Run a Tournament Without Guesswork

Quick Start: Tournament Day in 10 Steps

If you read only one section, use this one. The Setup Wizard is the safest path from an empty event to live wrestling.

1. Start the Director computer first. Connect it to the tournament router or tested private Wi-Fi, then launch MatCommand Tournament. The installed application opens MatCommand automatically.
2. Choose Guided Setup. If MatCommand finds a saved event, choose Resume only when you are continuing that exact tournament.
3. Step 1 — Reset or continue. For a new event, clear the old tournament. For a resumed event, choose Continue Without Reset.
4. Enter the tournament name and date. Then import the roster or add wrestlers.
5. Choose the format. Set Scramble options if using Scramble. For Bracket or Double Elimination, finish seeding before Build Tournament.
6. Set the mat count. MatCommand supports 1 through 18 mats.
7. Review and build. Read the build summary before clicking Build Tournament.
8. Open scorer links. Check in every mat and confirm every scorer appears online.
9. Run Tournament Check. Fix red items. Read every gold warning. Choose Publish Online or Continue Locally.
10. Start Tournament. Open Live Control and watch the first bout reach every scorer before wrestling begins.

Before Tournament Day

What to prepare

• A Windows Director laptop with MatCommand Tournament V12.044 installed and activated.
• A dedicated tournament router whenever possible. Internet is useful for Cloud publishing, but local scoring continues without it.
• One scorer device per mat, plus any mat displays or public-display computers.
• The final roster in CSV or Excel format, or enough time to enter wrestlers manually.
• A printed copy of scorer URLs/QR codes and at least one printed emergency bout sheet per mat.
• A power plan: chargers, extension cords, and a Director laptop that will not sleep during the event.

Recommended rehearsal

Run a short practice event before tournament day. Build at least eight wrestlers, connect every scorer device, score one bout, print one sheet, save, close, and recover the event. This catches network and printer problems while there is still time to fix them.

Network rules that prevent most problems

• Connect the Director, scorers, and local displays to the same private network.
• Turn off automatic network switching on scorer tablets if possible. A device may leave the tournament router for a remembered building network.
• Keep the Director computer's Windows network profile set to Private, not Public.
• Keep MatCommand Tournament running on the Director computer until the event is finished and saved.
• Cloud problems must never stop local wrestling. If Internet service fails, choose Continue Locally and keep the event moving.

Install, Activate, and Open MatCommand

Install

Activate

Open the About / License Center with the round information button in the top navigation. Enter a purchased license key and choose Activate License. After a successful activation, the signed annual license remains usable offline through its expiration date.

If the Director computer has no Internet, choose Create Offline License Request, send the request file to MatCommand, then import the signed license file that is returned. Never send or store MatCommand's private signing key on a customer computer.

Startup choices

• Start Guided Setup opens the ten-step Setup Wizard.
• Resume Tournament opens recovery choices for an existing event.
• Start New Tournament begins a clean event only after you confirm that old data should not carry over.
• Director Setup is the private control page. Do not hand this link to spectators.

Resume or Recover an Existing Tournament

MatCommand continuously protects the event with saves, recovery files, checkpoints, and backups. Recovery is for continuing the same tournament after a browser close, restart, power loss, or application update.

Buttons on the recovery screen

Know the Director Screen

The top navigation stays available while the event is open.

The Setup Wizard: Every Step

The gold card is the next recommended action. Green means complete. Gold review means the step is usable but needs attention. Red means a required condition is missing.

Step 1 — Reset / Clear Tournament

For a new event: choose Clear All Wrestlers / Reset and confirm. This clears old wrestlers, mats, queues, brackets, and prior Tournament Check results.

For the same event: choose Continue Without Reset. This keeps the loaded tournament and moves to Step 2.

Step 2 — Tournament Information

Enter the tournament name and date. Location is optional. Use a clear public name such as “2026 South Jersey Youth Open,” not “Test” or “Saturday.” The name appears in saves, backups, printed material, and Cloud viewing.

