Not every grandparent can make a Tuesday road game, and not every game gets streamed. A live box score fills the gap: a web page that shows the game as your stat keeper logs it, open on any phone with no app and no sign-in. This guide covers how to set one up, how to get the link to families, what to think about before you post it publicly, and how to send out the final box score.
How a live box score works
The stat keeper logs each play on a phone, tablet or laptop with StatsCastr. Every game has its own share link in the form statscastr.co/g/ followed by the game's code. Fans open that link in their browser and see the game as it's logged.
- No sign-in for fans. Nobody has to create an account or download anything.
- It refreshes every 15 seconds. Fans don't need to reload the page. Expect it to trail the field by a few seconds plus however long the stat keeper takes to log the play.
- It's only as good as the logging. If the stat keeper falls behind, so does the page. Our guide to keeping stats on your phone covers habits that keep you current.
Know that the link is public
Be clear about this before you start: every StatsCastr game page can be viewed by anyone who has the link. There's no private setting. If you post the link on a public social account, anyone can open it, and anyone who receives it can forward it.
For most varsity games that's fine. Scores and stat lines are usually public anyway. But check before you share, especially for younger teams:
- Ask your athletic director whether the school has a policy on publishing student names and stats online. Many do, and some are stricter for middle school and youth teams.
- Honor opt-outs. If a family has asked that their child's name not appear online, enter that player by jersey number or initials in the roster instead.
- Keep roster details to what's needed. Number, name and position are enough. Don't add anything to a roster you wouldn't print in a program.
If you only want the score public, not player names, a scoreboard is a better fit. ScoreCastr has a public match page and an embeddable scorebug for your website. See how to embed a live scorebug.
Set up the game before you share
- Create the game with the right sport and rule set, and both rosters loaded. A box score full of unnamed players looks unfinished.
- Schedule it ahead of time if you can. Then the game, and its link, exist days before the first whistle, so you can share the link in advance.
- Open the link yourself on a different phone, with no sign-in, before you send it. Make sure it's the right game and the team names are correct.
Get the link to families
The best channel is whichever one parents already read. A few that work well:
- The team group chat or parent email list. Send the link the night before, then again at the start of the game.
- The school or booster club social accounts. Post it in the game-day post with the start time and opponent.
- The athletics website. Add it to the schedule next to the game.
- A printed QR code at the gate or concession stand. StatsCastr doesn't make a QR code for fans, but any QR code generator can turn the link into one. Print it on the program or a sign at the gate.
If the game is streamed, put the box score link in the stream description too. Viewers who want the full stat line can open it alongside the video. You can also put the same stats on the stream graphics.
Keep it accurate during the game
A public page means mistakes are public too. That's not a reason to worry, just a reason to fix them quickly.
- Undo right away. If you tap the wrong result, undo the last play before the next one starts.
- Fix credits at the next stoppage. Any play can be edited, and the totals rebuild from the corrected plays.
- Check against the scoreboard at every break. If the score on the page doesn't match the scoreboard, find the missing play now, while you still remember it.
- If the signal drops, keep logging. New plays are saved on the device and sent when you're back online, and the page catches up for fans. Edits need a connection, so save corrections for when you have signal.
After the final: export and send
The live page stays up after the game, so the link keeps working for anyone who missed it. You can still edit plays after the final; the game stays final and the totals rebuild, so late corrections show up on the same link.
For anyone who needs a file, StatsCastr exports two formats:
| Export | What's in it | Send it to |
|---|---|---|
| PDF box score | A US Letter box score, ready to print or attach | Coaches, the athletic office, local newspaper and radio, the team's records binder |
| CSV | Team stats, player tables and the play-by-play | Coaches who track season numbers in a spreadsheet, league stat coordinators |
Local media are more likely to run a recap when the box score lands in their inbox the same night. Send the PDF with the final score and a line or two about the key plays in the body of the email.
Game-day checklist
- Athletic director has okayed sharing player names and stats online.
- Game created and both rosters loaded, with any opt-outs entered by number only.
- Link tested on another phone with no sign-in.
- Link sent to parents the night before and posted at game time.
- Stream description includes the box score link, if the game is streamed.
- Score checked against the scoreboard at every break.
- PDF box score sent to the coach and local media after the final.