Planning Substitution Rotations

Prerequisite: Selecting Your Lineup

Overview

Squadd automatically generates a fair-play substitution rotation plan whenever you build a lineup. The plan schedules which players come on and off — and at what minute — so every squad member gets roughly equal pitch time. You see a Fairness score and projected minutes per player before the match starts, letting you tweak the rotation until you're happy with it.

The rotation plan is a pre-match planning tool. During the live match you record substitutions manually; Squadd provides real-time fairness nudges to help you stay on track.

How the Fairness Algorithm Works

Squadd calculates the rotation using:

The algorithm places the players with the fewest season minutes on the pitch first (highest fairness debt = most playing time needed), then rotates at each sub window to keep projected minutes as even as possible.

Fairness score measures how even the distribution is:

Viewing the Rotation Plan

The rotation plan is shown at the bottom of the Lineup screen, below the pitch view and bench.

Sub Rotations section

A timeline of every substitution window:

30'  ↑ Alfie Morgan    ↓ Jack Davies
     ↑ Priya Sharma    ↓ Liam O'Brien

60'  ↑ Jack Davies     ↓ Caitlin Hughes
     ↑ Liam O'Brien    ↓ Mia Patel

Each row shows:

• ↑ Player name — coming on at that minute
• ↓ Player name — coming off at that minute

Projected Minutes section

Below the rotation timeline, every player is listed with their projected pitch time:

Fairness 87%

Alfie Morgan     45 min
Priya Sharma     45 min
Jack Davies      40 min
Liam O'Brien     40 min
Caitlin Hughes   35 min
Mia Patel        35 min

The Fairness % pill is colour-coded:

• 🟢 Green — good distribution (≥ 70 %)
• 🟡 Amber — fair but worth reviewing (50–69 %)
• 🔴 Red — large spread (< 50 %)

📸 [Screenshot: Projected Minutes section with Fairness 87% green pill and player list]

Adjusting the Rotation

The plan is a suggestion — you have full control to adjust it before saving.

Swap two players

Tap any player to select them (they highlight), then tap a second player to swap. The algorithm re-calculates the rotation and updates the fairness score immediately.

• Same bench ↔ bench swap: swaps bench positions only; rotation updates accordingly
• Starter ↔ bench swap: the bench player takes the starter's slot; the former starter moves to bench

Lock a player to the starting XI

Tap the padlock icon next to any starter to prevent them from being rotated off. Useful for players who must play the full match (e.g. a trialist, or a player returning from injury who needs a confidence boost).

Locked players are excluded from the rotation algorithm. The remaining outfield players share the available minutes.

⚠️ Locking many players reduces fairness. If you lock the majority of the starting XI, the algorithm has few players to rotate and the fairness score will fall. Squadd shows a warning if any player projects below 50 % of total match time after you've been 40 % into match setup.

Change formation

Tap the formation label (e.g. 3-2-1) to open the formation picker. Changing the formation re-runs the algorithm from scratch against the new slot layout.

Regenerate the plan

Tap the 🔄 refresh icon (top-right of the lineup screen) to discard all manual swaps and locks and return to the algorithm's fresh suggestion.

⚠️ Regenerating cannot be undone. All manual swaps and locks are cleared. If you have made deliberate adjustments, do not tap refresh.

Saving the Plan

When you are happy with the lineup and rotation, tap Save Lineup & Rotation.

This saves both the starting XI and the full substitution plan to the fixture. You can return to the Lineup screen at any time before kick-off to make further adjustments — each save replaces the previous version.

During the Match

The substitution rotation plan is a pre-match reference only — the live match screen does not automatically execute the planned subs for you.

During the match:

1. Use the rotation plan as your guide — you can check it at any time from the fixture detail screen
2. Record substitutions manually — tap the ⇄ button on any player row to perform a like-for-like fair-play swap, or tap + Event → Substitution to choose specific players
3. Watch the fairness nudges — as the match progresses, Squadd calculates live projected minutes and highlights any player heading for significantly fewer minutes than their teammates

See Recording a Live Match for full live match instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set custom substitution windows instead of 25/50/75%?
Not currently. Sub windows are calculated automatically at the quarter, half, and three-quarter marks of the match duration. If your league has specific sub rules, use the plan as a guide and deviate during the live match as needed.

Why does the rotation look uneven even with a good fairness score?
Half-time affects the calculation. Players who start the second half have a natural advantage over those who start the first half if the squad is odd-sized. The algorithm minimises the spread but cannot always achieve perfect parity with non-divisible squad numbers.

A player arrived late — how do I update the rotation?
Go back to the Lineup screen before kick-off and move the late arrival from unavailable to bench. Re-run the rotation (or tap 🔄 to regenerate) and save again.

The fairness score dropped after I locked players — is that a problem?
Only if the drop is significant. A Fairness score of 70 % or above means the spread is under 8 minutes — that is generally acceptable at grassroots level. Scores below 50 % (> 13-minute spread) are worth reviewing.

Does the rotation account for goalkeeper position?
The GK is locked off the rotation by default. If your team has Goalkeeper Tracking enabled, your GK's minutes and saves are tracked separately. The rotation algorithm only rotates outfield players unless you manually unlock the GK slot.

My squad is smaller than the pitch format — what happens?
If you have fewer available players than pitch slots, the algorithm places all available players as starters and calculates the fairest rotation with no bench. A "Small squad" notice appears on the lineup screen.

Related Articles

• Selecting Your Lineup
• Recording a Live Match
• Understanding Fairness Scores and Season Stats
• Setting Up Team Formations