Manual: Concepts-Match Identification

Overview

What is the Match Identification Concept?

The Match Identification concept uses a combination of data elements to describe Matches as a combination of characteristics. Grouping Matches by similar characteristics permits flexibility in searching, managing, and processing Matches.

Why use the Concept?

Dividing Matches into various groupings permits Site Users to search and process Matches according to different needs, such as Rankings and Compensation

How is the concept implemented?

Typically, each of the elements for a Match (Organization, League, Level, Division, Gender and Season) are predefined to the Chapter's specifications. For example, Division is usually subordinate to Level, which is subordinate to League. This permits a User to group Matches by similar characteristics when attempting to make a decision. Grouping in this manner permits a User to display "all HighSchool Matches", etc., etc. (the combinations are almost endless)

Comments

The terms Organization, League, Level, Division, Gender, and Season are RidgeStar terms, but we feel that they apply to a wide variety of circumstances. Your Chapter may require a different combination of key elements, but the key is to ensure that you create a mechanism that allows you to group Matches with similar characteristics. Do your best to avoid the temptation to "lump" everything into a "coded" field (e.g. BU14 lumps both the Match Gender and Age into the same element).

Of course, if your Site is dedicated only to a single Gender and competitive Level, all with one League, and with only one Division, then you would not need to group Matches. Then again, you probably wouldn't need a Referee Management Site either... :>)

Thus, DO spend time to determine what Organizations (Clients??), Leagues (Youth, Adult, HighSchool, etc.), Levels (U10, U11, Professional, Varsity, etc.), Divisions (A, B, C, 1, 2, 3, Gold, Silver, Green, etc.), Genders (M, F, Coed, Boys, Girls, etc.) and Seasons (Fall, Winter, Summer, Tournament, etc.) describe the Matches you intend to manage.

If you do this up front, it will make implementing and using the Site much easier!