For new SKED users, this is a general overview of the onboarding process, what support to expect, and details of some of the most commonly used features.
Onboarding
SKED Data Document and Organisation Settings
The first step is we will request you to complete a SKED data document outlining specific competition details. Eg. grade names, locations and venues, preferred playing times, points awarded for wins and losses and game duration.
Our support team will input this information into the Organisation Settings area of SKED. This default information assists in preparation for building competitions. The default information can be reviewed and modified at any time. The information from Organisation Settings will auto-populate each phase of a competition, but can be edited for particular phases when variations are required. Initial setup
Training Session
An initial individual or group training session is provided with a recording available to attendees. Additional trainings for new staff and upskilling of existing staff can be provided (charges may apply).
Support
SKED Competitions Support Inbox
Email enquiries to competitions@sportsground.com. Emails will be responded to by our support staff during business hours Monday to Friday, with the aim to respond within a maximum of one business day.
Emails should contain all relevant and accurate information to support your enquiry. Eg. name of organisation, name of competition/phase, season, club/school, grade, team, and date.
To enable us to assist as best as possible, please supply screenshots and details of what steps were being taken, time/date of occurrence and how it impacted you.
Support and Community
The Support & Community tile of the dashboard links to our comprehensive online support area where there is a dedicated section for SKED.
Or use the Help icon to access SportyAI See this support article
Newsletters
Regular newsletters are sent to SKED users containing information about new features and improvements to existing features, and helpful suggestions of ways to assist with the season competitions.
Types of draws
Grading
There are a number of ways to create grading draws from within SKED. Suggestions of how best to manage these according to specific requirements can be provided to SKED users. For example, teams enter in their preferred grade for the new season, but then are graded against teams from other grades to determine if that grade is right for them. Or a matrix type of grading using a particular grading formula where teams can be seeded from previous seasons ranking and progress to their new seasons grade based on grading game results. Seeded Playoffs and Tournaments
Round Robin
The automated draw algorithm of SKED ensures that when the required number of round dates are applied to a grade to complete a round robin, the draw will be balanced - meaning that all teams will play everyone once.
Crossovers
When there is more than one section within a grade, and following completion of a round robin they crossover into sections based on ranking eg. top six/bottom six, a crossover type phase can be created in SKED in advance and once all the round results have been submitted the pre-created crossover will be populated with team names according to their ranking. Crossover phase creation
Playoffs
Playoff phases can contain up to four levels including Preliminary Final, Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final. A playoff phase can be created in advance by arranging placeholder team icons that will auto-populate with team names once all results are submitted from the contributing phase have been submitted. Playoff phase creation
Helpful SKED Features
Team Preferences and Conflicts
If an organisation accepts requests from teams who have preferences of what time their games are scheduled or if they wish to be assigned a different playing time to a particular other team, this can be recorded against a team and when the draw is created you will be alerted to the team or time conflict. It is then optional for the SKED user to modify the draw to accommodate for the request. Team Preferences and Conflicts
Promotion Relegation of Teams Between Rounds
Re-ranking teams to new grades at the end of a round is easily achievable in SKED even if the new grade features in a different competition set up in the current season. Managing teams
Double Headers and Cross Section Bye Games
When more than one section within a grade contains a bye, a cross section fixture can be scheduled for the two bye teams or, for a single section with a bye, a double header for the bye team and one other team. Results from these fixtures will be deemed to be friendly and excluded from the standings table unless required. Additionally when there are restrictions on the number of playing dates available, scheduling a double header between one team against the bye team, is a solution to completing a round robin using less round dates. Double header results can be set to be included in the standings table. Cross Section or Bye Game Fixtures
Carry Over Points
Points can be carried over from one phase to another by linking the phases in phase settings and selecting an option to carry the points over. The standings of the new phase will commence containing the number of points and points differential awarded from the linked phase. Carry over points from one phase to a subsequent phase
Making Changes to Draws
There are several ways to make changes to a draw in SKED depending on the circumstances. Modifications to draws
One of the most common reasons to change a draw is due to a team withdrawal or a late team entry. There are a number of scenarios. Here is an overview of how to manage this in SKED. Adding and Removing Teams from Sections
Closing Team Entries or Team Building and Setting Max Team Entries
To avoid unexpected late team entries or withdrawals SKED offers an option to set a closing date on team entries. This does not restrict the ability for clubs/schools to continue registering players and building their teams. There is also an option to set a closing date on team building, at which point clubs/schools will no longer be able to make changes to the players within their teams. Additionally you can set the maximum team entries allowed for a specific grade, meaning that team entry will be denied entry when the grade reaches capacity and an alternative grade selection will need to be made. Modify Team Entry and Team Building closing dates & Max Teams
Recording Results
There are a number of tasks preformed in the draws and results area of SKED including manually entering the scores of games or recording defaults. Scores can also be received via a scoring App. Draws and results overview
Standings
As soon as a result has been applied to a fixture, the standings table will be automatically updated with the win or loss points awarded in accordance with the points template being used. Standings overview
Publishing a Draw
Draws become visible to the public following a two step process. Starting with selecting from within SKED what part of the competition is to become visible to the public. Publishing Draws/Venues/Results/Officials/Fixture Status
Followed by adding the content using a widget to your Sporty website. Public display of draws, results and standings