You can easily import athletes into a division's seed list by uploading a CSV file.

If you'd prefer to import all divisions in an event in one single upload, head over to this article for importing your athlete list.

How to save your athlete list as a CSV

To import your athletes into Liveheats, you'll need to upload a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file.

If you have your athletes in a spreadsheet, simply save that sheet as a CSV file using a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. This option can usually be accessed from the File menu in your spreadsheet program, labeled as "Export as .CSV" or "Download as .CSV".

Here's how to format your CSV file for import

Minimum athlete info required

Individual divisions

At a minimum, you need to include the following in your CSV import for individual divisions:

• Name: You can include this as a single "Name" column or use two separate columns: "First Name" and "Last Name."

Click here to download a template CSV file with "name".

Team divisions 

(Available for Surfing and Surf Life Saving only)

For team divisions, your CSV file must include the following fields as a minimum:

• Name: You can include this as a single "Name" column or use two separate columns: "First Name" and "Last Name."

• Tag team name: (Surfing only) This is the name of the tag team.

• Team: (Surf Life Saving only) This is the name of the relay team.

(For Club / Event team name, see optional information below)

Optional athlete info

You can also include additional identifying information for each athlete in the CSV.

For example, you can specify “DOB” and/or “Nationality” as custom fields. If including optional information, you must use the column titles detailed below. You can use one, many, or all custom fields in your CSV upload (in any order).

• Seed: You can always add seed numbers within Liveheats later
• DOB: (Date of Birth) Use the format "yyyy-mm-dd" (e.g., 1995-07-04). See here for how to change the date format in Excel.
• Nationality
• Team: (Club for SLS organisations) If included, the club/team name will be displayed beneath the athlete's name to the public. See more information about this here.
• Bib: Athlete's Bib number identifier, typically used for snow events. Like seeds, Bib number can also be added within Liveheats later
• Plus, any custom fields you have active

You can arrange these fields in any order within your CSV file. You can also include only the required fields or all of them, depending on your needs.

How to use the import athletes feature

To import athletes to a division's seed list:

1. Go to the relevant Division > Seed list
2. Click the Import athletes button (Import teams if team division) to open the import wizard.
3. Click Select file and choose the CSV file you prepared.
4. Select the header row of your CSV file and click Next.
5. Match the columns from your CSV file to the corresponding fields in Liveheats by selecting the correct options from each dropdown list. Some matches may be automatically suggested.

Please note: If using the optional Team/Club name and your organisation's sport is Surf Life Saving, ensure you select Club from the dropdown. All other sport types should select Team.

6. Click Next.
7. Review the data that will be imported carefully.
8. Click Confirm.
9. A final confirmation message will be displayed. Review it and click Import entries to complete the process.

Updated on: 29/03/2026