What information does a match record contain?
Before digitalising, it helps to understand what a standard match record contains:
- Match details: date, time, venue, competition and round
- Starting and substitute line-ups for each team
- Final result and partial scores (sets, games, periods)
- Incidents: cards, injuries, protests
- Signatures from the referee and from each team's delegate
The digital record captures exactly the same information, but in a structured and verifiable way.
Advantages of digital records over paper
- Instant publication: The result appears in the standings the moment the record is closed, without waiting for someone to transcribe it.
- Complete traceability: Who signed the record, from which device and at what time. Impossible to falsify.
- Works offline: The referee can fill in the record even without Wi-Fi. It syncs as soon as the signal returns.
- Accessible history: Any record from any season is one click away, with no searching through physical archives.
- Appeals resolved faster: If a club challenges a result, the committee has the original record in seconds.
Step 1: Prepare the line-ups before the match
The delegate for each team enters the line-up in the app before the match. This speeds things up at the venue: when the referee arrives, the line-ups are already loaded and only need confirming.
Step 2: The referee opens the record at the venue
With DMS Manager, the referee receives a notification for their assigned match. On arriving at the venue, they open the app and see:
- The match details already loaded (nothing to type in)
- The line-ups proposed by each delegate
- The field for entering partial results in real time
- The incidents section (cards, sanctions, injuries)
Step 3: Recording the result and closing
During the match or at the end of it, the referee enters the partial results. Once finished:
- Both delegates sign digitally from their phones
- The referee closes the record with their signature
- The system locks the record and publishes the result automatically
- A PDF of the signed record is generated, available to both clubs and to the federation
Step 4: Incident and sanction management
Cards and sanctions entered in the record are processed automatically:
- Red card → automatic sanction pending ratification by the committee
- Protest signed in the record → opens a case in the system
- The sanctioned player is blocked for upcoming rounds until the case is resolved
How much time do you save?
Federations that have adopted digital match records report:
- An 80% reduction in the time it takes to publish results (from days to minutes)
- Zero lost records (100% digitalised and signed)
- A 60% reduction in the time spent managing sanctions
- Greater satisfaction among clubs and referees
Conclusion
The digital match record is not an incremental improvement: it is a paradigm shift. Instant results, full traceability, zero paper and automated sanction management. If your federation or league still uses paper, now is the time to make the leap.