How Draft Manager Works

Draft Manager lets you run a live player draft where an admin selects players for teams while coaches call out their picks. It's ideal for competitive leagues that want a traditional draft experience based on player evaluations.

Unlike Team Builder (which automatically assigns players), Draft Manager creates an engaging, real-time draft event where coaches actively participate in building their rosters.

Note: Draft Manager is a premium feature. You can try it free for up to 3 rounds to see how it works. For drafts with more than 3 rounds, you'll need one of our higher-tier plans.

Looking for a simpler option? See our Basic Draft Guide for the draft feature included with all plans.

Before You Start: Required Setup

Before running a draft, you need to complete these essential setup steps:

1. Create Your Teams

Each team in the division must be created before the draft:

• Go to your division settings
• Create all teams that will participate
• Give each team a clear, recognizable name (e.g., "Tigers", "Eagles", "Team Johnson")

2. Assign Coaches to Teams

This is critical. Every team must have a coach assigned before the draft starts:

• Each coach needs to know which team they're drafting for
• The draft board shows team names, so coaches need to identify their team
• Coaches receive "your turn" notifications based on their team assignment

3. Name Your Teams

Team names appear throughout the draft:

• On the draft board columns
• In "On the Clock" announcements
• In pick confirmations

Make sure names are clear and distinguishable—avoid generic names like "Team 1" or "TBD".

4. Complete Player Evaluations (Recommended)

While not required, having evaluations makes drafting more effective:

• Coaches can see player skill levels
• Evaluation numbers help identify players quickly
• Round assignments can be based on evaluation categories

The Draft Manager Wizard

The Draft Manager wizard walks you through configuring your draft. Access it from your division's admin menu on the mobile app.

Step 1: Draft Type

Choose how the pick order works each round:

Standard Draft

• Same pick order every round
• If Team A picks first in Round 1, they pick first in every round
• Best for: Simple drafts, younger age groups

Snake Draft

• Pick order reverses each round
• Round 1: Teams 1-2-3-4, Round 2: Teams 4-3-2-1
• Best for: Fairness (team picking last gets first pick next round)

Dynamic Draft (Recommended)

• Pick order recalculates after each round based on team performance
• Teams with weaker rosters pick earlier in the next round
• Best for: Maximum competitive balance

Step 2: Number of Rounds

Set how many rounds your draft will have:

• Bravara suggests a number based on: Total Players ÷ Number of Teams
• You can adjust up or down based on your needs
• More rounds = more picks per team
• Consider roster size limits when choosing

Step 3: Round Configuration

Choose how players are ranked for each round:

Overall (Default)

• Most leagues keep this setting
• Players are ranked by their overall evaluation score
• Simple and straightforward—draft the best available player each round

Category-Based (Optional)

• Map specific rounds to evaluation categories
• Round 1 might focus on "Pitching" scores
• Round 2 might focus on "Hitting" scores
• Players are ranked within each round by their category score

If you don't need category-based rounds, just keep the default "Overall" setting and continue to the next step.

Step 4: Team Order

Set the initial pick order for Round 1:

Randomize

• Shuffles teams into a random order
• Fair starting point for all coaches

Manual Order

• Drag teams to set a specific order
• Useful if order was predetermined (lottery, previous season finish, etc.)

Step 5: Pre-Assign Players (Optional)

This step shows players who have already been assigned to teams. These assignments happen before you start the Draft Manager wizard:

How to Pre-Assign Players:

• On the web or mobile app, add players directly to teams before starting the draft
• Coaches' children are automatically added to their parent's team
• If a coach's child wasn't added automatically, you can manually assign them

Pre-assigned players:

• Automatically fill their designated slot during the draft
• Cannot be picked by other teams
• Are marked with a pin icon on the board

Step 6: Visibility Settings

Control who can see the draft board before and after the draft:

Hide Board from Non-Admins

• Only league administrators can view the board before the draft starts and after it ends
• During the live draft, everyone can see all picks in real-time

Hide Board from Non-Team Members

• Only coaches with assigned teams can view
• Spectators and unassigned staff cannot see

Note: These settings control visibility before and after the draft. During the live draft itself, all participants can see all picks as they happen.

Step 7: Review & Start

Review all your settings before starting:

• Draft type and rounds
• Team order
• Pre-assigned players
• Visibility settings

When ready, tap Start Draft. This:

• Creates the draft in the system
• Notifies all connected devices
• Opens the live draft board

If you need to start over, you can reset the draft from the admin menu.

Running the Live Draft

Once started, the draft runs in real-time with all participants seeing updates instantly.

The Draft Board (Mobile)

The mobile draft board shows:

Round Cards

• Each round displayed as a scrollable card
• Current round highlighted with a blue indicator
• Shows all team slots within the round

Pick Slots

• Team name and color
• Pick position (1st, 2nd, etc.)
• Player name and evaluation number (once picked)
• Special badges for pre-assigned, hat, or sibling picks

Action Bar (Admin Only)

• Draft type indicator
• Undo button
• Hat pick button
• Stats button

Current Turn Indicator

• Blue border on the team currently picking
• "Picking..." animation in their slot
• Shows which team is "on the clock"

Making Picks

Important: Only the admin can make picks in the system. Coaches call out their selections, and the admin enters them.

