How to Use a Live Futsal Scoreboard

Getting started takes three taps:

1. Open the Free Scoreboard page on JudgeMate.
2. Select Futsal from the sport list.
3. Tap "Create Scoreboard".

The system instantly generates two links:

• Admin link — your private control panel (contains a secret token).
• Spectator link, the public view for fans.

No account, no email, no app download required. The board is ready immediately.

Save your admin link — if you close the browser without bookmarking it, you will not be able to regain control.

Why Futsal and not Football? JudgeMate has both Football and Futsal as separate sports because they have fundamentally different clock mechanics. Football uses a cumulative count-up clock with stoppage time. Futsal uses a countdown clock that resets each half with no stoppage time. Picking the correct sport makes the scoreboard match the rules of your match.

Before the match starts, you see the Setup Screen where you configure:

Team names:

• Tap the name fields to type custom names (up to 20 characters).
• Default names: HOME and GUEST.

Team colors:

• Choose from 12 color presets (red, orange, amber, lime, green, teal, cyan, blue, purple, pink, gray, white).
• Colors appear on the spectator display and help distinguish teams visually.

Starting the match:

• Tap "Start Match" when both teams are ready.
• Spectators see a waiting screen ("Game Starting Soon") until you press Start.
• Once started, the board goes LIVE and the countdown clock is ready at 20:00.

The defining feature of JudgeMate's futsal mode is the countdown clock.

How it works:

• The clock starts at 20:00 and counts down to 0:00.
• When the half ends, the clock resets to 20:00 for the second half.
• This matches official FIFA Futsal rules, where each half has its own 20-minute period.

Basic controls:

• START (blue button) — begins the countdown.
• PAUSE (yellow button), pauses the clock.

Adjusting the clock: Tap "Adjust clock" to open a sheet with six steps (−1:00, −0:10, −0:01, +0:01, +0:10, +1:00). The steps add up, and a preview shows the corrected time before you apply it.

Period transitions: Tap "End period", then tap again to confirm. The board moves from Half 1 to Half 2, and the clock resets to 20:00. The period label on the spectator display updates automatically.

No stoppage time: Unlike Football mode, there are no stoppage time buttons or indicators. In real futsal, the official timekeeper stops the clock on every dead ball, so there is no need to add time at the end. JudgeMate's admin controls the clock manually — start when play resumes, pause when the whistle blows.

The score area is split into two tap zones:

• Left half = Home team
• Right half = Guest team

Each side has:

• A large "+" button — tap to add a goal.
• A smaller "−" button, tap to undo a goal (score never goes below 0).

Every tap updates the spectator screen instantly in real-time. There is no confirmation dialog — the score changes immediately.

Goal event log: Each goal is recorded with the current clock time (e.g., "Goal — Home, 12:34"). This creates a timeline of scoring events visible in the admin panel, useful for post-match records.

Tip: If you accidentally add a goal, tap the minus button right away. The spectator display corrects itself within a fraction of a second.

Futsal in JudgeMate tracks yellow and red cards with full detail.

Adding a card:

1. Tap the Yellow or Red card button for the relevant team.
2. A pop-up appears — optionally enter a player number or name.
3. Confirm, the card is recorded with the current clock time.

Cards appear on both the admin panel and the spectator display.

Automatic double-yellow to red conversion: If you enter a player name/number and that same player already has a yellow card, the system automatically converts the two yellows into 1 red card. The spectator display updates instantly.

This only works when you enter the player identifier. Without a name/number, the system cannot match cards to the same player.

Undo: Each team has an "Undo last card" button that removes the most recently added card. Useful for correcting mistakes.

What spectators see: The spectator view displays a summary of cards per team (e.g., 2 yellow, 1 red for Home). In the post-game summary, all cards are listed with times and player names.

Futsal-specific note: In official futsal, a player who receives a red card must leave the court and cannot be replaced for 2 minutes (or until the opposing team scores). When you log a red card, JudgeMate starts a 2-minute short-handed timer and ends it early if the opponents score. The remaining time shows in the admin panel, on the spectator view and on the big-screen view.

Tap the "Share" button in the admin panel to open the share modal:

Sharing options:

• QR Code — spectators scan it with their phone camera to open the live scoreboard.
• Copy Link, copies the spectator URL to your clipboard for sharing via any messenger (WhatsApp, SMS, email, etc.).
• Native Share, uses your phone's share sheet (where available in your browser).

The spectator link works on any device with a web browser — phones, tablets, laptops, Smart TVs, projectors. No app download or login required.

Font size remote control: As the admin, you can control the text size on all spectator screens:

• A− / A+ buttons or a slider.
• Range: 50% to 300% of default size.
• Ideal for adjusting readability on hall screens, projectors, or tablets mounted courtside.

Spectators can also adjust their own local font size (70%-160%), but the admin's setting takes priority.

Use case for futsal: Futsal halls typically have spectators close to the court. Mount a tablet or connect a laptop to a screen at the scorer's table, share the QR code on the wall or in a group chat, and everyone follows the match in real time — countdown clock, score, and cards all synced.

Ending the match: The board never ends the match by itself. When the final whistle blows:

1. Tap "End match" at the bottom of the panel.
2. Tap it again within 4 seconds to confirm. The button needs this second tap, so a stray touch does not end the match.

Once ended:

• The score is frozen for spectators, and no more goals can be added.
• Spectators see the final score under a "Final Score" label.
• The clock stops.

After the match: The panel shows a "Match ended" card with the final score, the shootout score if there was one, and the winner. Further down, "Match summary" lists every event of the match in order.

• "Share" sends the final score to fans, team chats, or social media.
• "Save to my matches" keeps the match in your account. If you are not logged in, you see "Log in to keep this match" and "Not now" instead.
• When you are logged in, "My matches", "My leagues" and "Add to a league" appear as well.

There is no rematch button. For the next match, create a new board.

Board lifespan: Completed scoreboards you have not saved remain accessible for up to one week. After that, the board expires and spectators see a "Session Expired" message. Save or screenshot the final result if you need a permanent record.

Tournament workflow: For futsal tournaments with several matches, create a new board for each matchup. Each board has its own unique link, so tournament organizers can keep a record of every match by saving the spectator links.