Coaching Sevens

1What this app does

The Sevens Coaching Form turns paper referee-coaching sheets into a phone app. Coaches use it pitch-side. It works two ways at a tournament.

2Before the tournament — organiser setup

Do this once, a few days before the tournament. It saves every coach from typing the same details over and over.

1. Open the app and go to the Setup tab.
2. Open Organiser: make a setup.
3. Fill in the tournament name and a short tournament code.
4. Add field names, separated by commas (for example 1, 2, 3, 4).
5. Add the levels being played, one per line (for example Pool play, Cup, Plate).
6. Add the coaches, one per line, and the referees, one per line.
7. Optional: to plan game allocations, add a grade after each referee's name (for example Sam Smith | 3). See Allocating referees to games.
8. Tap Use on this device to load the setup on your own phone, then tap Make setup link and QR.
9. Share the link or QR code with every coach before the first game. Print the QR code and pin it up at the coaches' table as a backup.

3Getting the app onto each coach's phone

The app installs like a normal app, straight from the browser — there's no app store step.

1. Once installed, open the app from its icon.
2. Go to Setup and either scan the organiser's QR code, or paste the setup link, then tap Use this setup.
3. The coach's own name, and the tournament's fields and levels, now appear as ready-made choices on the form.
4. To double-check what a setup loaded — without exporting anything — open Setup → This device → Referees and coaches.

4Scoring a game

This is what a coach does during and right after each game, on the Form tab.

Match details

1. Fill in Referee and Coach. If the organiser's setup is loaded, the app suggests referee names and checks the spelling as you type.
2. Fill in Field and Time.
3. Open Match details to add the provincial Union hosting the tournament (optional — a dropdown of the 24 NZ provincial unions), the tournament name, date, level, game number, and the referee's role for this game (Referee, Assistant referee 1, or Assistant referee 2).

Scoring the 7 areas

Each area is scored from 1 to 5. Tap a number to set it, tap it again to clear it. As you tap, a short line of text confirms what that score means for the level being played — for example, 3 means the referee met the standard for that level, 4 means above it.

Under each area, quick-tap tags add a common comment (for example Fell behind play Clear whistle). Tap one to drop it straight into the comment box, then edit or add to it as needed.

Talking instead of typing

• Dictation (microphone icon) types what you say into a comment box. It needs signal, since it uses your phone's own speech service. Say "full stop", "comma" or "new line" for punctuation. Māori words and names often come out wrong, so check them afterwards.
• Voice notes (wave icon) record a short audio clip instead. These stay on the coach's phone only — they are never uploaded and are not included in backup files.

Wrapping up the form

1. Give the referee an overall Rating score (1 to 5) — this is the number used to rank referees later.
2. Add one thing the referee did well under Strength to keep.
3. Add one thing to improve under One thing to work on.
4. Use Private notes for anything you don't want the referee to see. Private notes are left out of the summary, email and printed copy — only the organiser sees them, and only after the form is uploaded.

5Saving, uploading and sharing

A form saves to the phone automatically as you fill it in — there's no separate save button and nothing is lost if signal drops.

1. When the form is complete, tap Upload. This sends the result to the organiser's table used for ranking.
2. No signal yet? That's fine — the form stays saved on the phone, waiting. A yellow number on the Saved tab shows how many forms are waiting to go.
3. Back in signal? Open the Saved tab and tap Upload all waiting to send every queued form in one go, rather than opening each one.
4. As soon as the referee's name and rating score are in, tap Start next game. It copies the tournament, coach and level across and adds one to the game number — no upload needed first, so it works with no signal too.

Other ways to get a result out

Managing saved forms — the Saved tab

• See every form saved on this device, and whether each one has uploaded.
• Select forms to delete clears out old or test forms.
• Export all as spreadsheet (CSV) — a full local copy of every form on the device.
• Save backup file and Add forms from backup files — back up a phone before the tournament, or move forms onto another device.

6Reviewing and ranking referees

The Review tab is where the organiser watches results build up through the day, and ranks referees once the tournament is done.

1. Filter by tournament, role, minimum number of games, and date range.
2. Tap any column heading to sort the table by it.
3. Tap a referee's name to read every comment left about them.

Adjusting for a hard or easy-marking coach

Tick Adjust ratings for coach marking style to correct for coaches who consistently mark high or low. This only adjusts coaches who have submitted 3 or more forms — the Coach marking table below shows each coach's own average, and how it compares against all coaches.

