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Court TV scoreboard setup for clubs: Chromecast, HDMI or Android TV
A live score on the TV next to the court gives a club two things: the players stop arguing, and spectators and sponsors look at the screen. The setup is not expensive; a TV, a phone, a way to mirror the screen and the right mount are all you need. This guide compares the options with their costs and walks you through the installation step by step, whether you run a single indoor court or a six-court outdoor club.
What you need
| Part | What for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| TV (43–55″) | Showing the score | Matte panel, 300+ nits; any TV on an indoor court, an outdoor TV or one under a canopy on an outdoor court |
| Phone / tablet | The app that keeps the score | A cheap Android tablet owned by the club is the least trouble; a player’s phone works too |
| Mirroring path | Getting the screen onto the TV | One of the four options below |
| Mount / holder | Fixing the phone to a post or the fence | A clamp-on phone holder; a net-post mount for a tablet |
| Speaker | Voice announcements | Bluetooth, weatherproof, next to the phone |
| Remote | Entering points | A Bluetooth remote or the player’s watch |
Four ways to get the score on the TV
1. USB-C → HDMI cable (the most reliable)
Sends the phone’s screen straight to the TV; no lag, no Wi-Fi needed. The phone has to support DisplayPort Alt Mode (most mid-range and flagship Androids; iPhone 15 and later). A 15–30 ft cable and an adapter with a power input (so the phone charges at the same time) are enough. Downside: the cable is visible along the side of the court; it has to be run along the fence. Check the phone before you buy the adapter: a cheap Android with a charge-only USB-C port will show nothing on the TV, and no adapter can fix that.
2. Chromecast / Google TV
Plugs into the TV’s HDMI port and the phone connects by screen mirroring. Wireless, five minutes to set up. The club’s Wi-Fi has to reach the courts; the lag is 1–2 seconds (not a problem for a score). Built into Android; to mirror from an iPhone, a TV with AirPlay or an Apple TV is easier. Put the Chromecast and the phone on the same network and give the courts their own access point if the clubhouse router is far away; most “the screen froze” complaints are Wi-Fi, not the app.
3. Android TV box (the permanent solution)
For clubs that install the app directly on the TV: the score lives on the box, no phone is needed, and the remote pairs with the box. One box per court. If the score also needs to appear on a player’s phone, the tournament/board route (below) is a better fit. The box stays behind the TV, powered from the same socket, and the only thing on court is the remote.
4. Live board in a browser (tournament day)
On tournament day there is no need to mirror anything: the courts enter scores from a phone, and any device connected to the TV (an old laptop, the TV’s own browser) opens scoresay.com/t/CODE; courts, scores, standings and sponsor images cycle through by themselves. Wireless and independent of the device. It also works on a projector in the clubhouse or on a spectator’s own phone, so the same code serves the courts, the bar and the people watching from home.
Which one should you choose?
- One court, a fixed TV, robustness: HDMI cable.
- Several courts, good Wi-Fi, a quick start: Chromecast.
- It should work without a phone: Android TV box.
- Tournaments and sponsor display: the live board. Many clubs combine two: HDMI on the show court for everyday play, the live board on every screen on tournament day.
Step-by-step installation (HDMI example)
- Mount the TV outside the court, behind the glass wall, 6–7 ft off the ground; both teams must be able to see it and the sun must not hit the screen directly. The end of the court next to the entrance door is usually the best spot, because players walk past it on every change of ends.
- Fix the cable along the fence with cable ties; attach the phone holder to the net post or the fence, screen in landscape.
- On the phone, set the screen never to sleep and turn the brightness right up; the app keeps the screen awake anyway.
- Put the speaker under the phone and pair it over Bluetooth; set the announcement volume to match the noise on court.
- Pair the remote and teach it the buttons; play a test match to check that the score comes through correctly on the TV and in the audio. Do the test from the far end of the court, where the players actually stand, not from next to the TV.
- Save the court’s rule card (golden point or advantage, tie-break or not) as the club’s standard setting.
Cost (approximate)
A 43″ TV plus wall mount, an HDMI adapter and a 30 ft cable, a phone holder, a Bluetooth speaker and a remote: for one court, a mid-range budget including the TV; if you already have the TV, the rest costs about as much as the speaker and the remote. The Android TV box route adds one box per TV. The live board route needs no extra hardware. Budget for a weatherproof enclosure or a cover for outdoor courts; rain and dust cost more TVs than players ever do.
Sponsors and revenue
The screen works even when it is idle: sponsor images rotate on the tournament board, and the organiser sees in the report how many times, and for how many seconds, each image was shown. One screen per court is advertising space for the club; that is why many clubs cover the cost of the TV with a sponsor in the first season. A local racket shop, a physio or the café next door is usually happy to pay for a logo that sits next to the live score all weekend.
In the app
The mirroring options are explained with screenshots on the big screen page; for clubs that want a turnkey installation (TV, mount, speaker, remote, sponsor showcase) there is the club solution. On a TV the app draws the score in large type with high contrast; in landscape mode the score can be read from many yards away.