Captain Emails
Emails captains and managers receive while a league is running.
volley.love sends emails to captains at important points in the league. These emails help captains find their team dashboard, share schedule information with teammates, report scores, and stay aware of changes.
Most captain emails are automatic. A few are sent because a manager takes a specific action, such as approving a schedule, canceling a match, dropping a team, or creating a notification.
Before You Rely On Captain Emails
Captain emails only work when each team has a captain email address. If a team does not have one, volley.love cannot email that captain.
Use the Teams table to keep captain contact information current. If a captain email needs attention, update the team before relying on automatic emails for important updates.
Captains do not need accounts to receive these emails or use the links inside them. For more detail, see Accounts and Player Access.
Typical Captain Email Timeline
Most leagues follow this order:
- Registration confirmation.
- Schedule ready, after the manager approves the schedule.
- Upcoming start reminder, close to the first match.
- Captain contacts, close to the first match.
- Score reminders, cancellations, forfeits, team changes, or notification emails only if those situations happen.
Registration Confirmation
A captain receives a registration confirmation after successfully registering a team.
- When it sends: Right after the team registers.
- Who gets it: The registering captain.
- What it includes: League name, start date, registration payment information, a way to contact the league managers, and a link back to the league.
Example:
Registration confirmation
Thanks for registering for Thursday Night League! This league will start on Thursday, June 4. Report your scores, view your team's schedule, and check standings all from https://app.volley.love.
The registration fee for this league is $95. If you have not already paid, please do so as soon as possible.
If the league uses in-app payments, the confirmation says that a receipt will be sent separately. If the league uses outside payments, the confirmation can include the manager's payment note or payment link.
Managers also receive a separate email when a team registers. That manager email includes the captain's contact information, spots remaining, and payment guidance.
Schedule Ready
Captains receive a schedule email after the manager approves the schedule.
- When it sends: When a manager approves the schedule, unless the manager chooses to skip captain emails in the approval dialog.
- Who gets it: Captains with email addresses.
- What it includes: A link to the live schedule and a reminder to forward the schedule to teammates.
Example:
Schedule ready
This schedule may be updated if teams are added or dropped. If changes are made, captains may receive another email.
If you approve a later schedule version, captains receive a schedule updated email instead. That email tells captains to use the newest live schedule.
For manager details, see Schedule Review and Updates.
Upcoming Start Reminder
Captains receive a start reminder shortly before the league begins.
- When it sends: Within the week before the league starts.
- Who gets it: Captains with email addresses.
- What it includes: The team's first match, opponent information, team dashboard link, and a reminder that players do not need accounts.
If the schedule ready email was sent very recently, volley.love may skip the upcoming start reminder so captains do not receive repeated emails too close together.
Example:
Upcoming start reminder
Your first match for Thursday Night League is on Thursday, June 4 at 6:30 PM against Sand Squad.
You do not need an account. Use your team dashboard to view your schedule, open match details, and report scores.
Captain Contacts
Captains receive a contact sheet near the start of the league.
- When it sends: Around one day before the first match.
- Who gets it: Captains with email addresses.
- What it includes: Team names, captain names, captain emails, and captain phone numbers when provided.
The contact sheet makes it easier for captains to coordinate directly with each other about forfeits, reschedules, or other team-to-team questions.
Example:
Captain contacts
To make it easier for captains to reach each other, below you'll find a contact sheet with names, emails, and phone numbers for each team captain.
| Team | Captain Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Squad | Jamie R | [email protected] | (608) 555-0101 |
| Block Party | Alex M | [email protected] | (608) 555-0114 |
Because this email shares captain contact information with the other captains in the league, make sure team contact information is accurate before the league starts.
Manager Notifications Sent By Email
When you create a notification, you can choose "Also email captains."
- When it sends: Right after the notification is created.
- Who gets it: Captains with email addresses.
- What it includes: The notification title and message.
Editing an existing notification updates the banner on the league site, but it does not email captains again. If captains need a new email, create a new notification with "Also email captains" turned on.
Do not use this email option for sales, marketing, or unrelated messages. If volley.love detects that kind of content, the captain email may not be sent.
Example:
Notification for captains in Wednesday Rec League
Storms may affect tonight. We'll confirm by mid-afternoon.
