Observers and match day coaches
How to take notes during a visit and write your report in penalty.app, whether your County FA sent you or you’re watching a match on your own.
What you can do today
There are two ways to work. On a County FA visit, the county offers the visit, approves your report and sends each official their own part. On your own match, you need no county: same notes, same observer report, kept in your account, and you download the PDF to send it yourself. Match day coaching reports are for County FA visits for now.
Before the match
Accept the visit, or add the match
When your County FA offers a visit, it appears on your dashboard. Accept it and the match, the pitch address and the visit fee are added to your account. Watching a match on your own? Add it like any other match and choose Observer or Match Day Coach as your role.
Set up the observation
Before kick-off, open the match and check the officials and each team’s kit colour, so your notes name the right people. Your notes are private to you from the first one.
During the match
Start the clock
On match day, press Start observation on the dashboard’s next-match card (match day coaches see Start coaching notes). Start the clock at the whistle; there is one clock for each half.
Take a note
Choose the official, the team and shirt number, the zone and + or −, then type what happened and save. Goals and cards go on the same timeline. The Match notes tab on the match keeps every note.
Lost signal?
Keep going. Each note is saved on your device first and syncs when you’re back online; the top of the screen shows how many are waiting.
After the match
Rate each criterion
Open the report from the match. Rate every criterion on the six-level scale. Expected needs nothing more; any other level asks for a description, the evidence and the impact. The total updates as you go.
Turn notes into evidence
Your notes sit next to the form, filed under each official. Drag a note onto a criterion, or press Attach, and the evidence line is written for you.
Submit, or download the PDF
On a County FA visit, press Submit report. The list above the button tells you anything still missing, in plain words. Once the county approves the report, each official receives their own section. On your own match, download the PDF and send it yourself.
Tips
Use + and − as you go
They make the right notes easy to find when you rate each criterion.
Add the shirt number when you can
It makes the evidence line specific: “H10” says more than “home”.
Check “Not used” before you submit
The notes panel shows which notes haven’t made it into the report yet.
Keep the 72 hours in mind
On a County FA visit, observer reports are due 72 hours after kick-off.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my County FA to use this?
No. Your own match works without a county. Visits, approval and delivery to the officials need your County FA on penalty.app.
Does it submit to MOAS?
No. Copy your report across or attach the PDF.
Can the officials see my notes?
No. Nobody sees your notes. Each official sees only their own section of the report, after the county approves it.
Is it free?
Yes. The observer and match day coach tools are free to use, and creating an account is free.
Related guides
Watch the game. We’ll keep the notes.
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