Using Fair-Play Sub Suggestions
Overview
During a live match, Squadd watches the clock and tracks how many minutes each player has on the pitch. When a player is heading for significantly less pitch time than their teammates, the app nudges you — and gives you a one-tap swap to fix it.
📝 Fair-play information is coach-only — the minute badges, warnings, and sub suggestions are never shown to parents. On the live screen, each player's minute badge is colour-coded: green while they're on the pitch, grey while on the bench.
The ⇄ Swap Button
Every player row on the live match screen has a ⇄ button. Tapping it performs a fair-play swap instantly:
- The on-pitch player with the most accumulated minutes comes off
- The bench player with the fewest accumulated minutes comes on
The swap is recorded at the current match minute. Playing-time calculations update immediately.
⚠️ The swap executes without a confirmation step. If you tap the button on the wrong row, record a manual substitution to reverse it (+ Event → Substitution).
The ⚠️ Playing-Time Warning
A yellow ⚠️ warning appears next to any player projected to finish the match below 50% of total match time.
The warning activates after 40% of the match has elapsed — early enough to leave time to act, late enough to avoid false alarms for bench players who started late.
When you see the warning:
- Note which player is flagged
- Tap ⇄ on any on-pitch player to bring on the under-served player automatically, or
- Use + Event → Substitution to make a specific tactical swap
How the Suggested Swap Is Calculated
The algorithm is simple and consistent:
Off: whichever player currently on the pitch has the highest minute count since kick-off
On: whichever bench player has the lowest minute count since kick-off
Goalkeepers are excluded from this calculation — the ⇄ button will never select a GK as the outgoing player. To substitute a goalkeeper, use the manual substitution route.
The candidate pool is your match-day squad — the players actually in this match's squad. If your squad is larger than the playing cap for the format, the over-cap reserves are excluded: they aren't counted in the minute tracking and Squadd won't suggest bringing them on. This keeps the suggestions consistent with the capped squad you planned in the lineup builder.
Following vs. Overriding the Suggestion
The ⇄ suggestion is optimised for fairness, not tactics. There will be times when the fairest swap isn't the right one:
- Your captain is the highest-minutes player but needs to stay on in the final 10 minutes
- A specific tactical substitution takes priority over the fairness algorithm
- A player needs to come off due to injury regardless of their minute count
In these cases, use + Event → Substitution to choose specific players manually. The fairness tracker continues to run and will reflect the new minutes distribution after any sub.
Sub Window Reminders
If you built a rotation plan in the lineup builder, Squadd also reminds you as each planned sub window approaches (at 25%, 50%, and 75% of match time by default). The reminder is a prompt — you can act on it, skip it, or substitute different players than the plan suggests.
Marking a Player Out or Back In
If a player who was available turns out to be a no-show, or picks up an injury mid-match and can't continue, mark them out. Squadd removes them from the fair-play targets and recalculates who's owed minutes around the players who are actually there, rather than chasing fairness for someone who can no longer play. If they're able to return, mark them back in and the targets adjust again to include them.
The Half-Time Board
At half time, a board shows how many minutes each player has had so far and who's owed minutes in the second half, so you can plan your second-half subs with the full picture in front of you.
Full-Time Shortfall Flags
After you mark full time, Squadd flags anyone who finished short of their fair-play target for the match, so a player who missed out on minutes doesn't get overlooked once the final whistle's gone.
Turning Off Fair-Play Helpers
If you coach a more competitive age group and prefer to manage substitutions without these prompts, go to Settings → Team modules → Customise features and toggle Fair-play helpers off. This removes the ⇄ button, the ⚠️ warnings, and the other fair-play prompts (marking a player out/back in, the half-time board, and full-time shortfall flags) from the live match screen and match report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ⇄ more than once in quick succession?
Yes — each tap records a separate substitution event. If you need two swaps at once, tap ⇄ twice.
The ⇄ button brought on a player I didn't want — what do I do?
Record a manual substitution (+ Event → Substitution) to reverse it: put the unintended player back on the bench and bring back the original player.
A parent asked why their child played fewer minutes — the ⇄ button should have fixed that, right?
The ⇄ button is there as a tool, not an automatic system — it only acts when you tap it. If a player ended up short on minutes, it may be that the ⚠️ warning appeared but you were focused on the match. The projected minutes are visible before the match in the lineup builder to help plan ahead.
Does the suggestion account for position when swapping?
Not in default mode — it's purely minutes-based. If Detailed Positions is enabled, the algorithm does prefer position-matching swaps (swapping a defender for a defender where possible).