Cancellations
Captains receive an email when a future match is canceled.
- When it sends: When a manager cancels a future match or cancels a date with future matches.
- Who gets it: Captains on the affected match.
- What it includes: The canceled match time and the reason the manager entered.
Canceling past matches does not send a new captain email.
Example:
Match canceled in Tuesday Coed League
Unfortunately your upcoming match that was scheduled for Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 PM has been canceled.
Rescheduled to June 16 due to a facility issue.
For manager details, see Cancellations, Reschedules, and Forfeits.
Team Drops
When a manager drops a team, volley.love emails the dropped team's captain.
- When it sends: Right after the team is dropped.
- Who gets it: The dropped team's captain, if that team has a captain email address.
- What it includes: The team name, league name, and a way to contact the managers.
If the manager chooses to forfeit remaining matches, volley.love also emails the other captains to explain that scheduled matches against the dropped team are now forfeits.
If the manager chooses to have the schedule updated instead, other captains are not emailed by the team drop itself. They can receive a schedule updated email later after the new schedule is approved, unless the manager skips captain emails during approval.
Forfeits and No-Shows
When a manager or staff member marks a team as forfeited, volley.love emails the opposing captain or captains.
- When it sends: Right after the forfeit is recorded for a future match.
- Who gets it: Opposing captains. Managers are copied so they can see the same notice.
- What it includes: The forfeiting team, match time, reason if provided, and confirmation that standings have been updated.
Example:
Match forfeited in Wednesday Rec League
Unfortunately, Block Party has forfeited your upcoming match scheduled for Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM.
Not enough players available.
Team Changes for a Match
If a manager changes which team is assigned to a future match, volley.love emails the affected captains.
- When it sends: Right after the team assignment changes.
- Who gets it: Captains on the match, including the removed team and the added team when they have email addresses. Managers are copied.
- What it includes: The match time, the removed team, the added team, and a button to view the updated match.
This email is different from a full schedule updated email. It is for a specific match team change.
Missing Scores
Captains receive a missing scores email when a completed match still does not have scores.
- When it sends: About one hour after the match was scheduled to end.
- Who gets it: Captains on the match.
- What it includes: The match time and a button to report scores.
The reminder is only sent while the league is active, the match is not canceled, and score reporting is still expected from captains or players.
Example:
Match missing scores
Your match that started Thursday, June 11 at 8:00 PM is still missing scores. If you have not already, please submit your scores as soon as possible.
For manager details, see Score Reporting.
End-Of-Season Thank You
After the season ends, captains may receive a short thank-you email asking for feedback.
- When it sends: After the league has recently finished.
- Who gets it: Captains with email addresses.
- What it includes: A thank-you note and a request for feedback. For volley.love leagues, it may also mention the referral program.
Other Emails Managers and Staff May See
Not every volley.love email goes to captains. Managers and staff can receive separate emails for manager-side work:
- Managers receive an email when a team registers.
- Managers receive emails when scheduling starts and when a schedule is ready to review.
- Managers may receive hosting fee reminders if payment is due.
- Managers may receive a thank-you email after a league ends.
- Staff and refs receive invitation emails when a manager invites them.
- Players may receive an email verification code during registration.
These emails are separate from captain emails. They are included here so managers know they exist, but they are usually explained in the docs for the specific workflow.
Common Questions
Can I choose who gets automatic captain emails?
No. Automatic captain emails go to the captain email addresses saved for each team.
Can I skip the schedule ready email?
Yes. When approving a schedule, managers can choose to skip emailing captains. Use that only when you have another communication plan.
Can I resend a captain email?
Most automatic captain emails cannot be resent from the manager screen. If captains need an update, use a notification, cancel or update the affected match, or contact support if a specific email problem needs help.
Why did a captain not receive an email?
Common reasons include a missing captain email address, a typo in the captain email address, the email going to a junk folder, or the captain's email provider blocking delivery.
Check the team's captain contact information first. If the email address looks correct and important emails still are not arriving, contact support.
Should I use notifications or captain emails?
Use notifications when the message should also appear as a banner on the league site. Turn on "Also email captains" when captains need the message immediately.
Use captain emails described on this page as a reference for what volley.love sends automatically during normal league operations.
