Starting Your Own Local Pokémon GO Group: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you've watched a tough raid expire with nobody around to fight it, starting a local Pokémon GO group may be the answer. No permission or title is needed to start one. The ten steps below go from checking for an existing group to keeping yours running once it has regulars.

Step 1: Check you aren't duplicating one

Spend a week checking whether a group already exists; our guide to finding a local community group covers where to look. If you find one, joining and helping may be the better use of your energy. If it covers a different part of town or a different style of play, there's room for yours too.

Step 2: Decide what the group is for

Groups that try to be everything often end up as a noisy chat nobody reads. Pick a main purpose and let other activities grow later:

• Raid coordination: gathering enough players for difficult raids, in person and, where the game allows it, remotely (the rules on remote raiding have changed over time, so check the current ones in-game).
• Event meetups: walking together during Community Days and other events.
• Battling: practice matches and friendly competition, which can grow into a regular battle night.
• Trading and friendships: swapping Pokémon, raising friendship levels and helping newer players fill their Pokédex.

Decide the area too. One neighbourhood keeps meetups within walking distance; a whole city means more organising but more players.

Step 3: Choose a name and describe it honestly

A plain name that says the place and the game works best, because it's what people will search for. In the description, say clearly that the group is unofficial and player-run. Skip official logos and anything that suggests you speak for the game's developer.

Step 4: Set up a place to talk

Choose a messaging platform most local players already use, rather than the one you personally like best, and check its minimum age, since many groups include teenagers and families. If it supports separate channels or topics, set a few up from the start:

Trainer Hub doesn't host chats or a message board, so your group will live on whichever platform you pick. Pin a short welcome post in General: what the group is for, the rules, the raid template, and where new players can read up on the basics, such as the beginner guides on the Trainer Hub homepage.

Step 5: Write a short set of rules

Keep the rules short enough that people read them. A workable starting set:

1. Be kind, especially to new players, and welcome all three teams: nobody gets left out of a raid because of their team colour.
2. Play fair: no location spoofing, bots or modified apps, and no buying, selling or sharing accounts.
3. Post raids in the agreed format.
4. Keep personal details private, including home addresses and school names.
5. Meetups happen in public places only.
6. Younger players come to meetups with a parent or trusted adult, and under-18s only with a parent or guardian's OK.

A fixed raid-call format stops the Raids channel turning into a guessing game. Pin a template like this one:

Raid: [Gym name] · Boss or tier: [ ] · Starts: [time] · Meet at: [spot] · Players so far: [ ] · Remote spots: [ ]

Step 6: Pick safe, practical meeting spots

Good spots are public, well lit and easy to reach on foot or by public transport, with several PokéStops and Gyms within a short walk. Use the same spot every time, one you can describe in a few words, such as a named park entrance or a particular Gym, and pick a sheltered fallback nearby for bad weather. Avoid private property, busy roads and anywhere that closes early. Our page on staying safe in player communities has more on meetups and privacy.

Step 7: Plan a first meetup with a hook

"Come and play" rarely gets people out of the house. Anchor the first meetup to something that's better in a group, such as a Raid Hour or a Community Day, and confirm the timing in the in-game news. Post the plan well ahead with a start time, meeting point and finish time, say where you'll post any change of plan or cancellation (the Announcements channel), bring something easy to spot so newcomers can find you, and keep the route short and simple.

Step 8: Spread the word

Recruit in person first: chat to players at busy Gyms, invite people you raid with and tell friends who play. With permission, a notice on a library or community centre board reaches players who never use social media. Swapping Trainer Codes at the first meetup keeps people connected between events.

Step 9: Share the work

As soon as a few regulars appear, offer them small roles: welcoming new members, calling raids, posting event plans. Give at least one co-organiser admin or owner rights on the chat, so the group doesn't stall or disappear if you step back, and keep the pinned rules and raid template current so anyone can take over a task.

Step 10: Keep it going

Pick a regular rhythm, such as the same evening each week or every Community Day, so people can plan around it. Ask members now and then what they'd like more of, deal with problems privately and early, and if the chat gets too busy to follow, split it into neighbourhood groups that share one announcements channel. If your group gets into battling, our organiser's guide to running a small tournament is a natural next step.