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Ember
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The team app
for grassroots
football coaches

A WhatsApp group isn't a plan. Ember is. Know who's coming, pick your team, keep track of subs and run matchday in one simple app.

Create your free team See how it works

Free for one team. Try Coach free for 30 days, no card needed.

Made by Anakin Peens, a grassroots coach in South Africa.

The touchline reality

Managing your team shouldn't feel like a second job.

Grassroots football runs on volunteers and passion. The admin lands on one coach, with a phone full of messages and pockets full of paper.

Yes on the poll, missing at kickoff

Players say yes in the group, then don't arrive. Too few on time, and the match is called off or forfeited.

A group chat isn't a calendar

Fixtures, training times and replies buried in hundreds of messages, with no calendar and no plan.

Subs on a spreadsheet

Cash at training, payment plans agreed on the touchline, and a spreadsheet nobody trusts. So who still owes this month?

Features

Built for touchlines, dust and early mornings.

Everything a grassroots coach juggles, in one place: your squad on the pitch, and the admin off your plate.

Availability

Squad availability

Mark players injured, suspended or unavailable. See who's out, and why, at a glance before you pick the team.

Tactics

Tactical pitch and lineups

Pick your starting XI, draw up moves that play step by step, and show your players their positions before kickoff, on the touchline or on their own phones.

Training

Training and sessions

Plan sessions block by block, take attendance in seconds, and see every training and match day on one calendar.

Replies

Players and parents

Know who's coming before matchday. Send each player or parent their own link. They tap Available or Not available, and see the schedule, the lineup you share and their own player's stats. For under 18s, a parent gives the OK first.

Fees

Club fees, not spreadsheets

Bin the spreadsheet. See who has paid their subs, who's on a payment plan and what's still owed, monthly or for the season. Mark each player in a couple of taps, and the ring adds it up.

Stats

Match reports and season

Take notes during the game, then go through the match report with the team after the whistle. The season page adds up results, top scorers, assists, minutes and how your goals were scored.

Say goodbye to heavy lifting.
Ember carries the admin, so you can coach.

How it works

Up and running before kickoff

No complicated software tutorials or admin headaches. Built so you can get sorted before the weekend.

  1. 1

    Create your team

    Enter your team name, club, age group and season, then add your players.

    Takes 2 minutes before training

  2. 2

    Invite your coaches and families

    Send your assistant coaches a join link, so everyone works from the same squad, sessions and plans. Give each player or parent their own link, so they can tell you if they can play.

    Share the link on WhatsApp or by email

  3. 3

    Run your matchday

    Pick the team, then record goals, cards and substitutions as they happen. Ember works out everyone's minutes for you.

    Easy to tap with sweaty fingers in bright sun

The Ember story

Built for one coach, not just big clubs.

Ember started when Anakin Peens needed a way to keep track of who was coming to training. The team apps out there were priced for European clubs and sold to whole clubs, so Anakin and Jet Peens built their own.

Read our story

Pricing

Grassroots management at a grassroots price.

Priced in rand, with no custom quotes. Paid plans start in early 2027. Until then, every feature is free while we test with coaches.

Free

R0 for good

One team: squad, availability, training and a calendar.

Coach 30 days free

R199 a month

Everything for one team, or R1,499 a year.

Club

R499 a month

Up to 5 teams, plus R79 a month for each extra team.

See everything in each plan

Questions

Straight answers for busy coaches

What does Ember cost?

Free keeps one team going for good. Coach is R199 a month or R1,499 a year for one team. Club is R499 a month or R4,990 a year for up to 5 teams, plus R79 a month (R790 a year) for each extra team. Paid plans start in early 2027; until then everything is free while we test with coaches.

Do I need a card to try Coach?

No. Try Coach free for 30 days, no card needed.

Do players or parents need to pay or download an app?

No. Players and parents never pay. On the Coach and Club plans, you send each player or parent their own link: they make a free login, see the schedule, the lineup you share and their own player's stats, and tap Available or Not available.

How does it work for under 18s?

A parent follows the player and gives the OK first. Teammates show only as shirt numbers.

Can assistant coaches and team managers help out?

Yes. Send them a join link from the app. Everyone works from the same squad, sessions, matches and plans, and changes sync between phones.

Do I need to download it from an app store?

No. Open Ember in your phone's browser and add it to your home screen. It then opens like any other app, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.

What if there's no signal at the pitch?

Ember keeps working. Everything is saved on your phone first and syncs with your other coaches when you're back online.

Who can see my team's information?

Your team's data stays private to your coaches. Players and parents you invite see the schedule, the lineup you share and their own player's stats.

Get your squad sorted before the weekend

Create your team, add your players and step onto the touchline prepared this season.

Create your free team

Free for one team. No card needed.