Step 3 — Import CSV or Add Wrestlers

Use one of four methods:

• Choose Roster File for CSV, XLSX, XLS, supported JSON, or MatCommand transfer files.
• Download CSV Template or Download Excel Template, fill it out, save it, then import it.
• Manual Entry for one wrestler at a time.
• Paste CSV rows for quick text copied from another system.

The exact roster columns are Name,Weight,Division,Team,Record,Skill,BirthDate,MatCommandAthleteId. Only Name and Weight are required. Birth date stays private and improves repeat-athlete matching. MatCommandAthleteId provides exact matching when it is available.

Choose Roster Complete — Continue to Format only after you have checked spelling, weights, divisions, teams, and records.

Step 4 — Select Tournament Format

Choose Round Robin, Bracket, Scramble, or Double Elimination. Selecting Scramble takes you to the Scramble options so you can set the weight window, match goal, and periods before continuing.

Step 5 — Configure Mats

Select the number of physical mats that will actually be staffed. MatCommand supports 1 through 18. More mats are not automatically faster if you do not have enough referees and scorers.

Step 6 — Review, Seed, Then Build

• Review the roster groups, weights, divisions, and teams.
• For Bracket or Double Elimination, open the Seed Editor and finish seed order first.
• For Round Robin, confirm class sizes; a large class creates many bouts.
• For Scramble, confirm the match goal and weight window.
• Choose Build Tournament once. Read the success summary.

Step 7 — Connect Scoring Stations

Choose Device Links. Open or scan the exact Scoring Mat link for each mat. Confirm the scorer page says the correct mat number and appears online in Tournament Readiness.

Step 8 — Run Tournament Check

Tournament Check is read-only. It checks IDs, bout numbers, bracket ownership, mat queues, simultaneous wrestler conflicts, public projections, selected mats, and recovery guardrails. It does not change tournament data.

• Green: passed.
• Gold: review the warning and decide whether it is acceptable.
• Red: fix the blocking item before starting.

Step 9 — Choose Public Access

Choose Publish Online when the event should be visible at the public Cloud link. Choose Continue Locally when the event should stay on the building network. Cloud publishing is included with an active Tournament Director or Youth Organization license.

Step 10 — Start Tournament

Choose Start Tournament & Open Live Control only after Tournament Check is acceptable and scorer stations are connected. MatCommand locks dangerous setup actions once the event is live. Safe controls remain available.

Format Playbooks: Start to Finish

Scramble

Best for: youth events that need flexible, fast match rotation instead of a fixed championship bracket.

1. Import wrestlers with accurate weights, divisions, records, and skill levels.
2. Choose Scramble. The app may show the internal word grapevine in technical status; it refers to the Scramble format.
3. Set the weight window. This is the hard automatic pairing limit, normally ±5 through ±15 pounds.
4. Set the match goal (1–3 matches per wrestler) and the period options.
5. Configure mats and review the generated groups.
6. Build Tournament. Open View Scramble Mat Assignments & Scheduled Matches to review.
7. Print coach/team bout sheets. Scramble coaches need bout numbers and mat assignments.
8. Connect scorers, run Tournament Check, choose public access, and start.
9. Use Live Control to move a bout, pause new bouts, add a manual Scramble bout, or fill idle mats.

Scramble standings list each wrestler's scheduled bouts. Removing an inactive Scramble wrestler removes that wrestler's pending bouts from the queue after confirmation; completed results remain part of the record.

Round Robin

Best for: small weight classes where each wrestler should face every other wrestler in the class.

1. Import the roster and verify that each class contains only the wrestlers who should meet.
2. Choose Round Robin.
3. Review class size before building. The number of bouts rises quickly as the class grows.
4. Configure mats and build once.
5. Review every class in Brackets/Standings, connect scorers, and run Tournament Check.
6. Start the event and score every scheduled pairing. MatCommand updates standings from finalized bouts.
7. If a wrestler cannot continue after the event starts, resolve remaining scheduled bouts according to the event's published forfeit/injury policy. Do not rebuild the live event.

