Algorithm: This is a new feature to help with complex league scheduling scenarios. For most users, the General Algorithm is ideal, however, if you are scheduling a number of independent divisions simultaneously, then the Independent algorithm might lead to a better schedule. In future releases we will enhance this dropdown as newer algorithms are developed better optimizing certain league conditions and constraints.
The next step in developing your schedule is to determine the number of games you wish to have played.
Based on the number of conferences and divisions of the teams selected for this schedule, the number of games section will be modified. Below is a sample of this screen. You screen may have 1 or several of the 5 lower game entry boxes. This is based on the number of divisions you are processing during one schedule run.
In this sample, teams were selected from multiple divisions in multiple conferences. If you have only a single division, then only the second from the top data entry field will be displayed. If you have a single conference with multiple divisions, then the second and fourth fields will be shown. If you have two conferences with only one division each, then the second, third and last fields will be shown. If both conferences have multiple divisions, then all fields will be shown.
Enter into each field the number of games that teams will play. Each value can have two possible meanings. The meaning of the value is determined by the two option buttons to the right of the value. The top options always indicates that the value entered indicates the number of games played against each team. In the sample above, each team in each East Division will play each team in their own division 2 times (if there were 5 teams, each team would play a total of 8 games). Within each conference, you can specify how many games are to be played against teams in the other divisions. Again you can specify how many games are to be played against each team or specify how many total games are to be played against each division.
If you wish to generate a complete round robin schedule between all teams, then you would fill in the same value for all values and select the top option Against each Team for all. If you used the value of 2 for all, then you would generate a double round robin schedule where every team in the league plays each other twice, once at home and once away.
There is a feature call "Specify Fixed No. Of Games". This option helps the software schedule games in the following situation. Suppose you had 12 teams playing a weekly schedule, but only 4 available locations slots to play per week. This means that a maximum of 4 games per week could be scheduled and therefore 4 teams will get a bye each week. Prior to adding this parameter, the scheduler did not do a good job of allocating games properly. This function now provides the scheduler with critical information to generate good schedules. Checking the box "Specify Fixed No. of Games" will allow entry into the data entry field next to it. You will enter the total number of games played per week (if weekly schedule) or per day. So in our example, the value of 4 would be entered. The software would then construct the proper set of 4 games so that the proper byes and scheduling can be accomplished.
There are also two options button at the top "Generate Games keeping Home/Away Games even" and "Generate Game keeping opposing Teams in Synchronization". These options create different schedules.
Generate Games keeping Home/Away Games even: Selecting this option will keep the number of home and away games even for all teams if an even number of games are played. So if you have 10 teams and play a 4 game schedule, two games will be at home and two games will be away for all teams. If you play 6 games, then 3 games are at home and 3 are away. This algorithm would appear to be what everybody would want to use, but as we have found from our users community, there is a variation which is just as important.
Generate Game keeping opposing Teams in Synchronization: This is a new feature added and it provides a feature to keep two teams in synchronization during the entire schedule. While one team is home the other team is always away...and visa versa. No matter how many teams that you have in your schedule, selecting this option will keep team 1 in synchronization with team 2 (this is based on the order the teams are displayed in the Details tab... the order of which can be changed to suit your needs), team 3 in synchronization with team 4, etc. This applies only to divisional games and with teams within the same division. This might be used to keep two team that share the same home location, never playing at home the same week. The effect of this schema is that under certain situations when not scheduling a full round of a round robin format, there may be situations during an even game schedule when the number of home games for all teams is not the same. This synchronization is also only enforced if the Round Robin game allocation method is used (see the Game Allocations section below for more details on this feature).
If you are developing a practice schedule, the number of practices is a little more straightforward than that for games. You have a number of options. The first is the number of teams practicing on a fieldlocation at the same time. Next you can elect to only share practice locations with teams in the same division. Since teams that share often scrimage against one another, if you are using Division Skill Levels you can elect to only share with teams having the same skill level. Finally the number of practices to scheduled needs to be indicated. If some fieldslocations are designed to only allow one team to practice at a time, while others allow 2 or more, you will have to set up separate schedules.
If in a previous schedule run you have saved unassigned games, or during schedule management, you have cancelled games, these set of checkboxes allow you to process those games and reschedule them. These five additional checkboxes beside the games grid allow previously generated but unscheduled games to be included back into this automated scheduling run.
Select Existing Games to Include: There are two check boxes. One must be clicked in order to included additional games. Checking unscheduled games will include games generated but yet to be assigned to a calendar slot. These games must be saved from Schedule Games tab. Checking Cancelled Games will include games that where previously assigned to a calendar slot and then cancelled. Both checkboxes can be checked. The selection of games will always be limited to games that are in the same league as the one specified on the Details tab for this schedule. In addition, Cancelled Games are only selected if the Reschedule Game checkbox is checked on the Games or Schedule Management Screens.
Select Conditions when to Include Above Games: Since unassigned games can only be generated from the running of a schedule, you can optionally decide to include only games that were created under the current schedule. You can also restrict games to those where at least one of the teams is included on the details tab of this schedule. You can select both options are even none. If none are selected, then all unassigned and/or cancelled games are selected.
Generate ONLY Games from Unscheduled Games Selected Above: This parameter is useful if you wish to schedule all unassigned games first. You can have the software pick those previous games and not include any other games. Then you can schedule the unassigned games as you wish.
Next click the Generate Games button to create all the games that need to be scheduled. The schedule is based on the number of games or practices specified against divisional teams, inter-divisional teams, inter-conference teams or Tournament series. If you are generating a schedule with an odd number of teams, one team (or sometimes more) will not have games scheduled every week (or day depending on schedule frequency) for a schedule with a weekly frequency. Once you generate FieldLocation Slots or Games, you can go back and adjust parameters, come back to the Generate Tab and recreate FieldLocation Slots or Games by clicking the appropriate button. Any comments will appear in the comments box. If the schedule verified OK, then another tab will appear, the Assign to Slots tab.
After you have Matched Games to Slots on the Schedule Games tab, the three scheduled columns above will be updated and you can see how the software allocated games. The Home Games column is color coded in that a Red background color indicates that less than the required home games were generated, Green background meaning more games. I cases where an odd number of games are being generated, more or less home games may be acceptable. You will only have home games being added or removed if the "Use Home/Visiting Swapping Algorithm" checkbox is checked on the parameters tab.
When generating games for Tournaments, only a few games are shown on this screen under the teams statistics grid. Those are the games that are available for a specific team, which are usually first round games, but could be other rounds.