How to Build a Lineup Graphic With LineLab
Every matchday starts the same way: someone has to tell the squad who is playing and where. A typed list in chat is easy to misread. A lineup graphic is quicker to read and gives your club something to post.
LineLab is the free lineup builder on TackyLeague. It runs in the browser, needs no account, and covers soccer, volleyball and American football.
In short
- Choose the sport, game size and formation first. Changing any of them sends everyone back to the bench.
- Type a name and press Enter to add players fast, then drag or tap them into place.
- Style the card with your team name, crest, kit colour, surface and lighting.
- Download the PNG. LineLab does not save lineups between visits.
Choose your sport and game size
Open LineLab. It starts on soccer, 11v11, the most common setup. Use the sport picker to switch, then pick the game size. A 6v6 league and an 11v11 league need very different shapes.
| Soccer | Volleyball | American football | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game sizes | 4v4 up to 11v11 | 2v2 beach, 4v4, 6v6 | 5v5 flag, 7v7, 11v11 |
| Example shapes | 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2 | 5-1, 6-2, 4-2 | Shotgun, Pro I, Nickel |
| Surfaces | Classic, Dark, Futsal, Indoor, Snow | Indoor, Beach, Sport Court | Grass, Turf, Night |
Every sport also offers a custom surface colour.
Pick a formation first
Each game size has its own formations. For 11v11 soccer you get the familiar shapes, including 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and 5-3-2. American football lists offensive and defensive sets separately.
The 4-3-3 slots as LineLab lays them out for 11v11 soccer.
Changing the sport, game size or formation sends everyone on the pitch back to the bench. Nobody is deleted, but you will need to place them again. Settle the shape, then place players.
Add your players
Type a name and press Enter, or tap Add. The field stays focused, so a whole squad goes in quickly: name, Enter, name, Enter. New players land on the bench.
- Roblox avatar: Type a Roblox username and press Get Roblox avatar. LineLab tells you if the name is not found.
- Your own image: Upload a photo or a custom render instead. Images up to 5 MB are accepted.
- Position and rating: Set a position, or keep the slot default, and a rating from 1 to 99.
- Import from a league: Signed in and in a league on TackyLeague? Fill the pitch from a team roster, placed by position.
The auto avatar checkbox is off by default. Only turn it on when display names match Roblox usernames exactly, or you get the wrong faces. Want a quick look first? Try a sample lineup fills an empty pitch with a demo squad.
Place players on the pitch
- Drag and drop: From the bench to a slot, slot to slot, or back to the bench.
- Tap to place: Tap a bench player, then a slot. Tap two players on the pitch to swap them. Easiest on a phone.
- Auto-place: Fills empty slots in order from the bench when exact positions do not matter yet.
On smaller screens the bench becomes a tray at the bottom, so your squad stays in reach. Clear Pitch sends everyone back to the bench, and an undo prompt appears after placing, swapping, clearing or deleting.
Each card has three actions: Swap player, Edit name and rating and Send to bench. On a computer they appear when you hover over a card or reach it with the keyboard. On a phone, tap to place and the bench tray do the same job.
Style the graphic
- Illustration of the style panel, simplified. Northside FC is a made-up club.
- Team name and a subtitle, which defaults to "Starting XI". Try "Matchday 5" or "Cup Final".
- Six kit colours. Match them to your real club colours.
- Lighting sets the mood of the whole image.
- Download PNG becomes available once one player is on the pitch.
Keep the surface calm. A busy background makes names hard to read once the image shrinks in a chat feed. Use a square crest with a transparent background if you have one.
Export and share
| Download PNG | Copy link | |
|---|---|---|
| Names and ratings | Yes | Yes |
| Uploaded images and avatars | Yes | No |
| Positions and crest | Yes | No |
| Best for | The finished post | Sending a draft to a co-captain |
The PNG saves at twice screen resolution and its file name includes team, sport, formation and date. Very large squads can be too long for a link, and LineLab says so.
Every export carries a small tackyleague.com/linelab mark in the corner, so people who see your graphic know where it was made.
Before you post
- Shape chosen before players were placed
- Names spelled the way players write them
- Kit and surface readable at a small size
- PNG downloaded, not just the link copied
Wrapping up
Build the lineup the night before, post it in your team channel and pin it. Players stop asking "am I starting?", and next week only takes a couple of minutes: same shape, swap the names that changed, download, post.
Frequently asked questions
Is LineLab free?
Yes. The web builder is free and needs no account. Signing in only adds importing a roster from a league you belong to.
Does it save my lineups?
No. Nothing is stored between visits. Download the image or copy the link before you leave.
Which games does it support?
Soccer, volleyball and American football. It is not tied to one video game, so it works for EA FC clubs, Roblox leagues or a Sunday five-a-side.
Is there a Discord version?
The LineLab page has an Add to Discord button that adds the LineLab bot to a server you manage.