How do I create a live scoreboard?

Go to the Free Scoreboard page, pick a sport (football, basketball, ice hockey, or volleyball), and tap "Create Scoreboard". No registration needed — you'll be redirected to the admin panel immediately.

How can spectators follow the game?

Tap "Share" in the admin panel to get a QR code and link. Spectators open the link on their phone, tablet, or TV — no login or app required. Scores update in real-time.

What happens if I lose internet connection?

A red banner appears: "No connection! Spectators cannot see your changes." Your taps are saved locally. Once your connection returns, everything syncs automatically.

Can I undo a scoring mistake?

Yes — every sport has a minus (−) button to subtract points. In football, you can also undo the last card and undo a period change. The score can never go below 0.

How does stoppage time work in football?

When the clock passes the period end (e.g., 45:00), it switches to stoppage time format: 45+1:23. Set the stoppage time using preset buttons (1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 minutes) or type a custom value. A yellow indicator shows the added time.

How do I add a penalty in ice hockey?

Select the offending team (Home or Guest), optionally type the player number, then tap 2 min, 5 min, or 10 min. The penalty countdown timer starts immediately and syncs with the game clock.

When does a volleyball set end?

A pulsing "End Set" button appears when a team reaches 25 points (or 15 in the tiebreak set) with at least a 2-point lead. Tap it to record the set, reset scores to 0-0, and advance to the next set. The match ends automatically when a team wins 3 sets.

How long does the scoreboard stay available after the game?

Completed scoreboards remain fully accessible for up to one week. The score is frozen — no one can modify it. After one week, the board expires.

Free Scoreboard — Admin Guide

Step-by-step instructions for every sport. From creating a board to sharing the final score.

The JudgeMate Free Scoreboard lets you run a game from your phone — no account needed. Pick a sport (football, basketball, ice hockey, or volleyball), tap "Create", set up team names, and you're live. Spectators follow via a QR code or link in real-time. This guide walks through every button and situation in the admin panel.

See it in action

Step 1 — Create a Scoreboard

Go to the Free Scoreboard page on JudgeMate.
Choose one of 4 sports: Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey, or Volleyball.
Tap "Create Scoreboard".

The system instantly generates:

An admin link (with a secret token) — this is YOUR control panel.
A spectator link (no token) — this is what fans see.

Important: Bookmark or save your admin link. If you lose it, you cannot regain control of the board.

Step 2 — Game Setup

Before the game starts, you'll see the Setup Screen:

Team names — type up to 20 characters per team (default: HOME / GUEST).
Team colors — pick from 12 presets (red, orange, amber, lime, green, teal, cyan, blue, purple, pink, gray, white).
Tap "Start Game" when ready.

While you're in setup, spectators see a waiting screen: "Game Starting Soon — Waiting for the host to start..."

Once you tap Start, the board goes LIVE and spectators see the score in real-time.

Step 3 — Score Controls (All Sports)

The score area is split into two tap zones:

Left half → Home team
Right half → Guest team

Each side has:

A large "+" button to add points.
A smaller "−" button to undo (score never drops below 0).

Basketball is special: you get +1, +2, +3 buttons per team instead of a single +1.

Every tap updates the spectator screen instantly.

Step 4 — Clock Controls (Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey)

Three sports have a game clock. Volleyball does not — skip this section for volleyball.

Basic controls:

START (blue) — starts the clock.
PAUSE (yellow) — pauses the clock.

When paused, two extra controls appear:

±1:00 — adjust by 1 minute.
±0:10 — adjust by 10 seconds.

Quick jump buttons let you skip to a specific time (e.g., 0:00, 45:00, 90:00 in football). These only appear when the clock is paused.

Clock direction:

Football — counts UP (0:00 → 45:00 → 90:00...).
Basketball — counts DOWN (10:00 → 0:00).
Ice Hockey — counts DOWN (20:00 → 0:00).

