Built by one person close to the game, proven on real league nights.

Why ReadyRef exists

Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world — it's headed to the 2028 Olympics — but the tools around it haven't kept up. Referees juggle a whistle, a flag count, a down count, a rush count, and a game clock, usually with a generic timer app and a memory for the score. Organizers run seasons out of spreadsheets. Parents and fans who can't make it to the field get the final score in a group chat, hours later, if at all.

ReadyRef was built to fix all three at once: a scoreboard that knows flag football's rules, league tools that replace the spreadsheet, and a live watch link so anyone can follow a game from anywhere — free, in any browser, no account needed.

Tested where it counts

ReadyRef is developed hand-in-hand with Bluewater Flag Football in Sarnia, Ontario, where it runs real games — live scoreboards on the field, schedules and standings for the season, and a public league site families actually use. When something is awkward with a whistle in your mouth and one hand free, it gets fixed. That feedback loop is the whole development process.

The principles behind the product

• Ref-first design. Every screen is built for one hand, outdoors, mid-play. Volume-button shortcuts, haptic confirmation, and one-tap undo exist because refs need them, not because they demo well.
• Flag football only. Girl-play counters, rush limits, no-run-zone-friendly rules, and flag-specific stats are built in. ReadyRef doesn't try to be a scoreboard for every sport — it tries to be the best one for this sport.
• Free for fans, forever. Watching a game live with a 6-character code will never require an app, an account, or a payment. Grandparents two provinces away shouldn't need a login to see a touchdown.
• Youth privacy by default. Public league sites never share player names unless a league explicitly opts in. Kids' schedules shouldn't leak kids' identities.

Where ReadyRef is today

ReadyRef is in closed beta on Android, with an iOS version in the works. The live watch experience, game recaps, and public league sites are already live on the web. If you referee, run a league, or just love the sport, joining the beta is the single most helpful thing you can do — early testers shape what gets built next.

Get in touch

Questions, feedback, or a league you'd like to bring over? Email support@readyref.app or use the contact page — every message is read and answered by the person who builds the app, usually within 24 hours.