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Hire an LED scoreboard when you only need one now and then, such as for a carnival, a tournament or a school sports day in Perth and WA. Buying usually works out better if you play most weekends, because the board is there for every game and sponsor ads can help pay it off over the seasons.
An LED scoreboard shows the score and the clock to everyone at the ground, sounds the siren and gives your sponsors a screen to be seen on. The question most clubs and schools ask us is: should we hire one or buy one? That depends on how often you play, where you play and what you want the board to do. Here is how to decide.
What does an LED scoreboard do for a club?
- Clear, accurate scores. The scorer runs the board from a phone or tablet, so there are no numbers to flip by hand and fewer mistakes to fix at the break. Everyone around the ground sees the same score and the same clock.
- A siren that looks after itself. With Olympyx, the siren sounds on its own when the clock reaches 0:00, for 4 to 15 seconds, and the next quarter loads ready to start.
- Space for sponsors. Sponsor ads and videos can run at every break. Sponsors get something to see for their money, and the club has a reason to ask for more.
- Club news. Between games, the board can show the next fixture, presentation night, the canteen menu or a call for volunteers.
- Logos, video and movie nights. Full colour boards show team logos and an end of game summary. Calingiri Sporting Club uses its 4 × 5 m screen for live scores, sponsors, video and movie nights.
- Low running costs. LED boards use very little power and are built for sun, wind and rain.
Single colour or full colour
Single colour boards show clear red scores and text at a lower cost. Full colour boards add logos, photos and video, which makes sponsor ads look the way the sponsor intended. Either can be built to any size, from a club board to a stadium screen.
Two ways to run it: Basic and Advanced
Basic is the iCatcher Scoreboard app. Score from your phone, run the clock and show your sponsors, or switch to Sign Mode and use the board for your own messages. It has ten sports built in, including AFL, soccer, cricket, basketball and netball, with a shot clock for basketball and hockey, and it works with full colour and single colour boards.
Advanced is Olympyx, our own software for full colour screens. It comes installed on the scoreboard, and you run the whole game from a tablet, phone or laptop in a web browser, with the automatic siren, sponsor videos, screen mirroring and movie nights. It runs its own Wi-Fi network, so the ground needs no internet.
You can try both before you decide. The Basic and Advanced demos on our Products page run in your browser.
When does hiring a scoreboard make sense?
Hiring suits clubs, schools and associations that only need a scoreboard now and then:
- a carnival, tournament or school sports day
- a one-off event at a ground without a board
- a trial, before the committee commits to buying one
We hire out portable scoreboards in Perth and WA for events like these. Tell us the date, the sport and the ground, and we will suggest a board.
When is buying the better choice?
If you play most weekends, buying usually makes more sense. The board is there for every game, your scorers get used to it, and sponsor ads can help pay it off over the seasons. What you buy depends on your ground:
- Portable scoreboards roll out for game day and pack away after. They suit clubs that share a ground or play on school ovals. Dianella Morley AFC uses a full colour scoreboard on wheels, and Aquinas College uses our mobile scoreboards.
- Trailer scoreboards suit clubs and associations that move between venues during a season.
- Built-in scoreboards stay up all season and can be much bigger, like Calingiri Sporting Club’s full colour screen.
Our guide to portable or built-in scoreboards goes into more detail.
When you buy, check the warranty. Ours run from 1 to 5 years, depending on the product. Finance through Ledge Finance can spread the cost.
Where the board will go
The site matters as much as the board. A fixed scoreboard can be fitted to a clubroom wall or roof, mounted on top of a container or on a freestanding steel structure, or retrofitted to an existing structure. We look at where spectators sit, how far away they are and where the sun will be at game time, then size the board and the numbers to suit. A fixed board may need council approval, and we help with that at no extra cost.
What you get from us
We design and build every scoreboard at our workshop in Welshpool, Perth, test it before it leaves, and install it anywhere in Australia, including Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Sirens are supplied and installed, and we train your volunteers to run the board.
For sponsor screens and signs around the ground, see LED signs and scoreboards for sports grounds. For the full range of boards, see our electronic and LED scoreboards. If you only need a sign for an event, read why hire a digital sign.
Tell us your sport, your ground and roughly where the scoreboard will go. We will suggest a size and send a free quote. To plan the budget, read what affects the cost of an electronic scoreboard. Get in touch, or call Aaron on 0416 053 335 or the office on (08) 9335 7944.
