Feedback: Game Tracking Website

[yawetag]

After keeping track of my games by Excel for the past 12 years and always wishing I had a website to do so, I'm beginning the framework to design one.

The idea is that the site will allow you to enter games you've officiated along with all the information about the game. You can then use the data to slice and dice for information. Or, like some, just keep a running tally of your work. This would work across all sports, allowing you to add your own sports as needed (judge for a Rock-Paper-Scissors match? ADD IT!).

I know what I want in a site like this, but I'm soliciting any opinions you may have as well.

Right now, each game added would include the following (with examples). Most of these would be drop-down options, along with "Add New" next to each of them for the times you have a new place:

• Sport [Baseball, Football, Basketball]
• Organization [The association you worked for]
• League [American Legion, Little League, NFHS]
• Level [AAA, Majors, Varsity, Freshman]
• Position [Plate Umpire, Base Umpire, Referee, Line Judge]
• Status [Completed, Rained Out, Canceled]
• Pay [The amount you should be paid for the game; also includes ability to mark as paid]
• Date [Date of game]
• Start Time / End Time / Total Time [hour:minute for start and end; auto-calc total - or enter start and total to get end time]
• Site [Physical location of fields - a high school or athletic association with multiple fields, for example]
• Field [Varsity Baseball, Football]
• Away Team / Home Team [Full name of teams]
• Partners [Included names and positions; even have ways to tag partners as users on the site]
• Notes [Anything you want to type here]

Most of the fields are optional when adding a game. Don't care what association you worked for? Don't add it! Don't want to keep track of team names? Not a problem!

There are a couple of "step-down" groups:

• League - Level - Team: When you choose a league, only levels from that league are shown; then teams from the selected level.
• Site - Field: When you choose a site, only fields at that site are shown.

Eventually, you would be able to import games from prior Excel sheets or from Arbiter.

Anything you wish were added or changed? Would you even be interested in a site like this?

[Thatsnotyou]

Maybe miles driven?

[Aging_Arbiter]

17 minutes ago, Thatsnotyou said:

Maybe miles driven?

yes, and not use site to site miles, not town to town like Arbiter.

[kylehutson]

Number of games? (for tourneys)

Or perhaps a "repeat the last one" so you don't end up typing the same things over-and-over for a tourney (or, in the case of e.g. volleyball, just a quad).

[kylehutson]

Anybody else here using Stride to keep track of miles and expenses? I've been pretty pleased with it.

[NorthTexasUmp]

Agree with miles. Expenses, for me, mainly tolls. Also a way to mark when you have been paid for it.

[yawetag]

Travel! Didn't even think of that. That opens a new can. Keep personal addresses (Work, Home, etc) and "build" a route [Work -> Site -> Home]. Then, include a "taxable miles" line, too, since not all miles can be claimed.

Can also keep expenses. I do that on my spreadsheet, too, but didn't think about adding it to the site. Essentially, use it to keep track of everything official-related. Uniforms, gear, etc.

@kylehutson good idea on "repeat last game" or, if it's a game from a week you want to copy, "copy this game" -- similar to how you'd do it on a calendar.

[Richvee]

A place  for Head coach’s name with their   team. 

A way to categorize ref pay payments, payments received later by check in the mail, checks and cash at the field. 

[Aging_Arbiter]

don't forget the "credits" line in the software to put your name out there after you copyright it.

[noumpere]

FWIW, I don't really see anything here that couldn't just be a column on a spreadsheet and perhaps a couple of simple macros, so I'm not sure why some other app is needed.

[yawetag]

36 minutes ago, noumpere said:

FWIW, I don't really see anything here that couldn't just be a column on a spreadsheet and perhaps a couple of simple macros, so I'm not sure why some other app is needed.

Access across all devices connected to the internet, for one.

Also, many don't have Excel skills to make their own or know how to work a spreadsheet. With additional data measures (average games, missing payments, tons others), that would be far above the normal scope of a user.

The argument of why "some other app is needed" can probably be argued about a large majority of apps and websites. Even Arbiter could be done by hand or a spreadsheet, but the site makes their job easier.

[Aging_Arbiter]

SWMBO wonders why her hind parts don't get smaller.  She downloaded an "app" to track caloric intake.  I said "Just stop shoving food into your mouth".  Didn't go over well. I'm all for the app now!

[yawetag]

36 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

SWMBO wonders why her hind parts don't get smaller.  She downloaded an "app" to track caloric intake.  I said "Just stop shoving food into your mouth".  Didn't go over well. I'm all for the app now!

Keep up comments like that and you'll be using an app to find a place to stay for the night!

[Aging_Arbiter]

Badda book badda boom

[noumpere]

1 hour ago, yawetag said:

Access across all devices connected to the internet, for one.

Also, many don't have Excel skills to make their own or know how to work a spreadsheet. With additional data measures (average games, missing payments, tons others), that would be far above the normal scope of a user.

The argument of why "some other app is needed" can probably be argued about a large majority of apps and websites. Even Arbiter could be done by hand or a spreadsheet, but the site makes their job easier.

If you keep the spreadsheet on google docs or similar (I don't) you could access it across the interwebs.

And, I can easily get average games, by sport, by level, and missing payments from the spreadsheet.  No macros involved (but I would have to select from the values in each column of course).

[LMSANS]

On 5/15/2019 at 3:51 PM, kylehutson said:

Anybody else here using Stride to keep track of miles and expenses? I've been pretty pleased with it.

I use MileIQ. It automagically records each trip. At the end of the week, I separate business from officiating from personal. I also track my medical miles. It allows for multiple vehicles and custom reporting.

[kylehutson]

1 hour ago, LMSANS said:

I use MileIQ. It automagically records each trip. At the end of the week, I separate business from officiating from personal. I also track my medical miles. It allows for multiple vehicles and custom reporting.

I tried that, but it annoyed me. I make lots of short trips during my day-to-day life, and it bugging me for each one got on my nerves.

Stride you have to activate manually, but it does the same thing, but you can also keep track of other expenses (gear, camp registrations, even food while you're out of town). You can take a photo of your receipt, and it stores with it, so you don't have to keep track of those separately. And you can give it your income on a weekly basis, and it will estimate how much in taxes you should be holding back.

I also have another non-day-job which pays well, and it lets me track those expenses separately from my officiating, too.

I just started using it this year, but it supposedly integrates into my tax software, so I can click and be done with that part.