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Change Your Name

Access Level

All authenticated users

Overview

Update your first name and last name in the Match Official System. When you change your name, your username also updates automatically.

How to Access

Click My Account then Change Name

Before You Start

What Happens To Password Recovery

If you have a secret question and answer configured on your account they will be retained when you change your name. You can continue to use the Forgot Password process as before.

What This Means

  • If you have a secret question and answer: You can continue to use the Forgot Password process.
  • Social (external) login accounts: Accounts managed by an external identity provider may not support secret question/answer recovery — follow the message shown on the Forgot Password page.
  • Administrators can reset passwords: Association administrators can still reset passwords for any account.

How to Change Your Name

  1. Navigate to My Account then Change Name
  2. The Change Your Name page opens
  3. Enter your new First Name
  4. Enter your new Last Name
  5. Read the information note about password recovery
  6. Click Save Changes
  7. Confirmation message appears
  8. Result: Your name is updated immediately

Field Requirements

First Name

  • Required field
  • Must contain only letters, spaces, hyphens and apostrophes
  • First letter of each word is automatically capitalised
  • Examples: John, Mary-Ann, Jean-Pierre

Last Name

  • Required field
  • Must contain only letters, spaces, hyphens and apostrophes
  • First letter of each word is automatically capitalised
  • Examples: Smith, O'Brien, Van Der Berg

Validation

The system automatically:

  • Capitalises the first letter of each word
  • Accepts hyphens in names like Mary-Ann
  • Accepts apostrophes in names like O'Brien
  • Accepts spaces in names like Van Der Berg

What Happens When You Change Your Name

Name Updates

  • First name updates in your profile
  • Last name updates in your profile
  • Full name displays as First Last everywhere in the system

Username Updates

  • New username generates automatically
  • Format: firstname.surname
  • All lowercase
  • Removes spaces, hyphens and apostrophes
  • Examples: john.smith, maryann.obrien, jeanpierre.vanderberg

Username Conflicts

If your new username already exists:

  • A number is added to make it unique
  • Format: firstname.surname1, firstname.surname2, etc.
  • You are notified of your new username

Password Recovery

  • If you have a secret question/answer configured it remains available and you can use the Forgot Password process.
  • If you use a social/external login the Forgot Password page will explain how to proceed.
  • Administrators can still reset your password for you.

Email Notification

You receive an email confirming:

  • Your new name
  • Your new username
  • Note: the confirmation email shows your updated information but does not always indicate whether password recovery remains enabled; check your account or contact your administrator if unsure

Session Updates

  • Your name updates immediately in the current session
  • Top right corner shows your new name
  • Username updates for next login

Flowchart

Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom 
flowchart TD
  A[Open Change Name page] --> B[Enter First Name and Last Name]
  B --> C{Are names valid?}
  C -- No --> C1[Show message: use letters, spaces, hyphens, apostrophes]
  C1 --> B
  C -- Yes --> D[Generate new username: firstname.surname]
  D --> D1[Convert to lowercase]
  D1 --> D2[Remove spaces, hyphens, apostrophes]
  D2 --> E{Does this username already exist?}
  E -- No --> F[Use generated username]
  E -- Yes --> G[Add a number to make it unique]
  F --> H[Secret question retained]
  G --> H
  H --> I[Update your profile name]
  I --> J[Send confirmation email]
  J --> K[Update session: top-right name changes]
  K --> L[Result: Name updated immediately]
  L --> M[Next login: use your new username]
  H --> N[If social/external account: follow Forgot Password guidance]

After Changing Your Name

Next Login

When you log in next time:

  1. Use your new username
  2. Use your current password (unchanged)
  3. Log in as normal

If You Forget Your Password

  1. Contact your association administrator
  2. They can reset your password for you
  3. You will receive an email with a new temporary password

If You Want to Change Password Recovery Settings

Password recovery cannot be re-enabled after a name change. This is a security measure to protect your account.

Examples

Example 1: Simple Name Change

Current Name: John Smith
Current Username: john.smith

Change to: Jonathan Smith

Result:

  • Name: Jonathan Smith
  • Username: jonathan.smith
  • Email sent confirming the change

Example 2: Name Change with Hyphen

Current Name: Mary Smith
Current Username: mary.smith

Change to: Mary-Ann Smith

Result:

  • Name: Mary-Ann Smith
  • Username: maryann.smith
  • Email sent confirming the change

Example 3: Name Change with Username Conflict

Current Name: John Williams
Current Username: john.williams

Change to: John Smith

System Check: john.smith already exists

Result:

  • Name: John Smith
  • Username: john.smith1
  • Email sent confirming the change
  • Message shows your new username includes a number

Tips

Before Changing Your Name

  • Make sure you know your current password
  • Consider whether you need the name change
  • Check whether your account uses a social/external login or has a secret question configured; contact your administrator if unsure

After Changing Your Name

  • Write down your new username
  • Test logging out and back in with new username
  • Store your password securely
  • Contact your administrator if you need to reset your password

Password Security

  • Use a strong password you will remember
  • Consider using a password manager
  • Do not share your password
  • Change your password regularly

Troubleshooting

Invalid Name Format

Symptoms

  • Error message when entering name
  • Cannot save changes
  • Message about invalid characters

How to Fix

  1. Check your name contains only letters, spaces, hyphens and apostrophes
  2. Remove any numbers or special characters
  3. Remove extra spaces
  4. Try again

Common Causes

  • Numbers in name field
  • Special characters like brackets or commas
  • Extra spaces at start or end

Cannot Save Changes

Symptoms

  • Save button does not work
  • Page does not respond
  • No confirmation message

How to Fix

  1. Check both first name and last name are filled in
  2. Verify names meet format requirements
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Try again
  5. Clear browser cache if problem persists

Common Causes

  • Empty required fields
  • Invalid characters in names
  • Browser cache issues
  • Session expired

Did Not Receive Confirmation Email

Symptoms

  • Name changed successfully
  • No email received
  • Cannot confirm new username

How to Fix

  1. Check your spam or junk mail folder
  2. Wait a few minutes for email to arrive
  3. Check email address is correct in your profile
  4. Contact your administrator to confirm your new username

Common Causes

  • Email went to spam folder
  • Email delayed in delivery
  • Incorrect email address on your account

Forgot New Username

Symptoms

  • Changed name successfully
  • Cannot remember new username
  • Cannot log in

How to Fix

  1. Check the confirmation email sent when you changed your name
  2. Try firstname.surname format
  3. Try with numbers added if that exists (firstname.surname1)
  4. Contact your administrator to confirm your username

Common Causes

  • Did not note down new username
  • Confirmation email deleted
  • Username had number added due to conflict