The story behind HutTally
It started with
eleven jersey numbers.
A missed substitution. Two different play counts. A decision that had to be made before the next snap.
Every player.
Every snap.
The hardest part was keeping everyone on the same count.
While coaching in Pop Warner, I saw the value of minimum-play requirements (MPR). Every athlete needs opportunities to get on the field and develop. Keeping reliable counts during a busy game was the challenge.
Our parent volunteers counted the opposing team’s players, and their volunteers counted ours. They often didn’t know the players, jersey numbers, or formations. Every snap meant identifying eleven numbers again. Substitutions were easy to miss.
A disagreement I encountered on the sideline
- My count
- Required plays complete
- The opposing count
- Five plays still needed
Those differences had real consequences. I found myself making last-minute lineup changes, sometimes putting players in positions they hadn’t prepared for, simply to get them on the field.
HutTally started with a simple goal: give me, my coaches, and the opposing play counters a shared view of who was on the field.
From counting plays
to learning from them.
The difference showed up during the game. The questions came after it.
I used HutTally during the 2026 season as I developed it. Managing players became dramatically easier. The parent volunteers who used the live monitor were excited and appreciative of having a simpler way to follow the lineup.
After games, our coaching staff immediately wanted the stats. Recording what was already happening on the field opened up a different conversation:
- Which offensive packages were working on the ground and through the air?
- Which packages were converting the most third downs?
- Which defensive packages were giving up too many yards—and where should we change the lineup?
The original need was participation. The next opportunity was understanding our team: seeing where players and packages were succeeding, then using those insights to guide the next coaching decision.
These are my observations from using HutTally with my team during development.
Michael Kaler
Founder and coach
Growing alongside the team.
I’ve coached multiple sports for nearly a decade, from assistant coach to head coach. Football became my coaching passion when I started with 9U. Watching those players grow each year—and watching the coaching staff grow alongside them—has shaped what I want HutTally to become.
That experience guides the product. A younger team may only need to count participation. Another staff may want play results and package performance. A team ready for more detail can add player credit. The level of recording should fit the people using it.
Explore the game-day workflowHelp shape what comes next
Your sideline has a story, too.
HutTally is still growing. My goal is to keep making it more useful for youth football, and eventually beyond it, by listening to the coaches who use it.
Tell me what makes your game day harder, what your volunteers need, or which question your staff wants to answer after the final whistle.
Michael Kaler Founder and coach