The Control Dashboard is where you run a game. Everything you change there goes to your overlay in OBS, so it helps to know where things live before kickoff. This guide walks through the dashboard from top to bottom and says which parts need a paid plan.
Open the dashboard
On your match list (Match Management), find the match and click Control Dashboard. Each match has its own dashboard and its own overlay links, so check you've opened the right game.
On a laptop the dashboard has two columns: the main area on the left and a sidebar on the right. On a phone or a narrow tablet, the sidebar moves below the main area.
The status dot
At the top left is a small dot with a word next to it. It tells you whether your changes are reaching the broadcast:
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Live (green) | Changes are reaching the broadcast. |
| Slow (yellow) | Changes are delayed. They're saved on this device and will send automatically. |
| Offline (red) | Changes aren't getting through. They're saved and will send when the connection is back. |
Hover over it for the full message. On Pro, if the match uses an XML data feed, a feed health indicator appears next to the dot.
The scorebug preview
Under the dot is a preview of your scorebug, drawn in the match's template (Classic, Apex or Primetime). It updates as you score, so it's a quick check that a tap did what you meant. For the full on-air picture, use the Live Preview in the Overlays tab.
The Scoring tab
Scoring opens first. It holds the controls for your match's sport, so it looks different for basketball than for tennis or swimming. You'll usually find:
- score buttons for each team or player
- the game clock and period, quarter, half, inning, set or round, depending on the sport
- sport details, like down and distance in football or the count and bases in baseball
Some panels in this tab are stats panels, such as team stats, QB stats or batting and pitching. They need the Starter plan. On Free they appear greyed out with a lock, a Premium Feature label and an Upgrade Now button.
Most sports also have a ScoreCastr button here. It opens the ScoreCastr Data Hub, which brings in live data from a webhook, an XML file, a Google Sheet or StatsCastr. The Data Hub needs the Pro plan; on lower plans the button shows a lock and a Pro badge.
The Overlays tab
Overlays has two sub-tabs.
Live Preview (every plan):
- The Preview card shows the live output, the same picture OBS gets. Pop Out opens it in a small separate window.
- The OBS Integration card has your overlay links: Copy Channel 1 URL, Open Channel 1 and HDMI Output, and the same three for Channel 2. See Add your overlay to OBS.
Customization (Starter and up): a list of every graphic down the left side (on a phone, a row of buttons at the top). Pick one to edit it: Score Bug, Watermark, Scrolling Ticker, Talent, Title Card, the lower thirds, Scoreboard, Keys to Match and more, depending on the sport. Graphics Template is the last item, where you switch between Classic, Apex and Primetime. See Switch templates.
The Game Actions tab
Game Actions holds the Match Actions card, with two buttons that change the whole match:
- Reset Match puts all scores, periods and stats back to 0. It asks you to confirm, and it can't be undone.
- End Match marks the match completed and takes you back to your match list. After that, the score and stats can't be changed. You can still show and hide graphics.
Swim meets also have Clear Lane Results here.
The sidebar
From top to bottom:
- Back to Match List returns to Match Management.
- Overlay Visibility (Starter and up) puts every graphic on or off air. Go to Break swaps the scorebug for the scoreboard; the button reads In Break while it's on. Each graphic has its own Show or Hide button, and you can drag the buttons into the order you like. The ear icon turns on Listening Mode for a Stream Deck.
- Match Statistics (Starter and up) shows the stats you've recorded. MMA and swimming don't have this panel.
- Share Match copies the public match page link and opens the page in a new tab, so fans can follow along.
- Download Box Score saves a PDF box score. It shows for soccer, football and field hockey. Field hockey also has Download CSV Data.
What each plan shows
| Part of the dashboard | Plan |
|---|---|
| Status dot, scorebug preview, Scoring controls | Every plan |
| Live Preview and OBS links | Every plan |
| Game Actions, Share Match, Download Box Score | Every plan |
| Stats panels in Scoring, Match Statistics | Starter and up |
| Customization, Overlay Visibility, templates | Starter and up |
| ScoreCastr Data Hub | Pro and up |
On Free, the scorebug is on Channel 1 from the start, so you can run a full game with just the Scoring tab and your OBS link.
Checklist
- Right match opened with Control Dashboard
- Status dot reads Live
- Scoring tab controls found for your sport
- Channel 1 URL copied from Overlays, then Live Preview
- Go to Break and the Show and Hide buttons found in the sidebar (Starter)
- End Match found in Game Actions, for the final whistle