How to Make a Tournament Private with a Password on Score7
Running a corporate event, a school sports day, or an invitation-only league? You probably don't want your bracket sitting on a public link that anyone could stumble onto. Score7 now lets you add a password gate to your tournament — viewers see a prompt for a code before they can open the bracket, scores, or standings. Pick a password, share it with your people, and the public link becomes private-by-default.
Turning on the password gate
- Open your tournament and click Advanced Settings.
- In the Visibility section, find the Password gate row.
- Click the edit icon → toggle On — code required to view.
- Type a password OR click Generate for a 3-word code like
swift-river-blue-42. - Click the copy icon to copy the code, then save.
The input is plain text (not a hidden password field) on purpose — codes get shared verbally, written on whiteboards at the venue, or pinned to a calendar invite. There's no shame in seeing your own code on screen.
The password gate is a Premium feature. Starter (free) accounts can see the row but need to upgrade to turn it on.
What viewers see
When someone opens the tournament link without the code, they land on a centred Score7 card with a generic title — "This tournament is private." — and a password field. The tournament's name, logo, and colour don't appear yet. Even the browser tab reads "Private tournament — Score7" so the name doesn't leak.
After they type the code and click Continue, the bracket loads as normal. Their browser remembers the unlock for that device — they won't be prompted again until you change the password.
If they get the password wrong, they see "Incorrect password." and can try again. No hint, no tournament name, no leak.
Be honest: this is friction, not security
This section matters, so we'll say it plainly.
A privacy curtain, not a security lock. The password gate is friction, not security. Anyone with the link and technical know-how can still read the underlying tournament data. Use the gate to keep casual visitors out — not to protect confidential information.
What the gate does well:
- An HR-organised office tournament — random co-workers can't browse the bracket from the company directory.
- A school class league — parents from other classes can't accidentally land on the bracket via search.
- A beta event — testers see the bracket while the wider community doesn't.
What the gate does NOT do:
- It does not encrypt your tournament data.
- It does not prevent a determined person from reading the raw API.
- It is not a substitute for keeping the link off public channels if confidentiality really matters.
If you're handling truly sensitive information (e.g. a competition involving minors with identifying details, or a private corporate league where confidentiality is a legal requirement), the password gate is one layer, not the whole story.
Sharing a private tournament
When you share a password-gated tournament, send the link and the code through different channels:
- Email the link, share the code verbally or in a calendar invite.
- Send the link on WhatsApp, paste the code in a separate message.
- Print the link on a flyer, write the code on a whiteboard at the venue.
The Share dialog shows a reminder banner when the gate is on — the link is still public, so anyone with both the URL and the password can view the tournament. Embeds and TV mode honour the gate too: the iframe and the venue display both prompt for the code.
Owners, admins, and editors bypass the prompt
If you're the owner, an admin, or an editor on the tournament, you never see the prompt — Score7 recognises you from your session. You'll also see a small "Password-gated" chip on the tournament header so you know the gate is on. The chip is only visible to admins, so viewers don't get a hint that they're missing something.
On your dashboard, password-gated tournaments show a small lock icon next to the tournament name. Quick way to spot which of your tournaments are private without opening each one.
Changing or removing the password
To change the password, edit the gate the same way you set it — type a new code, save. Every previously-unlocked device will be asked for the new code on the next visit. There's no "stay logged in" behaviour across rotations.
To remove the gate, toggle it off and save. The password is cleared and the tournament becomes openly viewable again.
If your Score7 subscription drops to Starter (free), the gate silently stops working — viewers can see the tournament. The password itself is preserved on Score7's servers, so when you upgrade again the gate resumes immediately.
Good to know
- The password gate is a Premium feature.
- It works on the regular tournament view, on embeds (the iframe prompts viewers for the code), and on TV mode (the venue display prompts full-screen).
- Owners, admins, and editors bypass the prompt automatically.
- The unlock is per device — every device asks for the code once, then remembers.
- Changing the password forces every device to re-enter on the next visit.
- The tournament name, logo, and colour stay hidden until the password is entered.
- This is privacy friction, not security. Anyone with the link plus technical know-how can still read the raw tournament data.
Running a corporate league, a school championship, or an invitation-only event? Turn on the password gate and the public link becomes private-by-default.
Create your tournament and try the password gate at your next event.