Player Cards

[310]

I've tried reaching out to various people over the years about putting together an updated system, unfortunately, it seems that many in the position to make these decisions are not finding the value or looking to improve this process.

The affinity system does have this feature, but from some of my initial impressions of their tech stack and architecture (surface impression), I don't think they would be prepared to handle the load that something like this would demand.

This shouldn't be so difficult, but we need to get the right people in a room to lay out the potentials. What everyone is asking for is not a difficult task, including surfref's watch idea (which I have had in my idea repository for a while now). We could even incorporate some advanced features with biometrics, which someone highlighted above.

If anyone has the contacts to get the ball rolling, I'd be more than happy to put together some items for discussion to get this moving.

 

[timbuck]

I’m sure Cal-South has a lot of balls in the air.
Does anyone know what their top priorities are?
Just saying “we need automated player cards” probably won’t get much attention. I’m sure they don’t care much about a team managers responsibilities.
But if there are 3 or 4 things that they care about most, whoever presents automated player cards needs to tie in to those.
Let’s say player safety, costs and players development are their main areas of focus.
1. How does this ensure player safety? By enabling referees with up to date information, they can better ensure that the right players are on the field.
And then provide an example where the current card system has failed player safety.
2. Costs- this can be the tricky one. I don’t think it costs Cal South much to require teams to print and laminate cards.
But can you tie revenue to it? Either include advertising in the app for refs, team managers and coaches to see.
3. Player Development- bit of a reach here too- but by enabling referees to be better equipped, maybe we are able to get more referees to stay in the system. We certainly need a younger crop of refs out there. Maybe making a fun referee app for game reports keeps a few more refs in the game. More refs and better refs leads to better games being played. Which leads to better player development.

 

[El Clasico]

I don't think that CalSouth really cares about any of the issues raised about. I do think that they care a lot about money. This seems like a simple math equation to me. Lets just say that they have about 170,000 registered players (from their website) and they each pay an average of $20 for their player card (averaged out as I think I recall rec cards being $15 as opposed to competitive cards at $25)
Simple math...
170,000 x 20 = 3,400,000
Now if those numbers are accurate and I am with cal south, it will be a cold day in hell before I give up $3,400,000 to make someone else's life a little easier. Think of your interactions with CalSouth, do you feel like the person you dealt with cared about making you happy?

 

[timbuck]

I don't think that CalSouth really cares about any of the issues raised about. I do think that they care a lot about money. This seems like a simple math equation to me. Lets just say that they have about 170,000 registered players (from their website) and they each pay an average of $20 for their player card (averaged out as I think I recall rec cards being $15 as opposed to competitive cards at $25)
Simple math...
170,000 x 20 = 3,400,000
Now if those numbers are accurate and I am with cal south, it will be a cold day in hell before I give up $3,400,000 to make someone else's life a little easier. Think of your interactions with CalSouth, do you feel like the person you dealt with cared about making you happy?

They could still charge that amount each year. Tack it on to the per player cost. Could probably charge more since it is a "high tech" solution.

 

[jpeter]

I don't think that CalSouth really cares about any of the issues raised about. I do think that they care a lot about money. This seems like a simple math equation to me. Lets just say that they have about 170,000 registered players (from their website) and they each pay an average of $20 for their player card (averaged out as I think I recall rec cards being $15 as opposed to competitive cards at $25)
Simple math...
170,000 x 20 = 3,400,000
Now if those numbers are accurate and I am with cal south, it will be a cold day in hell before I give up $3,400,000 to make someone else's life a little easier. Think of your interactions with CalSouth, do you feel like the person you dealt with cared about making you happy?

If there making that kind of $ on cards to employ all those folks, might have to join the #resistance

 

[GunninGopher]

The "Card" is actually registration. Players pay for insurance and administration with it.

 

[Dargle]

The "Card" is actually registration. Players pay for insurance and administration with it.

The only people who potentially make even a little bit of money off the fact that you have a laminated card rather than a "e-card" are the club registrars, if your club uses a "professional" registrar (who is either paid by the club or who performs the service for multiple clubs for a fee) rather than a volunteer parent in the club. Registrars often charge the club something like $1 per card to laminate and issue, which probably is a little bit of a markup from the cost of equipment/materials/time, although it's certainly not a big deal that anyone is getting rich doing.

 

[coachrefparent]

Any idea what the bugs/issues are?

Where did you find digital cards at? Our team manager has a picture of all of our cards on her phone. But nothing official from the league.

I wish all of Cal South would use something like that app and maybe even develop an app for the Apple Watch so I can record yellow or red cards while still on the field.

The biggest problem is that the system is web based. So, there is no way to cache/save a match to your phone. I have been to many fields where data coverage is non-existent or spotty and slow. The site has a bit of graphics and the card photos, so it requires a fast connection, and becomes unusable otherwise.

Here's the link:
https://cysa.affinitysoccer.com/m/pass/index.aspx

You can add cards through the system, as well as the score.
Here's a general description of the system: http://www.affinity-sports.com/interactive-digital-cards/

 

[MWN]

The biggest problem is that the system is web based. So, there is no way to cache/save a match to your phone. I have been to many fields where data coverage is non-existent or spotty and slow. The site has a bit of graphics and the card photos, so it requires a fast connection, and becomes unusable otherwise.

Here's the link:
https://cysa.affinitysoccer.com/m/pass/index.aspx

You can add cards through the system, as well as the score.
Here's a general description of the system: http://www.affinity-sports.com/interactive-digital-cards/

The affinity system is also subject to bouts of unavailability, which may or may not be the result of connection issues on the user side. I have seen users curse the inability to load certain data to the system with good connections, so I'm not sure which side its on. I suppose if there were a system that automatically cached the data of the assigned games (while on WIFI) that might help, but Cal South needs a method that is infallible, given the status of State Cup. I also now that Presidio's game sheet puts images of the players on the game sheet as an additional backup, but those images are so tiny its hard to say if they are usable.

 

[coachrefparent]

The affinity system is also subject to bouts of unavailability, which may or may not be the result of connection issues on the user side. I have seen users curse the inability to load certain data to the system with good connections, so I'm not sure which side its on. I suppose if there were a system that automatically cached the data of the assigned games (while on WIFI) that might help, but Cal South needs a method that is infallible, given the status of State Cup. I also now that Presidio's game sheet puts images of the players on the game sheet as an additional backup, but those images are so tiny its hard to say if they are usable.

Most of the pictures are so outdated, they are worthless. There were older boys playing in a tounament but no one could prove it because the pictures were of grade school kids.

Cal South needs to wipe the photos out every year, and require that they be retaken. And a rule if the referee can't tell its you on your card, then you don't play.