Referee mode
How to Referee a Tournament
Most social sports apps assume players will self-score and there's no formal way to bring in a neutral. Volley's referee mode lets a steward claim any match, lock players from scoring, score it cleanly, and trigger a captain sign-off at the end. Built for tournament organisers who run real events.
The contested score problem
In any tournament where players are also keeping score, you eventually hit the moment two players disagree. Without a referee, the disagreement turns into an argument. With a referee, it just turns into a quick check.
Referee mode in Volley does three things at once: locks players out of scoring (so they can't accidentally edit), provides a single source of truth for the score, and triggers a captain sign-off at the end. That last bit is the difference between a contested result and a clean one.
How Volley referee mode works
A single referee can handle multiple matches at once — claim them all, keep tabs on each from a unified dashboard. Tournament day with 4 courts running becomes manageable instead of chaotic.
For tournament organisers, referee mode is the feature that makes the day runnable without arguments. Stewards claim matches as needed, lock the score, sign off cleanly. The chaos goes away.
Free in Volley
Volley is free on iOS and Android, and referee mode is included on every tier. Set up a tournament, assign referees, run a clean event.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hand back a match to the players after refereeing it?
Yes. One tap to hand it back; the player lockout lifts immediately and they can resume self-scoring. Useful when a referee gets pulled to a more important match.
Can a referee score multiple matches at once?
Yes. A single referee can claim and manage multiple matches in parallel from a unified dashboard. Tournament day with multiple courts running stays manageable.
Does referee mode work with Apple Watch scoring?
Yes. A referee can score from their Apple Watch — same scoring engine, same lockout for the players, same haptic confirmation per point. Perfect for tournament day when you're moving between courts.
What happens if a captain doesn't sign off on the result?
The auto-approve timer kicks in (configurable per tournament, e.g. 15 minutes). Unapproved results auto-promote unless explicitly contested. Disputes go to the tournament organiser for review.