Tracking your child’s AFL stats on your phone during a game is easier than it sounds. You don’t need to know the game inside out. You don’t need to be glued to your screen. You just need to know which four things to watch for, and when to tap.
This guide walks you through exactly that.
Which Stats Should You Actually Track?
Start small. Four stats cover almost everything that matters for a junior player, and all four are easy to spot from the sideline.
Disposals are every kick and handball your child makes. This is the one to nail first. It happens clearly, it ends clearly, and it tells you how much ball they’re getting.
Marks are clean catches. You’ll know one when you see it.
Tackles are when they bring an opponent to ground. This one matters more than people realise. Tackles show effort and pressure, and they almost never make it into a post-game conversation unless you’ve been tracking them.
Goals and behinds are self-explanatory. If your child plays forward, this is the one they’ll ask about on the drive home.
Those four are your starting point. Once they feel natural, you can add contested possessions, clearances, or hit-outs. But don’t try to track everything from game one. You’ll end up watching your phone instead of the game, which is the opposite of what you’re going for.
How Do You Record Stats Without Missing the Game?
The trick is to record after the moment, not during it.
Don’t watch your phone waiting to tap something. Watch your child. When they get a disposal, finish watching the play, then tap. The whole thing takes two seconds. Your eyes are back on the game before the next kick lands.
It feels awkward the first game. By the third game, it’s automatic.
One rule that makes a real difference: if you’re not sure, leave it blank. Don’t guess. A scramble in the forward pocket where you think they might have touched it? Let it go. A handball you half-saw through a crowd of kids? Leave it out. Stats you’re not confident in quietly corrupt the picture over time. A gap in the data is honest. A guess isn’t.
You’ll miss some. That’s fine. If you catch 80% of your child’s disposals across a game, you’ve got enough to work with. This isn’t official match statistics. It’s your record of your kid’s game, and it only needs to be good enough to be useful.
What Do You Do at Halftime?
Take 30 seconds to look at what you’ve got.
Not to analyse it. Just to see it. Four disposals and two tackles in the first half. One mark. That’s already a picture of how the game is going for your child specifically, not just for the team.
If you’re using ScorX, the summary is right there on your screen. Nothing to add up.
It also gives you something real to say when your child comes off. “Four disposals already, you’re really in the game today” is a different conversation from “good work, keep it up.” Specifics land. Kids remember them.
After the Game Is Where It Gets Really Good
One game of stats is interesting. Three or four games of stats start to tell a story.
Are they getting more disposals as the season goes on? Are their tackles going up while their disposals stay the same, meaning they’re working hard but not getting the ball as often? Is there a quarter where their numbers consistently drop off?
These are conversations worth having with your child. And if you’ve got something to show a coach, even better. “She had 12 disposals in the last two games” is a lot more useful than “I think she’s been playing really well.”
You’re not building a scouting report. You’re building a record of improvement that your child can actually see. That’s the whole point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What AFL stats should I track for a junior player?
Start with disposals, marks, tackles, and goals or behinds. These four give you a clear picture of involvement and effort without needing specialist knowledge to record them.
Can I track AFL stats on my phone without missing the game?
Yes. Record after each moment, not during it. Each stat takes a couple of taps and a second of your attention. After a few games, you’ll barely notice you’re doing it.
Is it worth tracking stats if my child is under 12?
Absolutely. At younger ages it’s less about performance and more about visibility. Knowing your child took four tackles and had six disposals gives you something real to talk about, and something for them to build on.
What if I miss a stat during the game?
Leave it blank. Guessing quietly corrupts your data over time. A gap in the numbers is honest and still useful. A stat you’re not confident about isn’t.
What’s a good app for tracking AFL stats for kids?
ScorX is designed for exactly this. Free to download, built for parents recording on the sideline, and it covers AFL and 15+ other sports.
Related reading
- 7 AFL Stats That Matter for Junior Development — And 3 That Don’t — which stats are worth tracking by position and age group, and which ones mislead
- What Development Coaches Watch at Junior AFL — what to notice between the stats: movement, effort, and body language
- Which Youth Sports Stats Actually Matter (And Which Don’t) — the underlying principles behind choosing the right numbers across any sport
ScorX is free on the App Store. Track your child’s next game this weekend.