College Sports Information Directors of America

To:  CoSIDA Members
Fr:  Shelly Poe (Ohio State University), CoSIDA 3rd Vice President
Re:  Addressing questions on Stat Crew new product line, timetables, costs, integration with older products

A number of you have contacted both CoSIDA and Stat Crew in recent weeks to inquire about rumors surrounding a “Next Generation” product Stat Crew is developing.

We asked several dozen of our CoSIDA members to give us their list of questions, and with the generous help of Monica Pellman at Stat Crew and her colleagues with both CBS Interactive and the software developer 10 Foot Wave, here are answers to a number of your inquiries:

• Will the Next Generation product mean a big change in our budget? One-time or annually?
  Next generation is subscription, or license, which is renewable annually, generally along a regular academic calendar, similar to what we have followed in the past, i.e. renewal in the summer for the upcoming academic year. Schools need to budget for this subscription renewal each year, similar to other professional subscription services used by the SID.
• Are there any changes in hardware required?
  Same computer hardware requirements - PC and printer. Internet connection is NOT required for scoring a game, but is required for utilizing any StatCloud functions. No other special, additional hardware required.
• Will all sport programs be upgraded at once?
  Based on feedback from the Stat Crew Advisory Panel and our general user base, we have established the release schedule as follows:
  • Basketball & soccer will be available for sale in June.
  • The football beta will be available at the end of July
  • The baseball beta will be available at the end of February, 2012
  • The volleyball beta will be available at the end of April, 2012
  • Other sports to follow based on season
• This schedule means that within the next two academic years, all sports will be available for purchase. We believe this phased roll-out gives us time to properly test the in-game scoring software, and it also gives schools time to plan, build a budget for next generation, while not losing any current functionality for stats data management.
• Also, based on feedback and ongoing concerns related to the TAS-FTP and its ability to serve more than two data recipients, we have decided to launch the cloud-based services at the end of July for both the current software and Next Gen users. This will provide unlimited, real-time access to the data while also simplifying the process of setting up and managing events. We are excited about this advancement and know it will immediately improve your Stat Crew experience.
• Will the “legacy software” continue to work/be supported by Stat Crew? The current (legacy) Stat Crew software has a limited lifespan. We will continue to sell and support the legacy software until the next generation solution is adopted by our customers. The upgrade of legacy software will include Xml activation good for a year, (July-July) same as in the past, and also includes on-going maintenance and updates throughout the year, same as in the past. Pricing stays the same--$165 per sport per upgrade, $400 for new software
• Are the price points for the next generation established? Pricing has been one of the largest challenges with the planning of Next Gen due to concerns that increased pricing would be cost-prohibitive to many programs. To that end, we believe that the proposed subscription model will lower ongoing costs and enable subscribers to capitalize on upgrades year over year.
• The new pricing model is as follows:
  Next Gen Software subscription
  
