Team chats, direct messages and announcements
How parents and staff message each other in the app, who can post where, sending photos, replying to announcements, and muting notifications.
Reviewed 26 September 2026 · Verified for Clubs web and app · September 2026
Before you start
- The Playlee Clubs app, for chats and direct messages
- Club admin access, or permission to post announcements, to post on the web
On this page
Three ways to talk
Announcements are updates from the club or a team to its families, sent as a push notification. Team chats are one group conversation per team for parents, coaches, team managers and club admins. Direct messages are one-to-one conversations between a parent and a coach or volunteer.
Team chats and direct messages are in the app's Messages tab. On the web, "Messages" in the sidebar is where staff post and archive announcements. Nobody sees another member's phone number or email address, only their name.
Where to go
- App → Messages
- "Team chats" and "Conversations" (direct messages and announcement replies). Tap + to start a new message.
- App → Home → Post to team (staff)
- Post an announcement to a team from your phone.
- Web → Messages → New announcement
- Post to the whole club or to one team, with a preview and the number of families it reaches.
- Settings → App settings / Permissions
- Switch team chat on or off, and choose whether coaches and team managers can post announcements.
Use messages
- 1
Start a direct message
In Messages, tap + and pick a person. Parents see their child's coaches and team managers, plus any volunteers the club has made contactable. Coaches see their players' parents.
- 2
Post in your team chat
Open it under Team chats. Depending on the team's setting, everyone can post, or only coaches and team managers post while parents read. Players are never in the chat.
- 3
Send photos
Tap the image button next to the message box. You can attach up to five photos to one message.
- 4
Reply to an announcement
On the Team tab, open the announcement with "View & reply". Replies go into one shared thread that the team's parents and staff can read, so use a direct message for anything private.
- 5
Mute a busy conversation
Open the conversation's menu and choose "Mute notifications". Muting only stops notifications for that conversation. It stays in your list and you can still read and post. Choose "Unmute notifications" to turn them back on.
Post an announcement (staff)
- 1
Choose the audience
Club owners and admins can post to the whole club or any team. Coaches and team managers can post to their own teams only if the club turns on "Coaches and team managers can post announcements" in Settings → Permissions.
- 2
Write the title and message, then review
On the web, the button says how many families on the app it will reach. The confirm step shows the message as a parent will see it.
- 3
Post
Families with the app are notified straight away. An announcement cannot be unsent, only archived afterwards, which hides it from parents.
Team chat settings
- Each team chooses "Who can post": Everyone can post, Coaches post, parents read, or Off. Coaches set this on the team page on the web, or from the chat's menu in the app.
- Off hides the chat from parents. Staff can still read the history, but nobody can post.
- A club admin can switch Team chat off for the whole club in Settings → App settings, which overrides every team.
- Only adults are in team chats: a guardian recorded as under 18 is left out.
If messages are not arriving
- The app is up to date and you are signed in to the invited account.
- Playlee notifications are allowed in your phone settings.
- Messages and Announcements are switched on in You → Notifications.
- The conversation is not muted.
Common questions
Why can't I post in my team chat?
The team's setting may be "Coaches post, parents read" or Off, or the club has switched team chat off. The chat shows which one applies. You may also have been restricted from messaging after a report, and only the club can lift that.
Why can't I find a coach or volunteer to message?
Parents can message the coaches and team managers of their child's team. Other volunteers only appear once the club has made them "Contactable by parents" on their volunteer profile.
Why didn't I get a notification for a message or announcement?
Check that the conversation is not muted, that Messages or Announcements is on in You → Notifications, and that your phone allows Playlee notifications. Parents without the app do not get announcement pushes. They see announcements when they next look.
Why can't I post an announcement as a coach?
Coaches and team managers can only post announcements if a club admin turns on "Coaches and team managers can post announcements" in Settings → Permissions, and then only to their own teams.
Does muting tell the other person?
No. Muting only stops your own notifications for that conversation.