ClayGrounds — Book. Play. Grow.

Venue Onboarding Playbook

Interactive checklist — all 6 phases of venue launch

Version1.0
CreatedApril 2026
Phases6 total
1Info
2Setup
3Crew
4Training
5Soft Launch
6Full Launch
Phase 1 — Pre-Onboarding Info Gathering0%
A — Crew checklist
Facility documentation
Walk the venue and tick each item off
Facility information overview
Full address, Maps pin, nearest landmark, contact number
All amenities documented
Changing rooms, washrooms, parking, seating, floodlights
Storage mapped
Location, contents, lock/key responsibility
Entry / exit & lock protocol confirmed
Key holders, open/close times, after-hours process
Electricals understood
Meter reading, how equipment works, billing responsibility
Day-1 essentials confirmed
Everything crew needs to operate independently from day one
B — Management Q&A with admin
Questions for admin / school partner
Tap a question to log the answer
Timing
1
Permitted operating hours?
Weekday and weekend may differ
2
Blackout periods? (exams, events, holidays)
3
Noise / curfew restrictions?
Admin POC
4
Primary admin point of contact?
Name, designation, phone, email
5
Who handles operational issues?
May differ from commercial POC
Photos & marketing
6
Permission to photograph / film the venue?
Required for app listing, Instagram, Google Business
7
Any areas off-limits for photography?
Pricing & revenue share
8
Slot pricing agreed and confirmed?
Peak / off-peak / weekend rates
9
Fixed charges to factor in?
Electricity, water, security
10
Revenue share model and payment cycle?
e.g. 50/50, weekly settlement
Ground
11
Ground surface type?
Artificial turf, natural grass, clay, concrete
12
Ground dimensions? (L × W in metres)
13
Sports the ground can support?
14
Floodlighting — present and who controls it?
Sales & viability
15
Monthly revenue target for this venue?
16
Minimum slots per week to break even?
CCTV & app access
17
CCTV access granted to ClayGrounds?
18
Admin app login — set up or pending?
Community
19
Existing player / parent community?
WhatsApp groups, sports clubs, etc.
20
Admin open to ClayGrounds co-managing community comms?
Next: Phase 2 — Setup & Config
App listing, slot setup, pricing, CCTV, admin login
App listing
ClayGrounds app listing
Must be complete before any booking goes live
Venue name, description and address added
Short, punchy, brand-consistent copy
Minimum 5 photos uploaded
Ground, entrance, amenities, aerial if available
Sport type and ground surface configured
Ground dimensions entered
All amenities tagged on listing
Parking, changing room, water, lights, washroom
Google Maps pin verified and linked
Slots & pricing
Slot configuration & pricing
Based on Phase 1 answers — confirm before going live
Operating hours entered in system
Slot duration set (60 / 90 min)
Peak and off-peak pricing configured
Weekday / weekend / evening rates
Blackout dates blocked in calendar
School exams, holidays, events
Test booking made and verified end-to-end
Book → confirm → cancel flow checked
Access & systems
CCTV & admin access
CCTV access set up and tested remotely
Admin app login created for venue manager
Credentials shared securely — not over WhatsApp
Revenue dashboard visible and pulling correctly
Ops team added to venue on backend
District.in listing created (if applicable)
Q&A — verify with ops before going live
Setup sign-off questions
Listing
1
Has someone from ops reviewed the listing before going live?
2
Are the photos good quality — no blurry or dark shots?
Pricing
3
Is pricing consistent with what was agreed with the school admin?
4
Is the revenue share correctly reflected in the system?
Systems
5
Has the test booking been cancelled and refunded cleanly?
6
Can the venue manager log in to the admin app independently?
Next: Phase 3 — Crew Training
Facility walkthrough, electricals, booking handling
Venue walkthrough
Physical walkthrough
Crew must walk every area — not just be told about it
Full venue tour completed with crew
Ground, entrance, storage, changing room, electrical room
All amenity locations known by crew
Storage access, contents and responsibility clear
Entry / exit & lock procedure practised
Crew opens and closes independently — not guided
After-hours protocol understood
Who to call, what to do if players are still on ground
Electricals & safety
Electricals training
Electricity meter reading procedure demonstrated
Floodlight switch-on / off procedure practised
Emergency shutdown known
Escalation contact for electrical issues saved
First aid kit location known
Player & booking handling
Booking & player management
Crew can check bookings on the admin app
Walk-in player protocol clear
