Duplicate player records usually happen when a parent signs a child up twice, or when a player joins independently of a virtual record an admin already created. Cleaning them up keeps payments, attendance, and registrations attached to a single profile.
Read this first. You can only merge two contacts if at least one of them is a virtual contact — a record with no connected login (no key symbol next to the name). If both duplicates have logins, you'll need to archive one or ask the user to delete it from their own profile.
Find duplicates
Go to Management > Contacts.
Open Filters, set Role = Player, and apply.
Click the Name column header to sort alphabetically. Duplicates appear next to each other.
Look for the key symbol next to each name — it marks contacts with a connected login. This tells you which ones are mergeable.
Decide which record to keep
For each duplicate pair, pick the one to retain. Useful tiebreakers:
Connected parents. Keep the record with the most parent connections — easier than reconnecting later.
Active invoices or subscriptions. Keep whichever record is tied to the live billing setup.
Ask the family. If unsure, the parent or player usually knows which account they actively use.
Resolve the duplicate
Pick the option that fits the two records you're working with.
Merge. Works when at least one of the two contacts is a virtual contact. The merge combines memberships, payments, and history into the kept record. Full steps: How to merge contacts.
Archive the unwanted record. Use this when both records have logins — merge is blocked. Archiving revokes the duplicate's access to the org but keeps history intact. See How to archive a user.
Ask the user to delete the unwanted account. The cleanest outcome when both sides have logins. The parent or player can delete their account from their own profile.
Troubleshooting
The Merge action is disabled. Merge only appears when exactly two contacts are selected. Uncheck others.
Merge fails with an error. The most likely cause is that both contacts have a login. See How to merge contacts for the full list of failure cases.
I don't see the key symbol. A missing key means the contact has no connected login — it is a virtual contact and can be merged.