How It Works:

1. The current team's slot is highlighted on the board
2. The coach for that team calls out their pick (e.g., "I want player #1003")
3. The admin taps to select that player
4. The pick is recorded and broadcast to all viewers
5. Board automatically advances to the next team

Pick Validation:

• Picks can only be made for the team currently "on the clock"
• Players already drafted cannot be selected
• The system prevents out-of-turn picks

Trading Players

Admins can swap players between teams during the draft:

1. Tap a drafted player on the board
2. Tap the Trade button
3. A banner shows "Trading [Player Name]"
4. Tap another drafted player to complete the swap
5. Both players switch teams

Trade Rules:

• Both players must be drafted (have team assignments)
• Players can be traded from any round to any other round
• Trades are recorded in the pick history
• Traded picks show a special indicator

Undoing Actions

Made a mistake? Admins can undo the last action:

1. Tap the Undo button in the action bar
2. Confirm the undo
3. The last pick or trade is reversed
4. Board updates for all viewers

Hat Picks

Hat picks randomly assign players to teams—like drawing names from a hat. Use them to quickly fill remaining roster spots:

1. Tap the Hat button in the action bar
2. A random player is assigned to the next available team slot
3. Or use Assign All to fill all remaining slots randomly

Hat picks are marked with a hat icon on the board. They're useful for:

• Speeding up the end of a draft
• Fairly assigning players who weren't selected
• Filling roster spots without coach input

Sibling Picks

When siblings or linked players are configured:

• Picking one sibling automatically picks the other
• Both end up on the same team
• The auto-pick happens in the next available slot
• Marked with a group icon on the board

This ensures family members stay together without manual coordination.

The Desktop Draft Board (Web)

While the mobile app controls the draft, the web provides a large-screen viewing experience—perfect for displaying on a TV or projector during your draft event.

Accessing the Draft Board

1. Log into the web application
2. Navigate to Player Evaluations for your division
3. Click View Draft Board
4. The board opens in a dedicated full-screen layout

What the Desktop Shows

Header Section:

• Organization name
• Season and division
• "On the Clock" card showing the current team

Draft Grid:

• Rows = Rounds (Round 1, 2, 3...)
• Columns = Teams
• Cells = Individual picks with player info

Pick Display:

• Evaluation number (e.g., #45)
• Player name (optional, toggleable)
• Special pick icons (pin, hat, group)

Current Pick Highlighting:

• Current round row is highlighted
• "NEXT UP" label on the picking team's column
• Current pick cell has accent styling

Desktop Controls

Toolbar Options:

• Names Toggle: Show/hide player names
• High Contrast: Switch to gold-on-black for better visibility
• Zoom Slider: Adjust board size (50% - 150%)
• Fullscreen: Expand to fill the entire screen

Important: Desktop is View-Only

The desktop draft board is for viewing only:

• You cannot make picks from the web
• You cannot start, stop, or configure the draft
• You cannot undo or trade from the web
• All draft management happens on the mobile app

The desktop is designed for:

• Displaying on a large screen during draft events
• Allowing spectators to follow along
• Giving coaches a big-picture view of all teams

Real-Time Updates

The desktop board updates automatically:

• Picks appear within seconds of being made
• Current team indicator moves in real-time
• No need to refresh the page
• Uses both polling (every 3 seconds) and instant WebSocket updates

Draft Status & Completion

During the Draft

The draft tracks:

• Current round and pick number
• Total picks made vs. total slots
• Players remaining in the pool
• Which team is "on the clock"

Draft Complete

The draft is complete when:

• All pick slots are filled, OR
• No available players remain

When complete:

• A "Draft Complete" banner appears
• Admins can still make trades
• The board remains visible

Finalizing the Draft

Finalization locks the draft and triggers post-draft actions:

1. Tap Finalize Draft when ready
2. Choose options:
   • Send Rosters to Coaches: Email team rosters to each coach
   • Move Unassigned Players: Send remaining players to another division
3. Confirm finalization

What Coaches Receive

When you send rosters to coaches, each coach gets an email with their team's roster including:

• Player names - All players assigned to their team
• Guardian names - Parents/guardians for each player
• Contact information - Email and phone number (if included in registration data)

This gives coaches everything they need to start communicating with their team's families.

After Finalization:

• The draft board is locked and won't change
• Draft history is preserved
• You can still make trades after finalization on the web or mobile app by moving players between teams—but these changes won't appear on the draft board

Tips for a Successful Draft

Before the Draft

1. Test your setup - Run through the wizard to ensure everything looks right
2. Communicate the schedule - Let coaches know when the draft starts
3. Verify team assignments - Every coach should know their team
4. Check evaluations - Ensure player data is complete

During the Draft

1. Have a backup admin - In case of technical issues
2. Use the desktop board for display - Project it for everyone to see
3. Keep the pace moving - Use time limits if picks are taking too long
4. Use hat picks at the end - Don't let the draft drag on indefinitely

After the Draft

1. Review before finalizing - Make any last-minute trades
2. Don't rush finalization - Once locked, changes require manual intervention
3. Communicate results - Send rosters to coaches promptly

Troubleshooting

"Draft not showing on desktop"

• Ensure the draft has been started from mobile
• Check that you have access to the division
• Verify visibility settings aren't hiding the board

"Coach can't see their team"

• Verify the coach is assigned to a team in the division
• Check if "Hide from Non-Team Members" is enabled
• Ensure they're logged into the correct account

"Wrong player was picked"

• Use the Undo button immediately
• If too many picks have passed, you may need to trade

"Draft won't start"

• Verify at least one team exists
• Check that teams have names
• Ensure coaches are assigned

Key Terms

Summary

Draft Manager provides a complete live drafting experience:

1. Set up first: Create teams, assign coaches, name teams
2. Configure: Walk through the wizard to set draft type, rounds, and order
3. Run it live: Coaches call out picks, admin enters them in real-time
4. Display it: Use the desktop board for big-screen viewing
5. Finish strong: Review trades, then finalize to lock rosters

The admin controls everything from the mobile app—the web is for viewing. Make sure coaches are assigned to teams before starting, and you'll have a smooth, engaging draft experience.