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.
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.
Try it yourself in Koach
Less admin, more coaching — starting at your next practice.
Get started with Koach