1. The game
Game and crew
Start with the basics, so everyone is working from the same facts.
- Date, time and venue
- Competition and round
- Both teams
- The crew: crew chief, umpire 1, umpire 2
2. The teams
Scouting keys per team
Go through both teams separately. What matters is what will affect the officiating, not the scouting report a coach would write.
- Key players and how they play
- Team style: pace, pressure, post play
- Coaching: bench behaviour and timeouts
- Team behaviour in earlier games
3. The game plan
Matchups, mechanics and criteria
Then agree how the crew will work. This is where a crew chief sets expectations.
- Matchups to watch
- Communication: eye contact, signals, when to come together
- Mechanics: rotations and coverage in 3-person mechanics
- Criteria: block/charge, hand-checking, contact on drives
- Keys of the game: the two or three things that decide it
Using Pregame
From checklist to one-page PDF
Pregame turns this structure into a guided form. One click turns it into a printable one-page PDF for the crew. With PRO, a master template holds your standard talk, and team notes from last time can be pulled into the next game.
FAQ
Questions
How long should a pre-game talk take?
Long enough to cover the game, both teams and the game plan. A fixed structure makes it shorter, because nothing has to be improvised.
Is this for 3x3?
No. This checklist is for 5x5 crews with a crew chief and two umpires.
Is Pregame free?
Pregame is free to start. PRO costs less than €2 a month, with 14 days of PRO free for new accounts.
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