Electronic Match Card (EMC) is our way of efficiently recording match details, increasing competition integrity whilst allowing clubs and players to keep track of their playing statistics. It is also key to understanding how much rugby is being played, how often and by whom.
There are a number of advantages to using EMC, which can benefit a wide range of people involved in the game, from competition organisers all the way through to the players.
Access Electronic Matchcard
Access the EMC using the caption links below to GMS. Desktop access to EMC is via the Competition Management Module, you need to make sure you have the Match Card Admin role and the relevant permission level. Please check within your clubs regarding your roles and permission levels if required.
LOGIN TO GMS
Mandatory Competitions for EMC
All RFU league competitions and Papa John Community Cup Competitions (Men's and Women's) mandate use of EMC.
At age-grade level, both Girls' National Cups (U18 and U16) as well as the Boys' National U18 Cup also mandate the use of EMC to compete. Other competitions, non-RFU league and other age-grade matches are able to utilise EMC if desired.
Extended Features & Benefits
We consistently strive to improve the EMC user experience and regularly engage with the Game and gather feedback from sub-committees and council members. Enhancements as a result of previous consultation include improved signposting, safeguarding against incorrect/incomplete entries, enriched messaging and a clearer user journey, which allows the RFU to respond to feedback from the game relating to usability of the tool, particularly in the mobile version.
EMCs also contain the Suspected Concussion tool, which allows players to be flagged as having a suspected concussion. This enables information to be sent to the player and their club’s RugbySafe Lead (as on GMS) to help them recover from their injury and advise of the correct return to play protocols.
Additionally, the RFU have developed two features that will allow the data from EMCs, including Match Events, to feed through into two separate areas:
- GMS Team Reports – will allow clubs to easily track the number of appearances, minutes played and points/tries scored for each of their players playing in fixtures utilising EMCs. These can be found in the Organisation Profile section of the main GMS Module. More information and a guide on where to find these reports can be found here.
- Match Centre – will surface statistics relating to the team and individual players via the Fixtures & Results section of the website – see how your team and you stack up against the rest of the league and country!
Training & Support Materials
We are committing a comprehensive support package for clubs, league organisers and other volunteers to ensure users are comfortable using EMCs. This includes:
- Refreshed training materials to reflect the technical upgrades referenced above that are available in Community Rugby Help and below.
Below are some step-by-step guides to Electronic Match Card as well as some top tips:
- Step by Step Guides for mobile and desktop
- Top Tips for using Electronic Match Card
- Frequently Asked Questions on Electronic Match Card
- Please also see this link to a Webinar, hosted in July 2022, with more information on the Electronic Match Card.
How to get help
Call your League Secretary or Results Agent if:
- You need guidance on RFU regulations
- You need to check the deadlines for submitting the EMC
- You need to query the match details
- You have a match official query
- Player queries (including red card/suspension)
- You need to report a postponed or abandoned match
If you are having problems with any of the following:
- You are having difficulty logging into the GMS
- The Match card will not submit
- There is a technical issue with the form e.g. it is not letting you fill in the fields
- You cannot access the match card
If you are having any technical issues, please 'submit help request' via Community Rugby Help.
Yes, clubs can assign as many Match Card Administrators as they wish.
Some tabs will only show once the match has commenced, as per the kick off time recorded against that fixture. If the kick off time is set to 3pm for instance, you will not be able to see the ‘Match Events’tab until 3pm on the day of the fixture.
You can either send the result directly to your league secretary or results agent, or move to an area where you can get signal and then enter the result and submit the Match Card.
Yes, you can make changes to a lineup until the Match Card is submitted.
Changes can be made until the Match Card is submitted.
As a League Secretary, you can login to GMS, access the Competition Management module and view the Match Cards within your competition. The Match Card can be downloaded as a PDF via the ‘Summary’ tab when you have selected the fixture you wish to view.
A Match Card that has been fully completed by the competing Clubs should be set to ‘Approved’.
In order to get access to the Electronic Match Card you will need to have a record in GMS, have the role of Match Card Administrator and the appropriate level of access (1 or 5) in GMS at your club.
Each Match Card Administrator should login using their own account, and subsequently have their own PIN. Please note, only certain competitions require a PIN to be entered on Match Day to ‘sign off’ a card, it is likely this would need to be used when you are an away team, approving the entry made by the home team.
Login to GMS, go to your Personal Details, choose ‘Credentials’ and reset your PIN.
You will need to contact your league secretary or follow up with the referee directly.
This is dependent on the competition settings within the league your team are participating. It is best to check with your league secretary to ensure that you meet the deadline for submission.
Selecting a not effectively registered player is completed in the same way as picking a registered player. The player will need to exist within your club’s GMS database of individuals. You should ensure that this player is affiliated to your club and has been assigned to the appropriate squad. The competition settings in Match Card will allow you to choose this player when selecting your team. To assist you in keeping track of how many non-registered players you have selected, a (NR) symbol will be shown against a non-registered player on the Match Card.
For assistance with a competition query (regulations, deadlines, match details etc.) please contact your league secretary. For assistance with a technical issue, you can either 'raise a help request' via the GMS Help Portal, detailing your issue, the steps you have taken and the version of Match Card that you are using or call the dedicated EMC Support line (during season time only).
