The clock is the control the scorekeeper touches most. ScoreCastr's clock lives on the dashboard and shows on the scorebug. Start it on the whistle, stop it on the stoppage, and the overlay follows. This guide covers the controls every timed sport shares, and where sports differ.
Which sports have a clock
| Sport | Clock | Periods |
|---|---|---|
| Football | Counts down | Quarters, halftime, overtime |
| Basketball | Counts down, plus a shot clock | Quarters, halftime, overtime |
| Soccer | Counts up or down | Halves |
| Ice hockey | Counts down | Periods, overtime, shootout |
| Field hockey | Counts down | Quarters, overtime, shootout |
| MMA | Counts down | Rounds |
Volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis, pickleball and swimming have no game clock. They move by sets, innings or games instead; see each sport's guide.
Start and stop the clock
The clock is at the top of the Scoring tab, in SCORING CONTROLS (soccer: GAME CLOCK; MMA: ROUND TIMER & CONTROLS). It shows the time and, in most sports, whether the clock is running or stopped.
- Start runs the clock. It becomes Stop while the clock runs.
- Stop freezes it at the current time.
- Reset puts the clock back to the full length of the period.
Soccer's buttons read START CLOCK, STOP CLOCK and RESET. MMA shows Start and Stop side by side.
In basketball, the clock stops on its own when it reaches 0:00.
Fix the time
Clocks drift from the scoreboard in the building. Fix yours with the adjust buttons:
| Sport | Buttons |
|---|---|
| Football, basketball | +1 Min, -1 Min, +1 Sec, -1 Sec |
| Ice hockey, field hockey | +1m, -1m, +10s, -10s |
| Soccer | The plus and minus buttons beside the clock, while it's stopped |
In football, ice hockey, field hockey and basketball you can adjust while the clock runs. Football also has a Time (Seconds) box in MANUAL ADJUSTMENTS to type an exact time.
Set the period length
Each sport has a length dropdown next to the clock:
- Football: Professional (15 min), High School (12 min) or Youth (10 min).
- Basketball: Professional (12 min), College (20 min) or High School (8 min).
- Ice hockey: Professional (20 min) or High School (15 min).
- Field hockey: 15 min (Standard), 12 min, 10 min or 8 min (Youth).
- Soccer: Count Up to 45 or Count Down from 45. You can only change it while the clock is stopped.
- MMA: round length is set when you create the match (3 or 5 minutes).
Change the period
Most sports have Prev and Next buttons beside the period display:
- Football and basketball: Next goes from Q2 to HALF, then to Q3, and past Q4 into overtime.
- Ice hockey: Next goes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, then OT, then the shootout.
- Field hockey: Q1 to Q4, OT and SO buttons jump straight to a period, as well as Prev and Next.
- MMA: click a round number to go to that round.
- Soccer: use Select Period: under PERIOD CONTROLS. It moves forward only: 1st half, HT, 2nd half, Full Time.
What happens to the clock:
- Football, field hockey and MMA: a new period starts on a full, stopped clock.
- Ice hockey: Next starts a full clock if the clock is stopped.
- Basketball: changing the quarter leaves both clocks alone. Click Reset to start the new quarter at full time.
Hide the clock
Hide Clock takes the clock off the scorebug without stopping it. Click Show Clock to bring it back. Use it during long breaks or when the clock in the building isn't running.
The basketball shot clock
Basketball has a SHOT CLOCK below the game clock. It runs on its own:
- The play and pause button starts and stops it.
- The reset button puts it back to the chosen preset.
- The eye button shows or hides it on the scorebug.
- 14s, 24s, 30s and 35s set the preset and stop the shot clock.
See Run a basketball game for the rest.
Checklist
- Period length set before the game
- Clock started on the first whistle
- Clock matched to the building's scoreboard at stoppages
- Next period chosen, and the clock reset in basketball
- Clock hidden during long breaks, if you like