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Fall 2026 Postseason Ticketing Checklist for Athletic Directors

Picture of GoFan GoFan : Feb 25, 2022, 12:00:00 AM

Postseason Athletics GoFan

Fall 2026 Postseason Ticketing Checklist for Athletic Directors

Published Feb 2022 | Updated Oct 2026

Postseason crowds are bigger. More families show up for the first time. The timeline is shorter, and you're still running your regular day job on campus.

Good news: most of what makes a playoff night run well gets settled before the doors open. This checklist walks you through it, from the seeding meeting to the final whistle.

GoFan is the official postseason ticketing partner of 41 state associations. That means the steps below are the same ones hosts follow across a big part of the country. If your state is a partner, your postseason may run on GoFan even if your regular season doesn't.

Short on time? Jump to the phase you need:

Phase 1: After the seeding meeting
Phase 2: Promote and pre-sell
Phase 3: Get the gate ready
Phase 4: Game day
Phase 5: Between rounds

Phase 1: After the Seeding Meeting

This is the quiet window before games get underway. Use it to get organized.

Confirm whether you're hosting or visiting. Hosts sell and scan tickets. Visitors promote the link to their own fans.
Find your event link. Log in to PlayOn HQ, or visit gofan.co and search for your school. Send visiting ADs the same instructions.
Check the details. Confirm ticket types, prices, and capacity for the event. In association postseason events, the association often sets pricing, so check your state's rules before you change anything.
Build or refresh your contact list. Start with families of your student-athletes and student body. Add the local community next. Ask coaches and booster clubs to send you their lists.
Tell whoever sends your school's emails. If someone on campus handles community messages, give them your seeding meeting date and the playoff schedule now.

Pro tip: Don't put a game time in your messages unless you're sure it won't change. Playoff times and venues move. Point every message to one page, update that page, and you won't have to resend anything.

Phase 2: Promote and Pre-Sell

Every fan who buys ahead is one fewer person at your gate asking questions.

Send one clear "Buy Tickets" message. It only needs to say where to buy and link to your GoFan page. Add who, what, when, and where if you have them.
Post the link everywhere. Your website home page and athletic pages, booster and team pages, email to the student body and community, and your social channels
Email your opponent. If you're hosting, send the visiting school your ticket link and ask them to share it. It cuts your walk-up traffic and your staffing needs.
Send a fresh message each round. New opponent, new link, new message.
Set up event alerts. Use them to tell fans about capacity limits, weather, parking, or bag policies before they arrive.

Phase 3: Get the Gate Ready

This is where playoff nights are won or lost. Plan it the day before.

Brief your gate staff and volunteers and assign roles. One person on validation, one on walk-up sales, one on fan questions. Everyone knows which job is theirs.
Post QR code signs. Download them from PlayOn HQ and print several copies. Place them where walk-up fans will see them before they reach the line. A fan scans the code and lands on your event page.
Test your walk-up payment setup. If you're selling at the gate with Box Office, turn it on for the event and test the devices your staff will use. Box Office takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and CashApp. Tap to Pay lets staff accept payments directly on an iPhone, with wifi or cell service at the gate. A five-minute test beats finding a problem with a full line watching.
Print a support card. Put support links where your gate team can reach them. School support, fan support , and gate attendant how-to guide.

Phase 4: Game Day

Log in to PlayOn HQ before the gates open. Confirm event details are accurate.
Watch sales as they come in. Check tickets remaining, sales by type, and tickets redeemed. Close sales when the event sells out and adjust capacity if you need to.
Send an alert if something changes. Weather delay? Lot closed? One message reaches every ticket holder.
Hand staff the "Where's my ticket?" fix. This is the question you'll hear most:
- Search email for "GoFan."
- The confirmation and reminder emails have a View Tickets button.
- Bought by text? Tap the link in the text.
- Still stuck? Log in on the GoFan app or website and open View Tickets.
Remind fans that groups can split up. One person can use their own tickets now and transfer the rest to friends who arrive later.

Phase 5: Between Rounds

Compare sales and redemptions. Look at tickets sold against tickets redeemed so you know how the night went.
Note what slowed the line. One sentence now saves you in the next round.
Reset for the next event. New opponent, new link, new message. Go back to Phase 2.
Reconcile. Selling digitally means reduced cash handling and sales that land in your reporting automatically.

"GoFan is a great solution for a lot of our schools and has helped us host events with reduced staff." — Ron Marquez, Events and Operations Manager, CIF San Diego Section

Frequently Asked Questions

Is postseason ticketing different from the regular season? Often, yes. State associations usually set postseason policies, and in official partner states the postseason may run on a different platform than your regular season. Check with your association, then tell your fans early.

Where do I find my event link? Log in to PlayOn HQ, or go to gofan.co and search for your school. Hosting schools and visiting schools both use the same page.

What if a fan can't find their tickets? Tell them to search their email for "GoFan" and tap View Tickets. They can also use the text link, the GoFan app, or the website.

What if the wifi is bad at our gate? Talk to your GoFan contact before game day about your options. [VERIFY: replace with approved offline redemption answer.]

Can fans share or transfer tickets? Yes. From the View Tickets page, a fan can send tickets to friends or family by text or email. Each ticket still works for one entry only.