Install
RefManager runs on iPhone, Android phones, Apple Watch and Wear OS. Install the phone app first; the watch app installs from the phone.
- iPhone: download from the App Store. Requires iOS 16 or later.
- Android: download from Google Play. Requires Android 10 or later.
Open the app once at home before match day. It downloads the rule sets for each sport so everything works offline at the ground.
Set up a match
Tap New match and pick the sport. Periods, scoring and substitution limits load automatically.
Enter the two team names and choose a colour for each. The colours carry through to the watch and the report.
Add the competition, venue and kick-off time if you want them on the report. All three are optional.
Tap Start when you blow for kick-off. The timer starts and the match is live on your watch.
Timer & periods
The main timer counts match time. Tap Pause to stop the clock for an injury or a TMO review; the app keeps a separate stoppage clock so you can see how much time you've added.
Ending a period
Tap End half to close the period. RefManager records the exact end time, starts the half-time clock, and swaps ends on the score display.
Extra time
If the competition allows extra time, you'll be offered it when the second half ends with scores level. Extra-time periods use the lengths set for that sport.
Logging events
Every score, card and substitution is an event. Tap the team, then the event type. Add a player number if you want one on the report; you can skip it and fill it in later.
Events are timestamped against match time, not the time of day, so the report lines up with your clock.
Correcting a mistake
Swipe left on any event in the timeline to edit or delete it. The score updates straight away and the change is marked on the report.
Cards & sin bins
Logging a yellow card in Rugby Union or a sin bin in Rugby League starts a countdown for that player. You'll get a vibration on your phone and watch when the time is up.
Sin-bin timers pause with the match clock. Red cards and send-offs are recorded without a timer.
Watch app
The watch mirrors the live timer, score and last event, and lets you start, pause, end periods and log events without your phone.
Apple Watch
Open the Watch app on your iPhone, find RefManager and tap Install. The watch syncs over Apple's WatchConnectivity link, so keep your phone within Bluetooth range.
Wear OS
Install RefManager from Google Play on the watch, then open it on both devices. The two pair over Bluetooth Low Energy the first time and reconnect automatically after that.
The watch keeps running the timer on its own and catches up when the link comes back. Nothing you log on the watch is lost.
Reports
When you end the match, RefManager builds two reports you can share from the match screen.
| Format | What's in it |
|---|---|
| One-page match summary: teams, final score, scoring timeline and disciplinary record. Ready to send to your society or league. | |
| Excel | Four sheets: match summary, event timeline, stats chart with team-colour bars, and scoring progression. |
Sport settings
Each sport loads its own defaults. You can change period length and substitution limits per match for age-grade or friendly fixtures.
| Sport | Periods | Scoring | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby Union | 2 × 40 min | Try 5 · Conversion 2 · Penalty 3 · Drop goal 3 | Yellow card (10 min), red card |
| Rugby League | 2 × 40 min | Try 4 · Conversion 2 · Penalty 2 · Field goal 1 | Sin bin (10 min), send off |
| Soccer | 2 × 45 min | Goal 1 | Yellow card, red card |