> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tournamentsystem.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Keep staff notes and ban players

> Find a player, keep private staff notes on them, and ban or unban them.

**Players** lists everyone with a Player Hub account. Find a player there, keep staff notes on them, and ban or unban them.

Staff notes are private: only the staff console shows them. A ban stops a player using any signed-in part of the Tournament System until it ends or you lift it.

## Before you start

* You need access to read players, and separate access to write notes and to ban. See [How access works](/get-started/access).

## Find a player

In the sidebar, select **People** → **Players**. Each row shows the player's Discord name, their chosen name in brackets, their team, whether they're captain, their account's creation date and when they last signed in.

* **Search users** finds players by name, Discord ID or team.
* **Filter** narrows the list by **Team**, or by **Role**, such as **Captains** or **Banned**.

Select a row to open the player's panel: their team, **Active** or **Banned** status, Discord account age, ban **History** and **Staff notes**. A team's roster on **Teams** opens the same panel.

## Add or delete a staff note

1. Open the player's panel.
2. Type under **Staff notes** and press Enter to save. Shift+Enter starts a new line.

The note shows your name and the date. To delete a note, select the **Delete note** bin icon beside it. You can delete your own notes, and anyone's if your access allows.

<Warning>
  Selecting the bin deletes the note straight away, with no confirmation, and you can't bring it back.
</Warning>

## Ban a player

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the player's panel">
    On **Players**, select the player's row.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the ban">
    Select **Ban player** at the bottom of the panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Give a reason">
    Enter the **Reason**. You can't ban without one. The player reads it when they try to sign in, and it stays in their **History**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how long">
    Under **Duration**, choose **Permanent**, or **Until a date...** and pick a future date in **Expires on**. The ban ends at midnight at the end of that day, in your time zone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Select **Ban player**. "Player banned." confirms it, and the player's status becomes **Banned**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

A ban takes effect straight away:

* The ban signs the player out everywhere, and they can't use the signed-in parts of the Player Hub or the staff console until the ban ends.
* They're removed from their team. If they were captain, captaincy passes to the member who joined earliest. If they were the last member, the team disbands.
* They must agree to the Terms of Participation again when they next join or create a team.
* Any staff roles stay but don't apply until they sign in after the ban.

A ban with an expiry date ends by itself. The Dashboard's **Needs attention** panel lists bans ending within a day, and **Active bans** counts every ban in force.

<Warning>
  Lifting a ban doesn't undo it: the player isn't put back on their team, and a disbanded team stays disbanded.
</Warning>

## Unban a player

1. Open the banned player's panel and select **Unban player**.
2. Select **Unban player** again. "Player unbanned." confirms it.

The player can sign in straight away, and must join a team again with an invite code to play. The ban stays in their **History**, marked with the date staff lifted it.

To lift every active ban at once, such as between seasons, see [Reset teams and bans for a new season](/season/reset).

## Next steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Review and verify teams" href="/season/verify-teams">
    Check a team's roster and remove a member.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reset teams and bans for a new season" href="/season/reset">
    Disband every team or lift every ban at once.
  </Card>
</Columns>


## Related topics

- [Glossary](/get-started/glossary.md)
- [Reset teams and bans for a new season](/season/reset.md)
- [How access works](/get-started/access.md)
- [Overview](/index.md)
- [The staff console](/get-started/staff-console.md)


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