Core concepts

A few terms appear across Hob docs and modules. This page explains the basics before you read module guides.

Hob account

A Hob account is how a person signs in to Hob (for example with email, phone, or a one-time code emailed to them). It is your login and identity in Hob — not the person record inside a club.

On the sign-in page they can request that code. The same code is used when they join a Hob environment with an email. A new address creates the account; the club profile is created after they sign in with the code. An existing account signs in, and if they do not yet have a profile in that environment, the profile is created after that sign-in. If the address is already on a profile in that environment that has no account (for example a child or an imported person), they still get an account and can sign in, but that existing profile is not attached and a second profile is not created. The response does not reveal whether the address already had an account. Email verification belongs to the account, not the profile — an address verified once is verified in every environment.

The account can access one or more Hob environments you belong to. Day-to-day club activity (registrations, payments, and so on) is tied to profiles, not to the account name alone.

Profile

A profile is Hob’s record in a Hob environment for a person or an organization: name, contact details, and the workflows that club uses for that profile. A person profile may have its own Hob account, or it may be managed by one or more other accounts (for example a child’s sub-profile). Registrations, reservations, weekly classes, messaging, and most other modules work with profiles.

One Hob account can manage several profiles — for example a parent managing sub-profiles for children. Adding a sub-profile does not create a Hob account for them. Profiles do not attach other Hob accounts themselves, and a club admin does not add extra managers from the dashboard. The child still has one profile — it is not copied per parent.

A profile can also be an organization (a company or association). From their own page, a signed-in profile can add an organization they manage: name is required; email and phone are optional. No separate Hob account is created for the organization, and the creator becomes its manager. A club admin can also register an organization profile from the dashboard. The MCP assistant can create an organization profile the same way (display name, optional email and phone, no login). CSV import still creates person profiles only. An organization cannot be added as a competition team player or staff — only person profiles belong on the roster.

Hob environment

Your club or association runs in its own Hob environment (often called a club in the UI). Admins configure modules, seasons, and permissions there. You sign in with a Hob account and work through profiles in each environment you can access.

A club admin with permission to view profiles can turn on an email notification when someone joins the environment. The mail is sent when a person creates a profile by joining, not when an admin adds a profile from the dashboard.

Membership and the member registry

When the member registry module is enabled, profiles can apply for membership for a season and class. In that context Hob also uses membership-specific terms:

In documentation outside membership features, profile refers to the person. Inside the member registry and in rules such as “actual members only”, member means membership status — not the general person concept.

See the member registry guide for the full membership lifecycle.