For grassroots youth football coaches

Every kid gets their minutes.

Q: Does it work for 5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-a-side?

Yes — and everything either side of them. Pocket Gaffer covers every grassroots format from 3v3 and 4v4 for the youngest age groups right up to 11v11. Choose your format, number of periods and match length, and it plans the rotation to suit.

Pocket Gaffer tracks playing time and tells you who's next on, so you can focus on coaching, not the politics.

Every player’s minutes counted live, no mental maths
Tells you who’s due on next
Can’t make it? Pass the match to a stand-in in one tap

Start free trial See how it works

14 day free trial. No card needed. Cancel any time.

Then £2.99 a month, or get the season free by inviting 2 coaches.

Built with safeguarding in mind

Names only: no photos or dates of birth
Private, read-only live links that expire after full time
Hosted in the EU
No ads. Your data is never sold

Across the season

Every player’s season at a glance.

Minutes are compared only across the matches each child was actually available for. Missed a game through illness or holiday? They aren’t owed time, and nobody’s penalised.

Before kick-off, you can see who’s furthest behind and start them.

Season minutes · U10sExample

Ava R212 min · 6 games · 35 min/game
Leo T208 min · 6 games · 35 min/game
Sam K205 min · 6 games · 34 min/game
Mia H168 min · 5 games · 34 min/game
Missed 1 · not owed
Ollie P201 min · 6 games · 34 min/game
Jack W189 min · 6 games · 32 min/game
Next to start

Fairness is measured per game a player was available for.

The problem

Stop doing the maths in your head.

Coaching a match and keeping minutes fair at the same time is two jobs. Pocket Gaffer takes the second one.

How most Sundays go

Typing 14 names into a phone one by one
Mental maths on who’s played what while the game flies by
Can’t make it, so the stand in starts from scratch
No idea if it’s been fair across the whole season

With Pocket Gaffer

Paste the WhatsApp list or snap the team sheet
Every player’s minutes count up live on your phone
Pass the Whistle: they get your lineup and subs timer
Season long minutes. Absences and guests never skew it

See how Pocket Gaffer compares to doing it in your head →

Features

What you get on the touchline

All features

From the touchline

What coaches say

“Pocket Gaffer has become an essential part of my weekly coaching routine. The live feature is fantastic, parents can follow the game even when they can’t be there.”

Gary Bidwell · Maidenbower Panthers U8s

“I love using Pocket Gaffer as it helps me keep track of the minutes that players have played. It ensures everyone gets a fair share of playing time. In addition, it helps me keep the stats for when it comes to the end of the season.”

Kian Reilly · EDC FC Coach

For the parents

Share the match as it happens.

Tap once and Pocket Gaffer creates a private live link. Drop it in the WhatsApp group and the whole sideline follows along, even from the car park.

One tap sends a private link to your parents’ group chat.
Goals, assists and subs appear as they happen. No updates needed.
Read-only and unguessable. The link quietly expires after full time.

Try it this weekend

Pricing

One plan. No faff.

Everything you need to manage playing time, subs and fairness from your phone.

Pocket Gaffer14-day free trial

£2.99/ month

or £29 a year (about £2.42 a month · over 2 months free)

Live matchday tracking
Fair substitution support
Smart squad import
Pass the Whistle match cover
Voice match reports
Live link for parents
Match and season stats
Multiple teams

14 day free trial. No card needed. Cancel any time.

Start free trial Full pricing details

Invite 2 coaches. Get the season free.

Every coach gets a personal invite link in the app. When 2 other coaches sign up with it, your account is free until 30 June 2027.

Start free trial

FAQ

Coaches ask

What is Pocket Gaffer?

Pocket Gaffer is a matchday app for grassroots youth football coaches. It tracks playing time live, suggests fair substitutions and builds match and season reports, all from your phone.

Does it work for 5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-a-side?

Yes, and everything either side of them. Pocket Gaffer covers every grassroots format from 3v3 and 4v4 for the youngest age groups right up to 11v11. Choose your format, number of periods and match length, and it plans the rotation to suit.

Can parents follow the match live?

Yes. Share a private live link to your parents’ WhatsApp group. Goals, assists and subs appear as they happen, and the link expires after full time.

What if I lose signal on the touchline?

The match clock and subs keep running on your phone without signal. When you finish, the match is saved on your phone first and uploads automatically as soon as you’re back online, so a dropped signal doesn’t lose the game.

Why pay when other team apps are free?

Free team apps handle availability and the group chat. Pocket Gaffer handles the thing that gets you cornered in the car park: fair minutes, all season. It’s £2.99 a month, and free for the season if 2 coaches you invite sign up.

Do I need to download anything?

No. Pocket Gaffer runs in your phone’s browser and can be added to your home screen like an app.

Give every player a fairer game.

Start free trialSET UP BEFORE THE WEEKEND