# Quick start

> The essential steps to get your club running on ClubPal: branding, payments, your first session, membership packages, and inviting members. Most clubs finish in under an hour.

Canonical: https://www.clubpal.app/docs/quick-start

This guide walks you through the essential steps to get your club up and running on ClubPal. Most clubs can complete the core setup in under an hour.

## Step 1: Configure your club profile

Set up your club's name, logo, colours, and contact details so members see a branded experience from day one.

Go to **Admin > General Settings** and fill in:
- **Club Name** and **Contact Email**
- **Logo** (recommended 3:1 ratio, e.g. 900×300px) and **Favicon** (32×32px)
- **Club Colours**: open your account menu (your profile picture, top right) and choose **Edit Theme** to open the Theme Builder and configure your colours

See [Club branding](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/club-website/club-branding) for full details, and [Your homepage](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/club-website/homepage) to write the welcome message shown to visitors.

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## Step 2: Connect a payment provider

To accept online payments for sessions, memberships, and store orders, you need to set up ClubPal Payments.

Go to **Admin > Settings > Payments** and follow the onboarding steps, including confirming your club's bank account details and identity verification.

See [Payments overview](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/payments/overview) for details on payment methods and configuration.

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## Step 3: Create membership packages

If your club offers memberships, set these up before inviting members so people can sign up straight away.

Go to **Admin > Membership > Packages** and create your first package. At a minimum, configure:
- Package name and price
- Validity period (e.g. 12 months)
- Whether auto-renewal is offered

See [Membership packages](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/membership/membership-packages) for a full list of options.

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## Step 4: Add your sessions

Create your first sessions so members can start booking.

Go to **Admin > Sessions > Add Session** and set up:
- Session name, description, and location
- Schedule (one-off or recurring)
- Capacity limit and booking settings
- Cost (leave at zero for free sessions)

See [Creating sessions](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/sessions/creating-sessions) for all available options.

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## Step 5: Configure permissions

Decide who on your team should have admin or coach access. By default, only the account that registered the club has administrator access.

Go to **Admin > Membership > Members**, find the relevant member, and assign the appropriate permissions from their profile.

See [Permissions](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/general/permissions) for a description of each role.

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## Step 6: Invite your members

Once your club is set up, you can bring your members on board in two ways:

- **Import from CSV**: go to **Admin > Membership > Import** to bulk-import an existing member list. See [Member import](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/membership/member-import).
- **Share the registration link**: members can self-register at your club's ClubPal URL. Share it via email, social media, or your club website.

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## What next?

Once you have the basics in place, explore these areas to get more from ClubPal:

- [Session passes](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/sessions/passes): offer pre-paid bundles of sessions
- [Discount codes](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/payments/discount-codes): create promotional codes for bookings or memberships
- [Sending emails](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/emails/overview): communicate with members directly from the platform
- [Online store](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/store/overview): sell merchandise and club kit
- [Club branding](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/club-website/club-branding): customise your site's appearance