Football — Complete Guide

Periods

Football has up to 5 phases:

Phase	Period	Clock range
1st Half	1	0:00 → 45:00
2nd Half	2	45:00 → 90:00
Extra Time 1st Half	3	90:00 → 105:00
Extra Time 2nd Half	4	105:00 → 120:00
Shootout (SO)	5	No clock

The clock is cumulative — it never resets to 0:00. After the 1st half, the 2nd half starts from 45:00.

Tap the "→ Next Half" button to advance to the next period. You can also undo a period change if you tapped it by mistake.

Stoppage Time

When the clock passes the period end (e.g., 45:00), it switches to stoppage time format: 45+1:23.

Set stoppage time with quick buttons: +1, +3, +5, +7, +10 minutes, or type a custom value (0–30 min). Tapping the same value again clears it.

When stoppage time is set, a yellow indicator shows how much was added. If the clock exceeds the stoppage time, the display turns red with a pulse animation.

Cards (Yellow & Red)

For each team:

Tap Yellow or Red card button.
Optionally enter a player number or name in the pop-up.
Confirm — the card is recorded with the current game time.

Auto-conversion: If the same player receives 2 yellow cards, the system automatically converts them to 1 red card. This only works when you enter the player name/number.

Undo: The "Undo last card" button removes the most recent card for that team.

Shootout

When you advance past Extra Time, the scoreboard enters Shootout mode:

The clock disappears — only a "SO" label is shown.
START/PAUSE and clock adjustment buttons are hidden.
Use the +/− score buttons to track penalty kicks.

Basketball — Complete Guide

Quarters & Overtime

Basketball has 4 quarters of 10 minutes each (FIBA rules), plus unlimited overtime periods of 5 minutes.

Phase	Clock
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4	10:00 → 0:00
OT1, OT2, ...	5:00 → 0:00

Tap "Next Period" to advance: Q1 → Q2 → Q3 → Q4 → OT1 → OT2...

Quick jump buttons (when paused): 10:00, 5:00, 2:00, 0:00.

Scoring: +1, +2, +3

Unlike other sports, basketball has three score buttons per team:

+1 — free throw
+2 — field goal
+3 — three-pointer

Shot Clock

Two reset buttons:

24s — standard reset (new possession).
14s — offensive rebound or certain violations.

The shot clock runs independently from the game clock.

Fouls & Bonus

Track fouls per team with +/− buttons. When a team reaches 5 fouls, the bonus indicator lights up in red.

Foul reset rules (FIBA):

Fouls reset at halftime (transition from Q2 → Q3).
Fouls reset when entering overtime.
Fouls do NOT reset between Q1 → Q2 or Q3 → Q4.

Timeouts

Tap the "Timeout" button to increment the count for each team. Timeouts reset automatically at the start of each quarter.

Ice Hockey — Complete Guide

Periods, Overtime & Shootout

Ice hockey has 3 regular periods of 20 minutes, plus overtime and shootout.

Phase	Clock
1st, 2nd, 3rd Period	20:00 → 0:00
Overtime (OT)	5:00 → 0:00
Shootout (SO)	No clock

Tap "Next Period" to advance: 1st → 2nd → 3rd → OT → SO.

Quick jump buttons change by phase:

Regular periods: 20:00, 10:00, 5:00, 0:00
Overtime: 5:00, 2:00, 1:00, 0:00

During Shootout: the clock disappears, clock controls are hidden. Only score buttons remain.

Penalty System (Time-Based)

Ice hockey penalties are tracked with countdown timers, not just counts.

To add a penalty:

Select the team (Home or Guest).
Optionally type a player number or name.
Tap the penalty duration: 2 min (minor), 5 min (major), or 10 min (misconduct).

The penalty timer starts immediately and syncs with the game clock (runs when the game clock runs, pauses when it pauses).

Active Penalties

All active penalties are listed with:

Team color indicator.
Player name (or team name if not specified).
Duration.
"Remove" button to end a penalty early (e.g., power-play goal scored).