Direct to app — no cash bookings accepted
Complaint and dispute escalation path known
Daily open / close checklist walkthrough done
Crew WhatsApp group created with ops team
ClayGrounds brand tone briefed
How to speak to players — friendly, not formal
Q&A — crew readiness check
Confirm with crew — before signing off
Readiness
1
Can crew open and close the venue alone?
2
Can crew handle a player complaint without calling ops?
3
Does crew know what to do if the floodlights fail mid-session?
4
Any gaps or concerns flagged by crew during training?
Next: Phase 4 — Management Training
Sales, viability reports, admin app, community
Sales & viability
Sales targets & viability
Manager must own these numbers — not just know them
Monthly revenue target shared and understood
Break-even slot count per week understood
Weekly viability report format explained
Slot fill rate, revenue, issues flagged
Revenue share split and payment cycle confirmed
Manager knows how to read revenue dashboard
Customer relations
Customer relations training
How to handle player complaints on-ground
Refund and cancellation policy understood
How to collect player feedback post-session
ClayGrounds brand voice and communication style briefed
Bold, direct, never corporate — match the brand
Admin app deep dive
Admin app training
Dashboard navigation and key screens covered
How to view, manage and cancel bookings
How to block slots and update availability
Revenue report reading covered
Support escalation flow within the app known
Community management
Community management
WhatsApp community group created for venue
Message templates for blasts shared with manager
Booking nudges, match reminders, pickup announcements
Dos and don'ts for community comms briefed
Existing school / facility community connected to group
Q&A — management sign-off
Confirm with manager before soft launch
Readiness
1
What is the monthly revenue target for this venue?
2
How many slots per week needed to break even?
3
Manager confident handling player issues independently?
4
Any concerns or gaps before soft launch?
Next: Phase 5 — Soft Launch
First bookings, pickup game, community seeding, feedback
Go-live gates — all must be green
Soft launch readiness
Tick only when genuinely confirmed — not assumed
Phases 1–4 fully complete
Venue live and bookable on ClayGrounds app
Google Business profile live with photos
Venue manager on-site and reachable on day 1
Ops team notified — soft launch date confirmed
First week activation
First bookings & pickup game
First pickup game hosted
Seeded internally or via community — tests the full flow
First 10+ players added to WhatsApp community
Soft launch Instagram post published
Teaser reel or carousel — no hard sell yet
First week slot fill rate tracked
First community WhatsApp blast sent
Feedback & iteration
Week 1 feedback loop
Player feedback collected after first sessions
Ops team review call done after week 1
Any listing or app issues fixed
Go / no-go for full launch decided
Q&A — soft launch debrief
Post week-1 debrief questions
Performance
1
How many slots were filled in week 1?
2
Any player complaints or issues on-ground?
3
What worked well in week 1?
4
What needs to be fixed before full launch?
Next: Phase 6 — Full Launch
Paid ads, content push, leagues, academy, steady-state
Marketing launch
Paid & organic marketing
Full push — coordinated across all channels
Meta Ads campaign live
Use Dehradun benchmark template — awareness + conversion
Instagram launch sequence published (3-post minimum)
Venue reveal → first game → booking CTA
WhatsApp community launch blast sent
Google Business listing published with photos and hours
District.in listing live (if applicable)
Leagues & academy
Leagues & academy activation
First pickup league date set and announced to community
Academy batches open for enrollment (if applicable)
Football academy — coach confirmed, batch size set
Tournament calendar drafted for the quarter
Venue added to ClayGrounds city page
Steady-state operations
Ongoing operations rhythm
Weekly ops check-in scheduled (manager + ops lead)
Monthly viability report cadence set
Revenue reconciliation cycle confirmed with school admin
Venue marked as fully onboarded in CRM
Status: Live — Book. Play. Grow.
Q&A — month 1 review
End of month 1 — performance review
Numbers
1
Month 1 revenue vs target?
2
Average slot fill rate in month 1?
3
Community size — how many active members?
Health check
4
Relationship with school admin — any friction?
5
Is the venue viable at current trajectory?
6
Any expansions possible — new sport, new slots, academy?

Venue fully onboarded

Book. Play. Grow. — now in steady state