Managing a competition's public visibility setting

Applicable to: Association Administrators

Application(s): Admin Portal > Competition Management

This article will cover the following:

1. How competition visibility affects your public page
2. Setting competition visibility to hidden or visible
3. Understanding the relationship between competition, season, and grade visibility
4. Managing registrations for hidden competitions

Overview

Competition visibility controls whether the public can view your competition on your organisation's PlayHQ page. This setting helps you manage what information is available to participants, parents, and the broader community while you're setting up or managing competitions.

Hidden competitions remain completely invisible to public visitors, even if individual seasons and grades within them are set to visible. Visible competitions display according to their individual season and grade visibility settings.

This feature is particularly useful during competition setup phases or when managing sensitive competitions that require controlled access.

Setting competition visibility

Control whether your competition appears on your public PlayHQ page.

1. Access competition settings
   1. Navigate to Competition Management
   2. Select your competition from the list
   3. Click the Settings tab
   4. Locate the Visibility section
2. Configure visibility setting
   1. Choose your preferred visibility option:
      • Visible: Competition appears on your public page (subject to season/grade settings)
      • Hidden: Competition is completely hidden from public view
   2. Save your changes
3. Update anytime
   1. Return to Competition Management > Settings to modify visibility
   2. Changes take effect immediately on your public page

Understanding visibility hierarchy

How competition visibility affects public display

Competition visibility acts as a master control for public access:

When competition is Hidden:

• The entire competition and all its content remain invisible to the public
• Even seasons and grades set to "Visible" will not appear on your public page
• No public pathway exists to view any part of the competition

When competition is Visible:

• Individual season and grade visibility settings determine what appears publicly
• Seasons/grades set to "Visible" will display on your public page
• Seasons/grades set to "Hidden" remain invisible even within a visible competition

Registration access considerations

Competition visibility does not affect direct registration access:

• Participants with registration links can still register for hidden competitions
• Registration availability depends on the registration periods you've configured
• Direct links bypass public page visibility restrictions

Common use cases

Setting up new competitions

Keep competitions hidden while configuring seasons, grades, and registration settings. Switch to visible once everything is ready for public viewing and registration.

Managing seasonal transitions

Hide completed seasons while setting up new ones, ensuring your public page displays only current, relevant competitions.

Controlling information release

Manage timing of competition announcements by preparing everything in advance, then switching visibility when ready to go public.

Frequently asked questions

Can participants still register if our competition is hidden? Yes, participants with direct registration links can still complete registration regardless of competition visibility. The visibility setting only affects what appears on your public PlayHQ page, not registration functionality or direct link access.

What happens to existing registrations if I hide a competition? Existing registrations remain unaffected. Hiding a competition only changes public page display and doesn't impact registered participants, their data, or their access to competition information.

Can I hide specific seasons or grades within a visible competition? Yes, each season and grade has its own visibility setting. Within a visible competition, you can set individual seasons or grades to hidden, giving you granular control over what the public can view.

How quickly do visibility changes take effect? Visibility changes are immediate. Once you save your setting, your public PlayHQ page will reflect the new visibility status right away.

Should we hide competitions during the off-season? This depends on your organisation's preference. Some organisations prefer to keep past season results visible year-round for reference, while others hide completed competitions to focus attention on current activities. Consider your community's needs and your organisation's communication strategy.

Can we control visibility for different user types? The visibility setting applies to all public users equally. Administrators always have full access regardless of visibility settings. For more granular access control, consider using registration periods and direct links to manage participant access to specific competitions.