Frequently asked questions
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Is it free?
Yes — anyone can sign up for free. The free tier lets you log up to 10 matches with no card required. A Pro subscription (£4.99/month) gives you unlimited matches, CSV export, and full season history.
Do I need a credit card to sign up?
No. Sign up with Google or a magic link — no card or payment details needed. You only need a card if you later upgrade to Pro.
Which FA levels does it support?
penalty.app works for all levels of the FA refereeing pyramid — from Level 9 (grassroots) up to Level 4 and beyond. Promotion tracking and LOTG quiz difficulty are both configurable for your current grade.
What information do I need to log a match?
At minimum: date, competition name, home and away teams, your role (REF, AR, or 4TH), and your match fee. Mileage, who pays, and payment method are optional but recommended.
Full guide: logging a match →Can I export my data?
Yes. Pro users can export their full match history as a CSV file — useful for end-of-season tax records or your own spreadsheets.
How does the payment chase message work?
For each unpaid match, click 'Chase Payment' and a pre-written message is copied to your clipboard. It includes the match date, teams, and the amount owed. Just paste it into WhatsApp, email, or text.
Full guide: chasing payments →What is the LOTG module?
LOTG stands for Laws of the Game. The module gives you targeted quiz sessions based on your referee grade (L9 to L4). Each quiz picks 10 questions from a bank of 140+ IFAB and FA-aligned questions, covering all 17 Laws and specialist topics like offside, VAR procedure, and disciplinary action. You can set a time limit per question to simulate exam pressure.
Full guide: Laws of the Game quiz →How are LOTG questions chosen?
Questions are filtered by your level and chosen topic. penalty.app tracks which questions you've already seen and always prioritises unseen ones — so you'll cycle through the full question bank before repeating any question.
Full guide: Laws of the Game quiz →What LOTG badges can I earn?
There are 20 badges across categories: milestones (number of quizzes completed), score achievements (getting 10/10 or multiple perfect scores), topic mastery (acing a specific Law), streaks, and speed badges for finishing timed quizzes quickly. Badges are awarded automatically when you hit the criteria.
Full guide: Laws of the Game quiz →Does it support tournaments?
Yes. You can log tournaments separately from your league fixtures. Each tournament has its own fee structure and match count, and appears in your earnings overview.
Does it integrate with Fulltime?
Yes. Connect penalty.app to the FA's Fulltime fixture system and your allocated games sync directly into the app. New fixtures appear on your dashboard ready to import in one tap — date, teams, venue, and role are all pre-filled. If you've already entered a match manually, smart duplicate detection lets you link the Fulltime fixture to your existing record instead of creating a duplicate.
What is the Scheduler module?
The Scheduler lets you manage upcoming fixtures in one place. See your week at a glance without digging through league emails.
Can I turn off modules I don't use?
Yes. In Settings → Modules you can enable or disable Promotion, Scheduler, Expenses, and LOTG. Disabled modules are hidden from the navigation so the app only shows what's relevant to you.
Is my data secure?
Yes. penalty.app uses Google Firebase for authentication and data storage, with encrypted connections. Your data is only visible to you.
Does it work on mobile?
penalty.app is a web app that works in any modern mobile browser. There is also a native iOS app available on the App Store, with Android coming soon.
Is there a native iOS or Android app?
Yes — the iOS app is available now on the App Store. Search for "Penalty App" or find it at apps.apple.com. The Android app is in development and coming soon.
Can I use it for misconduct reports?
Yes. The Reports section generates professional FA-ready misconduct report text from the details you provide — player name, team, minute, offence type, and description. Copy it straight into the FA's system.
What happens to my data if I stop using it?
Your data stays intact as long as your account exists. We don't delete inactive accounts automatically.
Want step-by-step guides with visuals?
The penalty.app docs cover every feature in detail — from logging your first match to chasing payments and studying for your next FA assessment.
Still have questions?
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