Free Water Polo Scoreboard App

Before the match begins, you will see the Setup Screen with the following options:

Team Names:

• Type up to 20 characters per team
• Default names: HOME / GUEST
• Tip: Use short names (e.g., "Sharks" not "Aquatic Swimming Club Sharks U16") for readability on spectator screens and pool-deck displays

Team Colors:

• Choose from 12 presets: red, orange, amber, lime, green, teal, cyan, blue, purple, pink, gray, white
• In water polo, the home team traditionally wears white caps and the away team wears dark/blue caps — choose colors accordingly for visual consistency
• Colors appear on both the admin panel and the spectator display

While you're in Setup, spectators who open the link see a waiting screen:

"Game Starting Soon — Waiting for the host to start..."

When you are ready, tap "Start Game". The board switches to LIVE status, the clock appears at 8:00, and spectators see the scoreboard in real time.

Water polo uses a countdown clock — each quarter starts at 8:00 and counts down to 0:00.

Basic Controls

• START (blue button) — starts the clock countdown
• PAUSE (yellow button) — pauses the clock

The clock runs only when you press START. In real water polo, the clock stops on every whistle — you should pause the scoreboard clock whenever play stops (goals, fouls, out-of-bounds, timeouts) and restart it when the referee's whistle signals play to resume.

Time Adjustments (available when paused)

When the clock is paused, adjustment buttons appear:

• +1:00 / −1:00 — add or subtract 1 minute
• +0:10 / −0:10 — add or subtract 10 seconds

Use these to correct the clock if it drifts from the official game time, or to set the clock to a specific moment.

Quick Jump Buttons (available when paused)

During regular quarters (1st-4th), quick jump buttons appear:

• 8:00 — full quarter
• 4:00 — midpoint
• 2:00 — two minutes remaining
• 0:00 — quarter end

During overtime, the quick jump buttons change to:

• 3:00 — full overtime period
• 1:00 — one minute left
• 0:00 — overtime end

These let you quickly set the clock to a known time without manually adjusting.

Exclusion tracking is one of the most valuable features of JudgeMate's water polo scoreboard. In a sport where 6-on-5 power plays decide matches, accurate exclusion timing is essential.

Adding an Exclusion

1. Choose the team — Home or Guest
2. Optionally enter a player name or cap number (e.g., "#7" or "Kovacs")
3. The exclusion timer starts immediately at 20 seconds

The exclusion timer is synchronized with the game clock — it runs when the game clock is running and pauses when the game clock is paused. This matches real water polo rules, where the exclusion clock is linked to playing time.

Active Exclusions Display

All active exclusions are shown as a list with:

• Team color indicator — so you can see at a glance which team is short-handed
• Player cap number/name (or just the team name if no player was specified)
• Remaining time — counting down from 20 seconds in real time
• "Remove" button — to end an exclusion early

Spectator View

Active exclusions are displayed on the spectator screen with live countdown timers. This is one of the most impactful features for the viewing experience — spectators can see exactly how many seconds remain before the excluded player returns. In professional water polo, this information is displayed on the electronic scoreboard; JudgeMate brings this to every pool.

Early Removal

Exclusions end early when:

• A goal is scored (by either team) — tap Remove to clear the exclusion
• The excluded player's team regains possession — tap Remove

You manage these rules manually — the scoreboard tracks the timer, and you decide when to remove it based on what happens in the pool.

Multiple Simultaneous Exclusions

The system supports any number of active exclusions simultaneously. If both teams have excluded players, all timers run independently and are all visible on the spectator display. This is particularly important in water polo, where double exclusions (one from each team) are not uncommon.

Ending the Match

1. Tap "End Game" in the top bar
2. A confirmation dialog appears: "End game? This will freeze the score for all spectators."
3. Tap "Yes, End Game" to confirm

Once ended:

• The score is permanently frozen — no one can change it
• Spectators see the final score with an "ENDED" label
• The clock is automatically paused
• All active exclusion timers stop

Post-Game Summary

After ending, the admin panel displays a match summary showing:

• Game duration
• Total goals for each team
• Total exclusion penalties

Post-Game Options

• "New Game — Same Teams" — creates a fresh board with the same team names and colors. One tap, instant rematch. Perfect for tournament play where the same two teams may meet again or where you need to quickly set up the next match on the same pool.
• "New Game — Change Sport" — returns to the sport selection screen if you want to switch to football, basketball, ice hockey, or volleyball.
• "Share Final Results" — reopens the share panel so you can send the final score link to fans, parents, coaches, or tournament organizers.

Board Expiration

Completed scoreboards remain accessible for up to one week. After that, the board expires and visitors see a "Session Expired" message. Save or screenshot any results you want to keep permanently.