Underage soccer in Ireland follows the school year. Schoolboys and schoolgirls leagues start in September, play through wet winter weekends on pitches that turn to mud, and finish with cup finals in April and May. The club's presentation night, usually in May or June, is when each age group collects medals and the managers hand out player of the year. A video of the season is the moment the room goes quiet.
The photos exist, scattered across WhatsApp groups and phones. This guide helps the manager or a willing parent gather them fairly, so every player on the squad is in the video, including the lad who only got on for the last ten minutes most weeks.
Season timeline
September, first league match
Set up the season and share the link in the squad's WhatsApp group. Photos in the clean new kit before the first match are a perfect opening.
Midterm break in October
Remind parents to add their photos from the first block of matches before they are buried in the camera roll.
After Christmas
Check the coverage list. Subs and defenders usually lag behind. Copy the reminder naming players who are short and post it before the next match.
Cup runs in spring
Cup matches bring the biggest crowds and the most photos. Remind families the night before every round.
Two weeks before the presentation
Set the deadline a few days before the night and review the video.
From photos to a finished video
Create the season with numbers
Paste first names and jersey numbers. Underage teams often swap numbers week to week, so only add numbers if they are fixed for the season.
Mark consent from the club's records
Flag any player whose family has not given photo consent. Their photos stay hidden and out of the video.
Share the link once, pin it
Paste the ready-made message into the squad group and pin it. Parents pick their child and add photos; no app, no account.
Ask for a teammate photo every match
Each parent taking one photo of a different teammate per match evens out coverage faster than any reminder.
Review and export
Match days become chapters, near-duplicates are grouped and the best kept, and every player reaches the same minimum. Rename the cup final chapter, then export.
Making the most of a wet Irish season
Underage soccer in Ireland is played through months of rain, wind and early darkness, and that shapes the photos. Floodlit midweek games give orange, grainy light; rather than fight it, ask parents for photos of the team gathered under the lights before kick-off, which look atmospheric on a big screen. Saturday mornings in November are often grey; photos of the squad in their club rain jackets, arms around each other after a hard-fought draw, show the spirit of the season better than any goal. Make a chapter of the cup run, round by round, and if the club entered a summer tournament like a seven-a-side blitz, give it its own chapter with the medals.
How long should a presentation night video be?
For a squad of 16 to 20 players, three and a half to four and a half minutes is right: three or four appearances each plus squad photos. When every age group in the club shows a video on the same night, aim for three minutes each.
Song length plannerFit your photos to the music, song by song.The Pitch style suits soccer, with stripes and bold titles. Choose an upbeat instrumental and mark any players leaving the club, such as those moving on to youths, so they get a short tribute.
Presentation night checklist
Before the night
- Download the video to the laptop and keep a USB copy.
- Test the hotel or clubhouse screen and sound during setup.
- Agree the running order with the club secretary.
- Have the medals ready to present straight after the video.
- Share the private link with the squad's families.
Privacy and safeguarding
Faces are never scanned or recognised. Children are matched to photos by the tags their families add and the numbers on their jersey. Only first names are stored, location data is removed on the phone before upload, the season’s link is private and never appears in search engines, and anything inappropriate for a youth sports setting is hidden automatically. Any parent can report a photo, and the organiser has the final say on every photo in the video.
Soccer parent questions
Our squad has two teams in different leagues. One video or two?
If they train together and present together, one video with one roster works well. If they are separate squads, make two.
Can we include the summer tour?
Yes, if it happens before the deadline. Tour photos become a chapter of their own.
What do parents see when they open the link?
A short privacy note, the roster to choose their child from, and a button to add photos. They also see the squad's progress.
Is the price per player?
No. The price is per season for the whole squad. Prices include VAT and parents never pay.