The Brief
Having taken over the running of the ice bowl from the council in 2018, Dumfries Curling were looking to invest and create some better systems for use at the rink.
It was identified that they currently had quite a manual process - with bookings stored in a spreadsheet, scores recorded manually, then payments taken through an independent till system.
It was the aim to combine all of this in to a single system, not only simplifying the workload needed to run the ice bowl, but also improving the user experience by making it easier to book spare ice. It was also hoped that by creating a user portal for members to check their scores and view competitions, it would encourage more people to get in to the sport.
Our Approach
Having looked at the requirements, it was determined that Dumfries Curling needed 3 systems, all integrated together:
- Online Booking & Management Portal
- Digital Scoreboards
- Integrated Till System
It was also identified that there was no system out there for Curling similar to this, and therefore there might be a market to sell this system to other Ice Bowls.
Online Booking System
The initial phase of the project included creating an online
booking system that enables users to login, create, and edit
their own profile, and also allows them to create and manage
their bookings online. On creating a booking, notifications
would be sent to staff, allowing them to accept, or edit, the
booking request.
Digital Scoreboard
Once bookings could be created and managed digitally, we then created a scoreboard system that could tie in to this. Two 32 inch TVs were placed over each sheet (6 sheets), each connected to Raspberry Pi.
We then created a javascript/html scoring system that could connect to the booking system and retrieve the games booked for that sheet. iPads, located at the bottom end of each sheet, could then be used to update the score after each end
Touch-Screen Till System
Finally, after implementing the scoreboards, we then created an integrated touch screen till system.
By replicating the booking calendar on the homescreen, we created a very easy to use till system that allowed the operator to simply click on any game,
then select the player who was trying to pay. Rates were then calculated easily based on the booking type,
meaning till operators didnt need to worry about calculating the cost of the game.
Once paid, this was updated in the booking system, allowing management to quickly run off reports showing who was still to pay for the day.
An online account balance was also added, allowing users to top up their online balance and then use that later to pay for games - especially handy for parents.
The Outcome
The combined system was well received by users and management of Dumfries Curling, and received regular updates to expand on the capabilities of the system. Over time we built an online payment module, allowing users to top up their balance and pay for games online. We also built in a module to help manage competitions. With scores from games already recorded in the booking system, we created a module allowing the various curling clubs to create their own tournaments. Whether it was a league or knockout, the scores would update in real time as games were played, showing the real time league positions based on the current scores
In 2022 Dumfries Curling hosted the Scottish Curling Championships. This was a great test for our Scoreboard system, with the introduction of live streaming. A new module was created to create an overlay that could be placed on top of the live stream broadcast, showing the current scores on top of the feed. There was initial talk that the final would be broadcast live on BBC2 - unfortunately this was dropped at the last minute due to a disagreement regarding advertising located in the venue.