Bracket (Single Elimination)

Best for: a traditional championship bracket where one loss removes a wrestler from championship contention.

1. Import and verify each class.
2. Choose Bracket.
3. Open the Seed Editor. Use record-based order as a starting point, then use Swap Seeds for approved corrections.
4. Check for teammates, duplicate wrestlers, bad weights, or empty classes.
5. Build Tournament only after seeding is final.
6. Open Brackets and review first-round names, byes, bout numbers, and future-round placeholders.
7. Connect scorers, run Tournament Check and Bracket Health Check, then start.
8. Finalize each result at the scoring table. Advancement occurs from the finalized canonical result.
9. Print or publish final brackets after the last result.

Double Elimination

Best for: a bracket where a wrestler is out after the second loss.

1. Complete the same roster and seeding checks used for Single Elimination.
2. Choose Double Elimination and finalize the Seed Editor before building.
3. Build once and inspect championship, consolation/wrestleback, third-place, final, and any If-Needed Final paths.
4. Run both Tournament Check and Bracket Health Check.
5. Start the event. Finalized results feed the correct side of the bracket.
6. If the schedule is waiting for another result, check whether the next bout's participants are known. Use Force Next Match only for an eligible named bout; MatCommand must never invent an unresolved feeder.
7. Do not delete a live wrestler to solve a bracket absence. Record the proper no-show, injury, forfeit, or disqualification result so advancement remains intact.
8. Confirm third place, finals, and an If-Needed Final before completing the tournament.

Roster, Athlete IDs, and Mid-Tournament Changes

Roster fields

How Athlete ID matching works

• An existing MatCommandAthleteId is the strongest match.
• The same name plus birth date can match the same athlete even when the team changes.
• The same name without a birth date or ID stays separate and may be flagged for review.
• If Cloud matching is unavailable, local tournament operation continues and matching can retry later.
• The imported record is the tournament's seeding record until the Director deliberately accepts a verified record.

Edit a wrestler before building

Choose Edit beside the wrestler, correct the fields, save, and recheck the class. This is the easiest and safest time to correct a roster.

Remove a wrestler before the event starts

Choose the red × beside the wrestler and read the confirmation. Before Build Tournament, removal is simple. After building, MatCommand may need to remove pending schedule references. Always rerun Tournament Check.

A wrestler leaves during a live Scramble

1. Confirm the wrestler is not in an active bout.
2. Open Setup and find the wrestler in the roster.
3. Choose the red × and confirm the live Scramble removal.
4. Return to Live Control and verify the wrestler is gone from On Deck, In the Hole, Coming Up, and Later bouts.
5. Run Tournament Check. Completed bouts remain recorded.

A wrestler is absent, injured, or leaves a fixed bracket

Do not rebuild a live Bracket, Double Elimination, or Round Robin event to remove the wrestler. Use the scoring table's no-show or the event-approved injury/forfeit result. This preserves the bracket path and audit record.

Connect Scorers, Mat Displays, and Viewers

Device types

Use the exact QR code or URL for the device's job. A Public Viewer link is not a scoring link, and a scorer link should not be displayed to spectators.

One scorer per mat

MatCommand locks a mat to one active scorer. If a replacement table must take over, use the configured scorer takeover PIN or clear the lock from Tools. Do not open the same scorer link on several devices “just in case”; they can compete for ownership.

One Director at a time

The local Director can claim initial ownership. A remote browser cannot become Director merely because no one is connected. A deliberate takeover uses the configured Director PIN and transfers control from the prior Director.

Scorer Table: Check In, Score, and Finalize

Before the bout

1. Confirm the mat number and bout number.
2. Confirm the two wrestlers and teams.
3. Use Swap Corners if the physical red/green corners are reversed. This also keeps the public score attached to the correct wrestler.
4. Mark both wrestlers present.
5. Use Call Wrestler to notify the Director, or Request Delay when the bout should wait.
6. Use the correct No Show button only after following the event's call/wait policy.
7. Choose Begin Bout.

