If you coach college, CEGEP or high school players, you know the pattern. You book a practice, post it, and the replies roll in: lab until 6, exam tomorrow, class on Thursdays. By the time you have a headcount, the slot is already booked.
Ask once, at the start of the term
Schedules change every term, not every week. Ask players to block off their class times once, at the start. It takes them a few minutes and saves you a season of "sorry coach, I have class".
Make it optional and private
Nobody needs to explain their timetable to the whole team. Players should choose what to block, naming the class should be optional, and the blocks should be visible to the coaches only, never to other players or parents.
Look for the gaps before you book
Once the blocks are in, the useful view is simple: for each time slot this week, who is free and who is not. Book the slot where the most players are free, then send the invite.
Still ask for the RSVP
A free slot is not a yes. Send the practice as an invitation, let players answer, and send a reminder the day before. The schedule tells you who could come; the RSVP tells you who will.
In TheCrib, players can block their class times (or import the .ics file from their school portal), and the calendar week view shows who is free before you add a practice. The blocks are seen only by the coaches, and every practice still goes out with an RSVP and reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before.
