Every game you put on stream starts as a match in ScoreCastr. The match holds the teams, the score, the clock and the graphics, and it gives you the overlay links you add to OBS. This guide walks through creating one, from the sport picker to the control dashboard.
Start a new match
Sign in and you land on your match list (the page is called Match Management). Click Create New Match.
The first screen is Select Sport. ScoreCastr has twelve: tennis, pickleball, soccer, baseball, softball, football, volleyball, basketball, MMA, ice hockey, field hockey and swimming. Click yours.
A few sports ask one more question before setup:
- Tennis and pickleball: choose Singles Match (one player a side) or Doubles Match (two a side).
- Swimming: choose Dual Meet (two teams) or Multi-Team Meet (three or more). Swim meets have their own setup, with lanes, course and a meet program, so the rest of this guide covers the other sports.
Set up the teams
Team sports open on the Teams Setup tab, with the away team first and the home team below it. For each team you'll see:
- Select from My Teams: pick a saved team and ScoreCastr fills in its name, scorebug name, mascot, logo, color and roster for you. Saved teams come with the Starter plan; on the Free plan you type the details in.
- Team Name: the full name, for example "Marlow Herons".
- Seed: optional.
- Scorebug (4 char max): the short name that appears on the scorebug, like "MRL". Keep it to four characters. Every template shows this name on the scorebug, so choose one your viewers will recognize.
- Mascot and Record (e.g., 5-2): optional. The record shows on the title card.
- Team Logo: upload an image.
- Team Color: pick from the color wheel or type a hex code. Away starts red and home starts blue until you change them.
Only the two team names are required. Everything else can be added later from the dashboard.
Add the venue and title
Switch to the Venue & Details tab.
- Event Details: Venue Name, City and State. These show on the title card before the game.
- Scorebug Customization: a Title (for example "District Semifinal"), a Logo, and Show Logo to turn that logo on or off on the scorebug.
Settings for MMA, tennis and pickleball
These sports set up a little differently:
- MMA: each fighter's name and record, then Fight Details: weight class, Scheduled Rounds (3 or 5) and Round Length (3 or 5 minutes).
- Tennis: the players' names and seeds, then Best of Sets (1, 3 or 5).
- Pickleball: the same as tennis, plus Points to Win (11, 15 or 21) and Win By (1 or 2).
Choose a graphics template
Below the form is the Graphics Template picker. It shows how each template looks for your sport:
| Template | Look | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | The original ScoreCastr look | Every plan |
| Apex | Bold broadcast look in your team colors | Starter and up |
| Primetime | Network primetime bar with chevron team ends | Starter and up |
On the Free plan, Apex and Primetime show a lock and your match uses Classic. You can change the template any time later; see Switch templates.
For basketball on Apex or Primetime you'll also see Bonus rule: "7 and 10" (bonus at 7 team fouls, double bonus at 10), "5, no double bonus", or "Off".
Preview and create
Click Preview. The button stays grey until the required names are filled in.
The preview shows your scorebug in the template you picked, plus a summary of the match. If something's wrong, click Back and fix it. When it looks right, click Create Match. You'll see "Match Created" and return to your match list.
Open the control dashboard
Find the new match on your list and click Control Dashboard. This is where you run the game: the score, the clock, stats and every graphic. Keep the dashboard open on whatever device the scorekeeper uses; it works in any browser on a laptop, tablet or phone.
Next, put the graphics on your stream: Add your overlay to OBS.
How many matches you can have
Each plan allows a number of active matches at a time:
| Plan | Active matches |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 |
| Starter | 10 |
| Pro | 25 |
| Enterprise | Unlimited |
A match counts toward your limit for 24 hours after you create it. If you try to create a match over your limit, you'll see "Active match limit reached", and a banner on your match list shows how many you're using. To make room sooner, delete a match you no longer need, or upgrade your plan. See Reset or delete a match.
Checklist
- Sport picked (and Singles or Doubles for tennis and pickleball)
- Both team names filled in
- Four-character scorebug names your viewers will recognize
- Logos and colors added, or a saved team picked
- Graphics template chosen
- Match created and the Control Dashboard open