Live scoring screen

Period choice

When prompted, select Top, Bottom, Neutral, or Defer for the wrestler with choice. Confirm the name and corner before continuing. Use Back to Match if the prompt was opened by mistake.

Blood, injury, and recovery timers

Open Match Tools, choose the correct timer, then Start/Stop or Reset only that timer. These timers are separate from the period clock. Follow the event's governing rules; MatCommand records the action but does not replace the official's judgment.

Finalize the result

1. Choose End Match.
2. Confirm winner, score, result type, and any fall time.
3. If something is wrong, choose Change Result or return to the match.
4. Choose Submit Result once both the scorer and referee agree.
5. Wait for the next assigned bout; do not refresh during submission.

Live Control: Keep the Tournament Moving

Live Control is the Director's event-day dashboard. It shows every mat, current queue, blocked/ready state, activity, health, and scorer connection.

Mat queue labels

• Now Wrestling: the scorer's active bout.
• On Deck: the next eligible bout for that mat.
• In the Hole: the bout after On Deck.
• Coming Up: one additional public/director preview.
• Later on This Mat: the remaining mat schedule.
• Ready: the participants are known and the bout can be started.
• Blocked: an earlier result, rest requirement, or dependency must be resolved first.

Live Operations buttons

Messages

Broadcast to Scorers sends one message to every mat. The lower Director Message box sends only to the selected mat. Use short, specific messages: “Hold Mat 2 after B18” or “Call Jordan Smith to Mat 4.”

When a mat stops receiving bouts

1. Check Event Health for OFFLINE or a stale Last Seen time.
2. Reconnect the scorer to the tournament network.
3. Reopen the exact scoring link for that mat.
4. Clear a stale scorer lock in Tools only if the replacement cannot take control.
5. Choose Re-push Current Bout.
6. If the mat is idle and the next bout is Ready, choose Start Next Match or Fill Idle Mats.

Mat Displays, Public Viewers, and Parent Lookup

Mat display

A mat display is for a TV or projector. It mirrors scorer state but cannot score or change the event. If it appears stale, refresh the display and confirm it is on the same local network.

Local public viewer

The local viewer uses sanitized public state. It does not expose Director audit history, licensing details, private recovery files, or athlete birth dates.

Parent viewer

Parents can search by wrestler name and see mat/bout status. They do not need an Athlete ID. Search is easier for families than manually distributing IDs.

Bracket display

Single and Double Elimination display as real brackets. Round Robin and Scramble use the view that fits their schedule. Use the Print tab for wall copies.

Publish Online and Share the QR Code

Publish the event

1. Finish the roster, format, mats, and build.
2. Run Tournament Check.
3. In Step 9, select Publish this tournament online or choose Publish Online.
4. Wait for Cloud Live and the public link.
5. Open the link on a phone that is not connected to the tournament Wi-Fi. Confirm the tournament name, mats, wrestlers, and brackets.
6. Choose Print Public QR. Post it at the entrance, concessions, and coach check-in.

The QR code should be shown after publishing because nearly every public event will use it. The Director can also choose Copy Viewer Link for email, text, or the event website.

Another event is still public

Choose End Previous Event & Publish This One only after confirming the older public event can end. This transfers the Cloud publishing slot to the current tournament. Local tournament data is not deleted.

End this Cloud event

Use End This Cloud Event when the public event should no longer update. This does not erase the local tournament or its backups.

If Cloud publishing fails

• Local scoring, saving, displays, and recovery continue.
• Use Retry Cloud after Internet returns.
• Verify that the local Tournament ID matches the active Cloud event.
• If a different event owns the Cloud slot, use the confirmed end-and-publish workflow.
• Never delay live wrestling solely because Cloud is unavailable.

Standings, Brackets, Printing, and Staffing

Standings and Scramble bout lists

Use Summary for a high-level view and the format-specific view for detailed results. In Scramble, every wrestler row shows scheduled bout numbers, opponents, and mats so coaches can follow the day.