Referees who still need games

The Needs more assessments list shows any referee below the 3-game target. Referees with no games at all only appear here if they were added to the organiser's setup list — another reason to list every referee up front.

Fixing duplicate spellings

If the same referee ends up listed twice under slightly different spellings, use Names. It spots names that look like the same person and offers to merge them into one.

Getting the ranking out

• Export ranking table (CSV) — for a spreadsheet, a report, or a referee coordinator.
• Load results file — if the organiser has a results export from the site's server, load it here to rank every referee at once, rather than relying on live uploads alone.

7Allocating referees to games

The allocation helper is for the organiser. It suggests how strong a referee each game needs, then shows the referees who fit. It helps whoever plans the game allocations. It does not replace them.

Find it in the Setup tab, under Organiser: allocation helper.

Step 1 — Give referees a grade

Grades are numbers from 1 to 5. A higher number means a stronger referee. In Organiser: make a setup, write the grade after the name in the Referees box, with a bar between them (for example Sam Smith | 3). Then tap Use on this device. A referee with no grade still works, but the helper will not suggest them.

Step 2 — Give teams a grade

Every team needs a grade from 1 to 5, or the helper cannot suggest anything. Type them in the box, one team per line (for example Ponsonby, 4). Or tap Upload team grades (CSV). Use Download team template to get a blank file to fill in. Tap Save team grades.

Step 3 — Set the level bonus

A game's suggested grade is the higher of its two team grades, plus a bonus for its level. Final adds 1. The other levels add 0. You can change the bonus for each level. The suggested grade never goes above 5.

Step 4 — Add the games

• Add game — fill in the game, time, field, level and both teams. For a game where the teams are not known yet, such as a final, type a grade for the game by hand.
• Upload games (CSV) — use Download games template to get a blank file. It can also carry a referee for each game.
• Generate the draw — makes pool games from the graded teams. Choose how many pools, the minutes per game and the first start time. It uses the fields in your setup. It only makes pool games, so add the finals yourself.

Step 5 — Read the suggestions

Each game shows its suggested grade and the referees who match, best fit first. Choose to see referees at exactly that grade, or within 1 or 2 grades.

Step 6 — Choose the referees

Pick a referee for each game from its list. Or tap Assign best fit and the helper fills every empty game for you. It keeps picks you already made. It goes through the games in time order. It takes the closest grade first, then the referee with the fewest games so far. If nobody is free for a game, it leaves that game empty and tells you why.

• Redo all picks — clears every pick, including your own, and assigns again. It asks first.
• Undo last assign — puts the picks back as they were before the last assign.

Clashes and heavy workloads

The helper checks every pick and shows a problem in words. It warns you when a referee:

• clashes — has another game at the same time, or too close to it
• has too many games — goes over the Most games each limit (6 to start with)
• has too many in a row — goes over the Most in a row limit (3 to start with)
• is the wrong grade — is too far from the game's suggested grade, or has no grade

Set Minutes between games to how often games really start. If games start every 20 minutes, set 20, or the helper will not spot games in a row. The Workload list shows how many games each referee has.

Step 7 — Print the draw

When the referees are chosen, tap Print draw. The phone's print box opens. Pick a printer, or choose Save as PDF to share it.

• The first table lists every game in time order: game, time, field, level, teams and referee.
• The second table lists each referee's games, so every referee can see when they are on.
• Grades and problems are left off, so you can pin it up for everyone.
• A game with no referee picked prints with a blank referee box. Fill the empty games first.

To keep the grades and problems, tap Download CSV instead. It has every game with its suggested grade, matching referees, chosen referee and any problems. This one is for the organiser only.

8Settings, training and getting help

Practising before the tournament

Under Setup → Demo and training, tap Load the demo tournament to fill the app with a made-up tournament — 45 games, 12 referees and 4 coaches. Use it to show new coaches how the form and the Review tab work. Demo forms are never uploaded, and a coach's real forms are never affected. Tap Remove the demo data when training is done.

Feedback and support

• Feedback for the organiser (Setup tab) sends a note straight to the organiser, the same way results upload — it needs signal.
• Bugs and ideas (Setup tab) go by email. Type your note, then tap Email the note. It goes privately to the app's support address. The Open on GitHub button is only for people who have been given access to the project there.

9Quick troubleshooting

10Quick reference card

Everything on one card — worth printing and keeping at the coaches' table.