When should I create a community vs a crew?

Crew for a small branded group with shared events under a paid plan (3 members on Crew, 10 on Crew Pro). Community for a broader network — a club's full membership, a city's padel scene, friend-of-a-friend groups. Communities can run on the free tier (1 community, 15-member cap) or expand on Pro.

Can a community contain crews?

Indirectly. A user can be in many communities and many crews. There's no nesting at the data level, but in practice clubs often run a community for the broad membership and several crews for active sub-groups. A community can also be linked to a host crew via the Community.crewId field, set at creation.

Can communities be private?

Yes — toggle `isPublic` off. Private communities aren't listed in the Browse tab; new joiners need an invite (link or direct) to find them. Separate from privacy, the **Require approval** toggle controls whether joiners (even with the link) go into a PENDING queue or are auto-approved.

Is there a cap on community size?

Free accounts can own 1 community with up to 15 members. Pro accounts remove both caps — unlimited communities, unlimited members per community.

How do I create a Padelio community?

TL;DR:

From the Create tab (mobile) or app.padelio.org/create (web), choose Community, give it a name, decide public vs private, and choose whether new joiners need approval. Free accounts get 1 community with a 15-member cap; Pro removes the cap.

What a community is for

Use a community when you have a broad group that:

Doesn't fit a crew's small-paid-group model (a club's whole membership, all padel players in your city).
Wants a shared events feed without the crew's branding-and-paid-plan structure.
Has loose membership — people come and go.

Communities sit alongside crews in Padelio: a single user can be a member of many communities and many crews. Tournaments and leagues can be linked to either or both, and they show in the linked group's events feed.

Step by step

Step 1 — Open Create → Community

From the bottom navigation, tap the Create tab (the centre tab with the + icon), then Community.

The create-community form on mobile — name, description, and cover-image upload at the top of the screen.

Step 2 — Name and describe

Give it a name (e.g., "Lisbon Padel Friends", "Padel Club Munich"). Add a short description so new joiners know what they're joining. Optionally set a city/location — Padelio geocodes it for the map.

The full create-community form on mobile — name, description, public/private toggle, and the create button.

Step 3 — Cover image and logo

Optional but recommended — communities with branding feel more inviting. Upload a logo and/or cover image. Both are available on the free tier.

Step 4 — Public or private?

Public (isPublic = true) — discoverable from the Browse tab; the community shows up in search results. Private (isPublic = false) — not listed; new joiners need the invite link or a direct invite to find it.

Step 5 — Require approval?

Independent of public/private: the Require approval toggle (default on) controls whether new joiners go into a PENDING queue for the Owner or an Admin to approve. Turn it off if you want auto-approval — anyone who joins is added immediately. Public + auto-approve = open community; Private + require approval = strict gatekeeping.

Step 6 — Create

Tap Create. The community page opens — share the invite link or invite people directly.

After creation

You're the Owner. From the community page you can:

Invite members (search by name to invite an existing Padelio user, or share the invite link with a referral code).
Promote members to Admin — admins can approve/reject join requests, invite, and block disruptive users.
Adjust public/private and approval settings.
Link tournaments, leagues, and events to the community feed.

See communities/members-and-roles for the role details and inviting flow; communities/settings for the rest.

Where to go next

Invite people: communities/members-and-roles.
Tweak settings: communities/settings.
Want a smaller branded group with a paid plan instead? crews/create.

FAQ

When should I create a community vs a crew?: Crew for a small branded group with shared events under a paid plan (3 members on Crew, 10 on Crew Pro). Community for a broader network — a club's full membership, a city's padel scene, friend-of-a-friend groups. Communities can run on the free tier (1 community, 15-member cap) or expand on Pro.
Can a community contain crews?: Indirectly. A user can be in many communities and many crews. There's no nesting at the data level, but in practice clubs often run a community for the broad membership and several crews for active sub-groups. A community can also be linked to a host crew via the Community.crewId field, set at creation.
Can communities be private?: Yes — toggle `isPublic` off. Private communities aren't listed in the Browse tab; new joiners need an invite (link or direct) to find them. Separate from privacy, the **Require approval** toggle controls whether joiners (even with the link) go into a PENDING queue or are auto-approved.
Is there a cap on community size?: Free accounts can own 1 community with up to 15 members. Pro accounts remove both caps — unlimited communities, unlimited members per community.

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