Footy and app terminology
- Absent
Players who have not been selected to participate in a game, or have been marked as absent during a game.
- Active Time
Player is on the field recording playing time (this includes recording opposition time if they are playing for the opposition).
- Activity Log
The app will provide a live, time-stamped activity log of all rotations, substitutions, statistics and disciplinary cards. Statistics and disciplinary cards can be edited by accessing the activity log.
- Adjust Clock
An app feature which will allow users to "wind the clock" forward and back.
- Age Group
Leagues differentiate their competitions by age groups (e.g. open, under 19, under 12 etc.) or school year levels (e.g. year 9, year 6 etc.). They may also use divisions or grades to differentiate competitions.
- Alerts
Users will be able to access three types of alerts to assist with player movement on and off the field: performance alerts, equal game time alerts and minimum game time alerts.
- Assessment Time
Player is being assessed for an injury and placed in the assessment time bucket. Assessment time will not be added to bench time. Injury/Assessment time will be excluded from percentage game time calculations, unless changed in the settings.
- AFL
This acronym is used colloquially as an alternative name for the sport when distinguishing it from other football codes, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales.
- Australian Football
The official name of the sport of Australian rules football. The Australian Football League (AFL) is the professional competition at the pinnacle of the sport’s hierarchy. The Australian Football League is also the national organising body for the sport.
- Australian Football League (AFL)
The national sporting organisation responsible for the governance of the code of Australian football and the national professional league.
- Away Games
Games usually played at a venue which is considered to be the "home" of the opposition.
- Behind
A score worth one point.
- Bench
Players are on the "bench" when they are not on the field, or in other "time buckets" (opposition, injury, assessment, disciplinary) or absent from the game.
- Bench Time
Player’s time recorded when they are not active (or injured, or under assessment) but selected to play and are in the bench time bucket.
- Clock
All time calculations and displays require the use of the app’s built in clock. It will allow users to adjust clock, access time-on functionality; and stop, pause and reset the clock.
- Competition
Leagues organise competitions. Competitions can be broken down into 1. age groups 2. grades 3. divisions 4. genders.
- Core Game Detail
Details required to start a game. They may be prescribed by a parent entity (e.g. date, round, opponent, venue).
- Colour Coding
An app feature which allows the grouping of players for sorting data and making player substitutions/rotations easier.
- Defenders
Players participating nearest to the goals of the opposition team. On the app, they will have position descriptors with the word "back" within them (e.g. left back pocket, centre-half back, full back).
- Delegation
The ability to delegate data collection to another user on another device (e.g timekeeper delegation, statistician delegation, list view delegation).
- Demo Mode
A user will be able to test app functionality prior to purchase via a demonstration team which has been set up for them.
- Disciplinary Cards
A user can add time-stamped disciplinary cards to player cards which will be added to the activity log.
- Disciplinary Time
Player has received a card (red, yellow, green or customised) and is recording inactive time, off the field.
- Display Name
When a user is entering the members for their team, they will be asked to provide a first name and last name and will also be provided with the opportunity to enter a display name (for their game day player card). Should a user not enter a display name, the default for display name will be the first initial and last name.
- Division
A naming convention used to describe and differentiate competitions.
- Draw
When both teams have an equal score at the end of a game. In finals, a drawn match usually goes into extra time.
- Equal Game Time (EGT)
A target threshold calculated by the app to assist users in ensuring player's active time approaches parity. EGT does not mean all players need to have exactly the same game time, but the system should guide users so active time for all players achieves minimal variance.
- Equal Game Time (EGT) Alerts
Users will be guided to EGT via a "status health bar" on a member's player card.
- Extra Time
Time added to a game, usually in the case of a drawn final. If scores are again tied, after the first stint of extra time, extra periods of time are played until there is a winner.
- Extra Period
In scenarios where extra time is required, app user will be able to add extra periods.
- Field/Pitch/Playing Arena
Interchangeable descriptor for the graphic upon which player cards will appear as being on-field.
- Field View
Player cards appear on a field simulation on a game day interface.
- Field View Delegation
Account owners can delegate rotations of players on the field to another user.
- Fixture/Roster
Full list of matches planned by a user’s league/club/school/team for a season.
- Flip Field
The default view for a user with field view in portrait mode will display the forwards (player position) at the bottom. Users are able to flip the field view via settings to have their forwards at the top.
- Forwards
These are the players participating nearest to the goals of the user’s team. On the app, they will have position descriptors with the word "forward" within them (e.g. left forward pocket, centre-half forward, full-forward).
- Full-time
The end of the game. Usually after the completion of the fourth quarter.
- Game
An event which users will record data within.
- Game Day
Day upon which a game is conducted and where game data will be entered.
