Firstplace is updated weekly. See what's new.

Real-Time Team Messaging June 5, 2026 • Major Update

The biggest upgrade to Firstplace messaging since launch. Chats update live, you can reply and mention teammates directly, and unread counts keep everyone caught up. Available on web and mobile, ad-free as always.

• Live Chat — Messages appear the moment they're sent. No more refreshing to see what your team is saying.

• Replies — Reply to a specific message so the conversation stays clear. On mobile, swipe a message to reply to it.

• Mentions — Type @ to mention a teammate by name. They get notified, so the right person sees it.

• Unread Badges — Team and game chats show how many messages you've missed, and clear the moment you open the chat.

• New Message Alerts — A banner appears when a new message comes in; tap it to jump straight to the conversation.

• Mute Chats — Mute a team or game chat when you need quiet, and turn it back on anytime.

• Edit Messages — Editing a message opens it right in the message box and updates live for all teammates.

• Announcement Improvements — Announcements now use the same quick menu as chat for editing, deleting, and sending emails.

• Faster, Smoother Chats — Improved chat performance so they load faster and are easier to navigate.

Other Minor Fixes

• Dashboard — Further optimized dashboard loading times.

• Onboarding — Minor improvements to the new team onboarding interface.

• Upgrade Visibility — Added clarity to features that require a team subscription to continue.

Customer Requests & Polish May 7, 2026 • Improvements

A batch of customer-reported fixes and quality-of-life improvements across iPhone, Android, and the web app.

• Calendar Support — Added field numbers to calendar events and fixed an integration bug on mobile devices.

• Improved New Team Experience — Made it easier for new teams to invite players, schedule their first game, and start collecting payments.

• Polls — Made it easier to create new polls in the team dashboard.

• Subscription Status — Made a team's subscription status more clear to the manager and added more clear indicators when the free tier is maxed out.

• Notification Badge Accuracy — Push-notification badge counts now reflect each device's actual unread state, clear when you open the app, and stale game-day notifications get cleaned up automatically a few hours after the game ends.

• Mobile Announcements — Improved the interface for writing new announcements on mobile devices.

• Mobile App Loading — Improved the appearance of the app loading screen across all mobile platforms.

New Guide Published May 1, 2026 • New Content

Our first guide has been released: How to Manage a Sports Team.

• What it covers — preseason setup, weekly rhythm, communication policies, scheduling, finances, RSVPs, volunteers, parent management, team culture, and choosing technology.

• 10-Minute Setup — step-by-step checklist for getting a new team running fast.

• Tailored Content — league-specific callouts for youth, adult recreational, and sport and social managers.

• Author — Steven Kovar, Firstplace founder.

Earlier May Fixes Apr–May 2026 • Improvements

Smaller items that landed across the product and marketing site this window.

• Roster Crash — Fixed a crash that occurred from the Captain Invite flow.

• Marketing Site Polish — Typo fixes, sitemap updates, and copy improvements throughout.

Firstplace Mobile Subscriptions Apr 10, 2026 • Major Update

Paid plans are identical across web, iOS, and Android. Same flat $5/mo regardless of platform; no app-store markup, no per-seat pricing, no contracts.

• Apple In-App Purchases — Subscribe directly from the iOS app via your Apple ID.

• Google Play In-App Purchases — Subscribe from the Android app via Google Play billing.

• Stripe Connect for Web Users — Minor improvements for existing Stripe-based subscriptions.

• Free Tier — Teams with 5 or fewer members stay free forever. No card required.

• Plan Tiers — Pay for 1, 3, or 5 teams with one subscription. Additional teams can be added via web.

• Refund Policy — Full refund up to 1 year of active use. Cancel anytime from your dashboard.

Onboarding Improvements Feb 19, 2026 • Feature

Captain invite workflow, team claiming, and improved new user flows. Players can now invite their team captain to Firstplace, and captains can claim their team to get started faster.

• Captain Invite — Players can invite their team captain or manager to migrate the team to Firstplace.

• Team Claiming — Captains can claim their team via a unique invite link and immediately start managing.

• Join Requests — Players can request to join a team via shareable invite link. Captains accept or decline from the roster page.

• Staff Roles — Captain (limited admin) and Manager (full admin) roles with distinct permission levels.

Rosters Oct 1, 2025 • Feature

Full roster management for sports teams — invite players, track attendance, and manage your team in one place.

• Team invite links for easy migration
• Individual player invitations via email
• Connected players — invite teammates from other teams
• Guest invitations for non-roster players
• Per-team profiles with separate aliases and preferences
• Game RSVPs and attendance tracking
• Automatic game reminders (3 days before)
• Captain role assignment with special permissions

Scheduling Oct 1, 2025 • Feature

Complete event scheduling with RSVPs, maps, calendar integration, and game-specific chat.

• Bulk scheduling for entire seasons
• Automatic email RSVPs
• Google Maps integration for venue directions
• Calendar sync (Google, Apple, Outlook)
• Location library — save and reuse venues
• Game chat for event-specific discussions
• Automatic and manual reminders
• Guest player invites per event
• Manual attendance adjustments

Messaging Oct 1, 2025 • Feature

Ad-free team messaging with announcements, persistent team chat, game chat, and polls.

• Team announcements pinned to player dashboards
• Persistent team chat
• Dedicated game chat per event
• Team polls for decisions and feedback
• Message editing and moderation
• Email and push notification support
• Per-team communication preferences

Payments Oct 1, 2025 • Feature

Collect team fees with no added fees. Powered by Stripe Connect with direct bank payouts.

• Send payment requests to individuals or entire team
• Accept credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more
• Stripe Connect — teams get their own account with direct bank payouts
• Automated payment reminders
• No markup on processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 standard Stripe rates)
• Choose to absorb fees or pass to players
• Payment tracking dashboard

Guest Players Oct 1, 2025 • Feature

Unique guest player system — invite non-roster players to individual games via link or email.

• Shareable guest invite links per game
• Email invitations to guests
• Guest RSVP without account creation
• Bulk guest invites
• Guest attribution — see who invited each guest
• Re-invite previous guests to future games
• Convert guests to permanent team members
• Guest attendance tracking