Initial Setup Checklist
Follow these steps in order when setting up SportsPress Pro for the first time. Each step links to the relevant detailed article.
1. Install the Plugin
Download the
sportspress-pro.zipfrom your purchase email or account.themeboy.com.Upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, or via FTP to
wp-content/plugins/.Click Activate Plugin.
2. Activate Your License Key
Navigate to SportsPress > Settings > Modules.
In the License sidebar panel, enter your key in the License Key field.
Click Activate.
Required for automatic updates. The plugin works in full without it, but updates must be applied manually.
3. Configure Permalink Settings
Navigate to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress admin.
Select any setting other than Plain (minimum: Day and name).
Click Save Changes.
"Plain" permalinks break event display. This must be set before publishing any content.
4. Run the Setup Wizard (Optional)
The wizard launches automatically on first activation.
It configures timezone, sport preset, creates a league and season, and optionally adds sample teams, players, and a venue.
Every step can be skipped. You can return at any time via
wp-admin/?page=sp-setup.
5. Choose a Sport Preset
Navigate to SportsPress > Settings > General.
Select your sport from the Sport dropdown.
Click Save Changes.
This populates positions, outcomes, results, statistics, and league table columns. Choosing a preset here replaces any previously applied preset data.
6. Create Competitions and Seasons
Navigate to SportsPress > Competitions and add at least one competition.
Navigate to SportsPress > Seasons and add at least one season.
Set the Main League and Current Season defaults in SportsPress > Settings > General.
All events, teams, players, and league tables must be assigned to a competition and season.
7. Review and Customize Equations (Optional)
Navigate to SportsPress > Configure.
Review the league table columns and their equations (e.g., Points = Win 3 + Draw 1).
Adjust equations to match your competition's rules.
The sport preset provides default equations. Customize them if your league uses different point values or tiebreakers.
8. Add Teams
Navigate to SportsPress > Teams > Add New.
Enter the team name, assign the competition and season, and upload a logo.
Repeat for all teams in your league.
9. Add Players and Staff
Navigate to SportsPress > Players > Add New.
Enter player name, assign position, squad number, and current team.
Navigate to SportsPress > Staff > Add New for coaches and other personnel.
10. Schedule Events
Navigate to SportsPress > Events > Add New.
Set the date and time, assign home and away teams, select competition and season, and set the venue.
Publish to make the event visible, or leave as Scheduled for future events.
Optional: Load Demo Content
If you want to explore the plugin with sample data first (on a development site only):
Navigate to SportsPress > Settings > General.
Check Install demo content next to the Sport field.
Click Save Changes.
Checklist Summary
# | Task | Where |
1 | Install and activate plugin | Plugins > Add New |
2 | Enter license key | SportsPress > Settings > Modules |
3 | Set permalink structure | Settings > Permalinks |
4 | Run setup wizard (optional) | wp-admin/?page=sp-setup |
5 | Choose sport preset | SportsPress > Settings > General |
6 | Create competitions and seasons | SportsPress > Competitions / Seasons |
7 | Customize equations | SportsPress > Configure |
8 | Add teams | SportsPress > Teams |
9 | Add players and staff | SportsPress > Players / Staff |
10 | Schedule events | SportsPress > Events |