- Game Day Roles
Users will be able to delegate various game-day data-entry roles to staff members whom have joined the team. These roles include: timekeeper, statistician, interchange steward (list view), goal umpire, scorer, statistician.
- Gender
Competitions are designated by a range of delineators, including gender. Gender options for competitions are usually: male, female, mixed.
- Goal
A maximum score (equivalent to 6 points).
- Goal Umpire
An official who adjudicates the score, signals the score (behind, or goal), and serves as official scorekeeper. There are two of these umpires per game, one at each end.
- Goal Umpire Delegation
Users are able to delegate the collection of scoring data to the goal umpire.
- Grades
A naming convention used to delineate competitions.
- Half-time
The break in play after the end of the second period.
- Home-and-away Games
The regular, weekly, in-season games used to determine which teams make the finals.
- Home Game
Games that are played at venues which are considered the "home" of the team.
- Inactive Time
A player is not on the field (or playing for the opposition). They will be on the bench recording bench time.
- In-game
Time of a game when the clock is running.
- Interchange Steward
Usually an official position given the responsibility of monitoring and recording player substitutions. The app’s list view delegation is designed to assist in the role of interchange steward.
- Injury Time
Player is not on the field, but has been placed in the injury time bucket. Injury time will not be added to bench time, unless changed in settings. Injury time will also be excluded from percentage game time calculations, unless changed in the settings.
- Kit Designer
In-app feature which allows a user to customise the look of their team kit.
- League
A level of the entity hierarchy above a club. Leagues organise competitions in which teams from clubs participate.
- List View
Player cards appear in list form on the game day interface.
- List View Delegation
Users are able to delegate the collection of substitution data to a user (e.g. interchange steward) via this delegation.
- Members
A user's team will consist of two types of members: staff and players.
- Midfield
Players participating in positions near the middle of the field. Some of the position descriptors for midfielders are: ruck, wing and mid.
- Minimum Game Time (MGT)
A target threshold set by a user. The app will employ tools like the status health bar on the player cards to achieve MGT for all players.
- Minimum Game Time (EGT) Alerts
Users will be guided to MGT via a status health bar on a member's player card.
- Notes
Users can access the notes functionality with the capacity to add tags and labels.
- Opponent/Opposition
Each game will require the designation of the other team. The app will allow a user to customise the view of their opponent.
- Opposition Time
When a player is participating for the other team, recording active time. Usually used in junior football to allow equalisation of playing numbers. Recording opposition time will entail the player being placed in the opposition time bucket. Opposition time will be added to active time and percentage game time.
- Percentage Game Time (PGT)
A dynamic, in-app calculation of the active time divided by total match time.
- Performance Alerts
Users can be guided by customisable performance thresholds which will activate a status health bar on player cards. Performance thresholds can be set for a player’s stint on the field, and their recovery time on the bench.
- Performance Thresholds
Customisable time thresholds to guide individual player’s time on the field and the bench. They will activate the status health bar on player cards to alert users and guide movement of players on and off the field and bench.
- Period
Section of time within a game when the game is played. Australian Football is usually conducted over four periods, called quarters. Games may also be played with any number of periods (e.g. a practice match with two, three, five of six periods).
- Period Break
Also called a "break", designating a predetermined "break in play"; e.g. quarter time, half-time, or three-quarter time.
- Period Length
Users are able to set the length of their periods. By setting period length, a user will be able to activate other features such as equal game time and minimum game time.
- Pitch/Field/Playing Arena
Interchangeable descriptor for the graphic upon which player cards will appear.
- Plan Mode
An in-app feature which allows a user to pre-plan substitutions and rotations within a period. Use of this feature will allow a user to add various substitutions and rotations to a queue for later execution of cancelation.
- Player Sidebar
When a user taps on a player, their profile will appear in a sidebar on the right-hand side of the game day interface (list view and field view). From there, a user can add (and view) data for the player and also move them to different time buckets.
- Player Cards
Icons on the game-day screen containing a player’s game data.
- Players
One of two types of members for a user’s team. A player can also be added as a staff member if they are required for a game-day role.
- Point
The basic scoring unit. Used for both the total score (e.g. 10 goals, 8 behinds = 68 points) and can be used interchangeably with behind ("the player's shot for goal missed and was only a point").
- Position Descriptors
Each player on the field will be designated a position with a name. These names will be abbreviated in some views (e.g. Full Back = FB; Centre-Half Forward = CHF).
- Positional Movement
Moving a player card to another position on the field.
- Quarter
A period of play. Most games are usually divided into four quarters of equal length. Quarters in the AFL and most senior competitions last 20 minutes, plus time-on.
- Quarter Time
The period break in play after the end of the first period.
