Guide
One iPhone, one tripod and a free-to-download app. Families watch in a browser with the live score on screen.
The simplest way to livestream a volleyball game is to mount an iPhone or iPad on a tripod and stream with Varsity Score. The app puts the live set score on the stream, saves a full HD recording to your device, and lists the game on varsityscoreapp.com/watch. Viewers need no app and no account.
You need an iPhone or iPad, a tripod with a phone or tablet mount, and the free-to-download Varsity Score app. A charger or battery pack is smart, because streaming and recording together use more power than either alone.
A tripod matters more for streaming than for recording. A shaky stream is hard for remote viewers to watch for a full match, and nobody can hold a device steady for 90 minutes.
Mount the device at an end-line corner, as high as the gym allows. A bleacher row works well. Frame the whole court with the net and both sidelines visible.
Remote viewers cannot look around the gym, so a wide frame beats a close-up. Check the framing on screen before the warm-up ends, then leave the tripod alone.
Streaming needs an internet connection. Recording and scoring do not. Test the connection where the camera will sit, not in the lobby.
Gym Wi-Fi is often weak in the bleachers, and a gym full of phones can slow it down. Cellular data is usually a safer bet when the building network is unreliable. Test both before the match and use whichever shows the stronger signal at the camera position. These are general tips, not app settings.
Open Varsity Score and enter both team names. Add logos and colors if you want them on screen. Short names read best on the overlay.
The team names, set score and set number appear on the stream, so remote viewers see the same score display as people in the gym.
Start the stream from the app when the teams are ready. Varsity Score streams with the live score overlay and records a full HD copy to your device at the same time.
The app supports streaming to Twitch, Facebook Live and varsityscoreapp.com simultaneously. Streaming to varsityscoreapp.com is what puts your game on the watch page. If you want to be sure it connected, open the watch page on another device and look for the game.
Tap once per rally point. The overlay updates on the stream in about one second. Tap New Set between sets and the points reset to 0-0.
If your camera is an iPad on a tripod, pair an iPhone as a remote control and update the score from anywhere on the sideline. The iPad keeps filming with a steady frame.
Stop the stream and recording when the match ends. The full recording saves to your Photos app, and the stream replay is kept on the watch page.
Families who missed the live game can rewatch from the same page. You can also share the file from Photos with players or post it elsewhere.
For parents and fans
Send families to varsityscoreapp.com/watch. Streamed games appear there automatically, and viewers can watch on a phone, tablet, laptop or TV browser.
Two things to know. First, a stream that never connects does not appear on the watch page, so check it from a second device if the game matters. Second, live streams go through Varsity Score servers, and replays are kept so people can rewatch.
Want to record without streaming? Follow the record a volleyball match guide.
For help choosing hardware, read the best camera setup for volleyball. To compare apps, see the best volleyball app page, or the volleyball overview and features.
Common questions
Free to download for iPhone and iPad (iOS 15.0 or later).