Methods for Game Assignments

[tazzeroo2002]

I serve as the game assignor for my local officials association. I assign 250-300 sub-varsity level games per season. We assign for 5 or 6 local schools from MS to JV level.

Currently, we use a system in which our officials each create a google calendar to reflect their availability. Those calendars are shared with me and I can overlay them in one large calendar to create a list of available officials for each date. From there I assign the games. The process works, but it's time consuming. (I think I had nearly 100 hours invested to complete the process this year.)

I'm wondering what other game assignors use? Is there software out there designed for this?

(I'm aware of programs like "rSchool" used by some of our area conference commissioners for issuing contracts for varsity games, but keep in mind that I'm not the one issuing the contracts. I'm simply assigning games, passing the assignments on to the school ADs, who in turn issue contracts using "rSchool".)

[BillyMac]

Arbiter.

https://www.arbitersports.com/front/501/Site/Home/Home

[Freddy]

I'll say it so that he doesn't have to engage in what some might illegitimately consider crass self-promotion.
Check out RefTown.
REFTOWN - Home

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by Freddy

I'll say it so that he doesn't have to engage in what some might illegitimately consider crass self-promotion.
Check out RefTown.
REFTOWN - Home

I don't think Camron is that shy

But it's a good site.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

I don't think Camron is that shy

But it's a good site.

You beat me to it. LOL

MTD, Sr.

[bob jenkins]

Also horizon web ref

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Arbiter.

https://www.arbitersports.com/front/501/Site/Home/Home

We've even got an assigner who finds it cost effective to use Arbiter to assign Catholic middle school games. About a dozen schools, with boys, and girls, programs, with "varsity", and "junior varsity", programs, playing about a fifteen game schedule, with about forty officials on the "board". He actually lives in Florida, and assigns games from his laptop while on a sunny beach, drinking adult beverages with umbrellas in them, while we, back here in Connecticut, trudge through twelve foot high snow drifts, uphill both ways, to work his games. What a racket?

[Freddy]

Spent some quality time with the Arbiter staff here at the Summit at the social event tonight. Everyone, from the CEO Jeff Triplett to the VP down to the techs who run it and tweak it, seem very open to suggestions to continue to make it more and more user friendly. They accepted quite openly the input and sometimes outright criticism offered by everyone I observed, from the assigners and officials from the top tiers down to the local assigners and officials who took time to speak with them. Whereas I don't find Arbiter the easiest thing especially for the new officials to learn to use, I was impressed with their desire for feedback and suggestions.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Spent some quality time with the Arbiter staff here at the Summit at the social event tonight. Everyone, from the CEO Jeff Triplett to the VP down to the techs who run it and tweak it, seem very open to suggestions to continue to make it more and more user friendly. They accepted quite openly the input and sometimes outright criticism offered by everyone I observed, from the assigners and officials from the top tiers down to the local assigners and officials who took time to speak with them. Whereas I don't find Arbiter the easiest thing especially for the new officials to learn to use, I was impressed with their desire for feedback and suggestions.

I'm rather unimpressed with Arbiter.

I asked 3 seasons ago about being able to export my schedule to Google Calendar. "It's coming" I was told. 1,000+ days later, nothing...

The "Remember Me" function doesn't work on all handhelds. Funny how those are the same devices they pitch their paid access to.

Myself and other local members have not received the reminder e-mails. Why have a function that repeatedly doesn't work properly?

There have been other bugs too.

They are open to suggestions because they have to be.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I'm rather unimpressed with Arbiter.

I asked 3 seasons ago about being able to export my schedule to Google Calendar. "It's coming" I was told. 1,000+ days later, nothing...

The "Remember Me" function doesn't work on all handhelds. Funny how those are the same devices they pitch their paid access to.

Myself and other local members have not received the reminder e-mails. Why have a function that repeatedly doesn't work properly?

There have been other bugs too.

They are open to suggestions because they have to be.

I know of another service that does all of those things and has for several years.

In fact, it not only exports schedules to your Google calendar, you can subscribe to your schedule from your Google calendar (or many other calendars) so that your games automatically appear on it shortly after you receive them....and updates are automatic too.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I know of another service that does all of those things and has for several years.

In fact, it not only exports schedules to your Google calendar, you can subscribe to your schedule from your Google calendar (or many other calendars) so that your games automatically appear on it shortly after you receive them....and updates are automatic too.

See? Told you Camron wasn't shy...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I'm rather unimpressed with Arbiter.

I asked 3 seasons ago about being able to export my schedule to Google Calendar. "It's coming" I was told. 1,000+ days later, nothing...

The "Remember Me" function doesn't work on all handhelds. Funny how those are the same devices they pitch their paid access to.

Myself and other local members have not received the reminder e-mails. Why have a function that repeatedly doesn't work properly?

There have been other bugs too.

They are open to suggestions because they have to be.

Does any system sync with Google calendar?

I noticed after my free trial with their mobile page expired, I wasn't getting the notices. I had to go back in and change some settings that had been auto-updated by the mobile app. I hate the mobile app, it's not worth it to me, as I can easily do anything I need to do with the full site on my Android.

For me, as an official, it works just fine. I don't know other software, though, because all my assigners use it.

Edit: I see Camron's software does the sync thing. That would be nice.

[swerv17]

My HS assignor uses Zebraweb. Go to zebraweb.org. My college assignor uses Arbiter.

[jeffwigal]

tazzeroo2002, my condolences... that sounds like a very complicated time-intensive process.

ArbiterSports is not the only option out there. If you are shopping around, here's the things that I would suggest you look at:

• get a demo, and try out the full assigning process. How easy is it to use, and does the process make sense for your officials?
• can you and your officials easily access their information "on the go" via a mobile device, or get text messaging notifications.
• ask about up-time and customer support. Send a few questions to support, and see how they respond

assignr.com won't pull in an official's personal events from Google Calendar, but it does provide a way to subscribe to the officials schedule using any iCalendar compatible calendar program. This means you can "subscribe" to your officiating schedule with Google Calendar, iPhone, or others, and your personal calendar changes automatically as your schedule changes on assignr.com.

[MN BB Ref]

We use GotOfficials. It allows you to synch with your Google calendar among other things. Since moving to this system it has made life much easier for our FB and BB assignors as well as allowing the ADs the ability to see who is working their games.