- Queue
Users can create a queue of rotations and substitutions using the plan mode.
- Recreational Team/Competition/League
The app caters for leagues/clubs/teams affiliated with the Australian Football League, but can also be used by recreational and/or unaffiliated leagues, clubs and teams.
- Recovery Time
When using the performance threshold feature, a user can set how long they would like a player to "recover" when they are on the bench. A player’s status health bar will guide a user to alert them as to when a participant is ready to come back on to the field.
- Reset Game
An app feature which allows a user to reset a game if they accidentally start one or are playing around testing the functionality and want to go back to the start of a game.
- Roster Fixture
List of matches planned by a user’s league/club/school/team for a season.
- Rotations
Movement of players around the field or to the bench. Movement of a player to the bench is also referred to as a substitution.
- Rotation Counter
A feature of the app which will count the number of substitutions a user makes in-game.
- Round
A term used to describe a particular set of games within a fixture. To delineate different games, a user will be required to provide an "event title" to each game. It is here where a user will enter the round number (or other detail if it is not part of the fixture; e.g. practice match or grand final etc.).
- Rushed Behind
A statistic which will add to the score. It is used when a behind is registered, but cannot be allocated to an individual player.
- School
Similar to clubs, schools usually consist of teams and play in leagues.
- Scorer
Some games have a designated person other than the goal umpires whom are tasked with the responsibility of keeping score. The app will allow a scorer delegation to fulfil this task.
- Scorer Delegation
Users are able to delegate collection of scoring data to a user (e.g. scorer) via this delegation.
- Scoring
The app will allow a user to keep the score of a game; recording both team and individual scoring data.
- Season
Descriptor for a collection of games within which a user will be able to access cumulative data through Rookie Me’s web interface - Rookie Me Hub.
- Settings
Many of the features and functions of the app are customisable. Most of the customisation is accessible through the settings tab.
- Staff
To enable the delegation of data collection roles on game day, a user will need to add staff members to their team.
- Statistics
The app will allow the user to select from a wide array of statistics (dependent on their level of subscription). Users will also be able to customise their own statistics. See also stats glossary.
- Statistician
Some teams have a designated person to collect game day statistical data. They are usually given the title of statistician.
- Statistician Delegation
Users are able to delegate collection of statistics data to a user (e.g. statistician) via this delegation.
- Stats Glossary
- Status Health Bar
An in-app feature which will appear on a player card when alerts are activated. The health bar will alert users as to where a player is at in regard to a particular threshold they have set (e.g. equal game time, minimum game time, performance thresholds).
- Stint
A stint is a section of time spent on the bench or on the field. A stint will commence at the start of a period or when a player is moved to the field, bench or other time bucket. A stint will end at the conclusion of a period or when a player is dragged from the field or bench to another time bucket.
- Stint Time
The time recorded for a particular stint.
- Substitution
Entails moving a player card on or off the field and making a direct exchange with another player.
- Substitution Chain
Moving a player card on or off the field involving other intermediary positional movements.
- Team
All data recorded is tied to a particular team, which you will create when you first enter the app. A user can have multiple teams (dependent on their level of subscription).
- Time Buckets
The app will allow users to move players between various time buckets, facilitating the recording of time in various time categories.
- Time Categories
The fundamental task of the app is to record different time measurements. Those being: on-field time, bench time, stint time, injury time, disciplinary time, assessment time, zone time and opposition time.
- Timekeeper
Usually an official position given the responsibility of managing the time clock for a game. The app’s timekeeper delegation is designed to assist in the role of time keeper.
- Timekeeper Delegation
Users are able to delegate the management of the app’s clock to another user via this delegation.
- Time-on
In many Australian football competitions (in particular, senior grades and during junior finals), the clock doesn’t count up and also doesn’t continue to run. The timekeeper will stop the clock for stoppages. Stoppages occur frequently and for a number or reasons including: goals and behinds being scored, injuries, the ball going out of bounds and the umpire’s call for a ball (throw) up. (This means that while a quarter may contain 20 minutes of play, in real-time it can fluctuate significantly. On average a quarter with time-on will last around 30 minutes). While the timekeepers count the time down, the scoreboard at the ground may display a clock which counts up and will run continuously from the start of the quarter. Lower grade and lower age-group competitions will often be played without time-on.
- Three-quarter Time
The break in play after the end of the third period.
- Undo
Users will have access to "undo" functionality to enable the cancelation of their last rotation, substitution or statistic.
- Zone Time
Users will be able to record time which a participant plays in a particular zone.
- Zones
The field will be split into three zones (forward, midfield and defence) to enable the recording of zone time.
- Zoom Out
An in-app feature which allows a user to pinch and zoom out to focus on particular detail within the field view.