  • $195 per sport per year
  • A (tbd) one-time set-up fee for new clients (not using our software) —this new software fee will not apply to most NCAA/CoSIDA members, since most already use Stat Crew
  • $75 per year subscription for StatCloud-only access, for schools using legacy software only
• Finally, we are also working closely with our development partner, 10 Foot Wave, to create packages bundling their in-stadium products with Stat Crew. We are still finalizing these bundles and will provide you with additional information in the near future.
• What’s included in the subscription?
  In-game scoring software, for local install and operation, all StatCloud features — roster and schedule maintenance, real-time data backup and storage, all reports for game, season, career, conference, live stats (Xml, HTML), scoreboard and monitor interface.
• Will we have to retrain our game-day inputters/operators?
  Game-time scoring in the next gen is being designed to match as closely as possible the keystroke entry currently used in Stat Crew. There are differences in the way the screens look, obviously (no more DOS screens, for one). Also there are new features for utilizing the cloud to access/update rosters, and access scoring software updates before game-time.
• Will our conference offices/NCAA mandate changes that we can’t immediately afford?
  The XML data file created in the next gen software for NCAA reporting will be the same as the XML file currently created by Stat Crew. Schools should see no change in the reporting requirements for conference or NCAA stats. There are no pre-arrangements for conference or NCAA mandate of next generation purchase.
• Explain the primary purposes of this update. Why is this better than what we are using now? What specific benefits will it provide, especially for D2 and D3 members with limited resources?
  The next generation subscription gives you access to the latest scoring software, which will run on the latest Windows operating systems (no more DOS constraints), and it also gives you access to latest “cloud” technology for automatically sharing game stats with opposing teams, conferences and the NCAA and providing real-time data backup and storage, and interfacing with scoreboards, monitors, etc. For the “small-shop” SID office, next gen helps to streamline, simplify processes for stats data management and distribution.
• Explain the “cloud” technology that appears to be a main component of the new software. How does it work? How will statistics get from the cloud to our websites, both school and conferences?
  Think of the cloud as a customized web site available to each school that will house all the stat data (www.tech.statcrew.com for example). Before the season you will be able to manage teams, rosters and schedules. During games the next generation client will relay stats to the cloud and once the game is marked complete they will be shared with opponents and conferences. Rather than sending an opponent a file, they will simply be able to see their stats from an away game when they log in to their web site. And you will see the stats from your away games in your stats web site.
• The cloud will also support uploading of game files for teams that are not yet on the next generation for backward compatibility. In addition the cloud will handle sending “live” stats to your desired FTP location/s. Schools will control their server space, and control who has access to it. Stats data will be stored in database format, giving SID more flexibility in creating reports, managing data, etc. The cloud will also support live integration to school OAS web sites through web services in a future release.
• Will this software work with the various versions of Windows?
  Yes, the next generation runs on native 64-bit Windows 7, no need for Virtual PC or “XP mode” downloads from Microsoft.
• Will we be able to score a game and/or generate reports without access to the Internet?
  Yes
• Will the new software be a “point and click” system or will input actions be the same as they are now (keycode oriented)?
  Keystroke entry, same as the legacy software.
• Will there be training seminars or powerpoints available?
  We plan to demo the next gen tools, including the in-game scoring software, and the StatCloud technology, at ECAC-SIDA Convention (June 7-10 in Rochester, NY) and CoSIDA Convention (June 26-29 in Marco Island, Fla.) this summer.
• Will we be able to generate (at a minimum) the same reports we can at this time?
  Yes, same reports.
• Has Stat Crew and CBS Interactive communicated these changes with ALL of the website providers out there, especially in terms of live stats capabilities?
  The Xml data format will not change with next generation software. We will have more detail about how the third party organization will access the Xml feed at a later time.
• What about interfacing with FTP clients? Can we still send XML files to the live stats portals, as well as game viewers?
  The current TASFTP tool will be replaced with a new tool for live stats through the cloud. Schools will still have control over who has access to the data. This new ftp tool will be included as part of the next generation subscription (no additional purchase required). It will also be included in the “StatCloud-only” subscription, and will allow unlimited data recipients. There will be new options available for live stat portals and game viewers release at the same time the StatCloud is released this summer.
• What happens if one school (the visiting team) has the old software, while the other (home team) is using the new version?
  Yes, there will be backward compatibility, so that schools can share files (BPK packed file for example in basketball), the same as schools have done in the past, even if one school is using the next gen software and opponent is not. Same backward compatibility applies with the conference office software.
• What if schools don’t upgrade?
  Even if schools do not purchase the next generation subscription right away, we still want to make it easy for schools to take advantage of the “StatCloud.”
• For a $75 “StatCloud-only” subscription, schools will have their own StatCloud (www.tech.statcrew.com for example) for uploading schedules and rosters, sharing packed game files with opponents/conference office, and for running “live” stats to your desired FTP locations.
• When are we going to get access to this software?
  Subscription service will be available for purchase this summer. More specific release dates and how-to-order details will follow.
• Should any of you have further questions, please contact Monica Pellman at Stat Crew 513/771-4192

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