Print center

Large Double Elimination brackets may need Legal or 11×17 landscape, browser scaling, or poster tiling.

Staffing

Use Officials for referees, scorekeepers, mat officials, and table officials. Use Volunteers for non-officiating event jobs. Saving an official updates the reusable pool; Reset/New Tournament clears event assignments but not the reusable pool.

Save, Back Up, Recover, and Shut Down Safely

What MatCommand saves

Autosave protects the canonical tournament state and recovery metadata. The blue status near Save shows the last successful save. Watch it during the event.

Recovery and integrity tools

Backup buttons

• Save Now: immediately updates internal recovery.
• Export JSON Backup: creates a lightweight tournament-state restore file.
• Export Full Event Backup: creates a support-ready ZIP with tournament state, public state, recovery files, checkpoints, and Director activity.
• Load Backup: accepts a supported JSON backup or full-event ZIP. A live event requires typed confirmation.
• Open Backup Folder: opens the event's folder in Windows Explorer.
• Copy Path: copies the backup folder path for support or manual storage.

Before a risky action

Create a recovery point before finals, a major correction, a large mat reassignment, or loading any external backup. Give it a plain name such as “Before 10U Finals.”

Clean shutdown

1. Confirm the latest save time.
2. Export a Full Event Backup.
3. End Cloud publishing if the event should no longer be public.
4. Choose Shutdown Tournament Server.
5. Close the browser after MatCommand confirms shutdown.

Director and Scorer Security

• Only one Director connection can control the tournament at a time.
• The local computer can claim initial Director ownership.
• A remote browser must use the existing takeover process and configured Director PIN.
• Each mat has one active scorer lock. A replacement uses the scorer takeover PIN or the Director clears the stale lock.
• Change the Director and scorer PINs under Tools when the default is not appropriate for the venue.
• Private Director endpoints, full state, audit history, licensing details, and recovery files are not public-viewer data.
• Public pages use the sanitized public projection only.

Do not share a Director URL, Director PIN, scorer PIN, backup file, roster export containing birth dates, or offline license file with spectators.

Tournament-Day Troubleshooting

Never do these during a live event

• Do not edit tournament state files by hand.
• Do not rebuild a live elimination bracket to remove a wrestler.
• Do not run several Director copies and guess which browser tab is current.
• Do not delete the entire recovery folder.
• Do not distribute private keys, license secrets, Director links, or full-event backups.
• Do not expose the application through a broad Public-profile firewall rule.

Complete Director Button Reference

Setup

Live Control

See the Live Control section for Fill Idle Mats, Pause/Resume New Bouts, Force Next Match, Re-push Current Bout, Move, Add Scramble Bout, Reopen Last Result, Undo, Print/Export activity, and scorer messages.

Tools / Admin

Finish the Tournament

1. Confirm every required bout is completed or properly resolved.
2. Review Standings and Brackets.
3. Run Tournament Check and Bracket Health Check for elimination formats.
4. Print or save final brackets, standings, team sheets, and audit reports.
5. Create a named final recovery point.
6. Export a Full Event Backup and store a second copy outside the Director laptop.
7. Choose Complete Tournament when enabled.
8. End the Cloud event if it should no longer update publicly.
9. Use Shutdown Tournament Server before installing another version or leaving the venue.

Keep the final backup, roster export, and printed/PDF results according to your organization's retention and privacy policy.

Support, Templates, and Official Resources

Official V12.044 files

• Tournament installer
• Searchable Tournament FAQ
• Downloadable Tournament FAQ
• CSV roster template
• Excel roster template

What to send when asking for help

• MatCommand Tournament V12.044 and the Windows version.
• Tournament name/date, format, wrestler count, and mat count.
• The exact mat, bout number, and approximate time of the issue.
• A screenshot of the full message or screen.
• A Full Event Backup when requested.

Email [email protected]. Do not email payment credentials, PayPal passwords, Azure secrets, private signing keys, or unencrypted owner-only keys.