Volleyball — Complete Guide

No Clock

Volleyball has no game clock. The clock controls section is completely hidden.

Sets & Scoring

Volleyball uses a best-of-5 sets format:

Sets 1–4: first to 25 points, win by at least 2.
Set 5 (Tiebreak): first to 15 points, win by at least 2.

The display shows:

Current set number (e.g., "Set 3") with a "Tiebreak" label for set 5.
Target score: "Playing to 25 (win by 2)" or "Playing to 15 (win by 2)".
Sets won by each team.

Ending a Set

When a team reaches the target score with the required 2-point advantage, a pulsing "End Set" button appears automatically.

Tapping it:

Records the set score in the history (e.g., 25-23).
Resets both scores to 0-0.
Advances to the next set.
The team that lost the set automatically becomes the server.

Set History

Completed set scores are displayed as a running log:

Set 1: 25-23
Set 2: 24-26
Set 3: 25-20
...

Serving Indicator

A yellow dot shows which team is currently serving. Tap it to switch the server manually. After each set ends, the server switches to the losing team automatically.

Match End

The match ends automatically when either team wins 3 sets (best of 5). The scoreboard status changes to ENDED and the score freezes for all spectators.

Sharing & Font Size Control

Sharing with Spectators

Tap the "Share" button in the top bar to open the share modal:

QR Code — spectators scan it with their phone camera.
Link — copy and send via any messenger.
Native share — use your phone's share sheet (if supported).

The spectator link looks like: judgemate.com/{language}/scoreboard/live/{sport}/{boardId}

No login or app download is required. Works on any phone, tablet, laptop, or Smart TV.

Font Size Remote Control

As admin, you control the text size on spectator screens:

A− / A+ buttons or a slider.
Range: 50% to 300% of default size.
Perfect for adjusting readability on big screens or projectors.

Spectators can also tap their own screen to reveal a local font slider (range: 70%–160%), but the admin's setting takes priority.

Ending the Game & Post-Game

Ending the Game

Tap "End Game" in the top bar.
A confirmation dialog appears: "End game? This will freeze the score for all spectators."
Tap "Yes, End Game" to confirm, or "Keep Playing" to cancel.

Once ended:

The score is permanently frozen — no one can change it.
Spectators see the final score with an "ENDED" label.
The clock (if any) is automatically paused.

Post-Game Stats

After ending, the admin panel shows a match summary:

Sport	Stats shown
Football	Duration, total goals, yellow cards, red cards
Basketball	Duration, total points, total fouls
Ice Hockey	Duration, total goals, penalty minutes
Volleyball	Set scores (e.g., 25-23, 24-26, 25-20)

Post-Game Actions

"New Game — Same Teams" — creates a new board with the same team names and colors. One tap, instant rematch.
"New Game — Change Sport" — takes you back to the sport selection screen.
"Share Final Results" — opens the share modal again so you can send the final score to fans.

How Long Does the Board Last?

Completed scoreboards remain accessible for up to one week. After that, the board expires and spectators see a "Session Expired" message.

Features

Free, No Registration

Create a live scoreboard with one tap. No account, no email, no app download — just pick a sport and go.

Real-Time Score Updates

Every point, card, and period change appears on spectator screens instantly via a shareable link or QR code.

4 Team Sports

Football (cards, stoppage time, shootout), Basketball (shot clock, fouls, +1/+2/+3), Ice Hockey (penalty timers), Volleyball (sets, serving).

Remote Font Sizing

Control the text size on the spectator screen directly from your phone. Scale from 50% to 300% — ideal for big venue displays.

One-Tap Rematch

After a game ends, create a new board with the same teams and colors in one tap. Perfect for tournaments and series.

Works on Any Big Screen

Open the spectator link on a Smart TV, projector, or jumbotron. No app needed — just a web browser.

Frequently Asked Questions