each match in Koach you tick off the squad: present or absent. The counter at the top ("9 of 10 present") gives you the day's picture; the season overview adds it up per player. Do it on arrival at the gym — it's literally ten seconds of work, and it's the moment it's accurate.
What to do with the season picture
- Honest conversations: "you missed four of the fourteen matches" is a fact to reflect on together — very different from "you're never there".
- Selection policy: whoever is structurally missing on match days claims a different position in next season's team assignment than their practice attendance suggests.
- Context for statistics: a player with few points but full attendance has contributed more than the top scorer who missed half the Saturdays — see also distributing playing time.
Also record the reason category for structural absences. Work, injury or choice — it makes all the difference to your policy. One word in a note on the player is enough to have the honest conversation in May.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't match attendance redundant next to the lineup?
No — the lineup records who played, attendance records who was there. The substitute who loyally sits on the bench every week deserves to have that visible somewhere.
What do I do with a player who is present but injured?
Record them as present — commitment counts — and track the injury in a note. Present-but-unavailable is something completely different for team spirit than absent.
Should I attach consequences to match absences?
Understand first, then set policy: a season of recording gives you the facts to make honest agreements with the team. Rules without numbers become arbitrary; numbers without a conversation become bureaucracy.
What is the difference from signing up for a match?
Signing up happens beforehand and the player does it themselves: I'm coming or Can't make it, with an optional reason. That tells you before the weekend how many players you'll have. Match attendance is about who actually turned up that day and adds up to the season picture — and the two don't always match.
Try it yourself in Koach
Less admin, more coaching — starting at your next practice.
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