Live Sports - WordPress Plugin

Website: https://sawahsolutions.com
Requires: WordPress 5.0+
License: GPL v2 or later

📋 Description

Live Sports is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that brings real-time sports data to your website. Powered by TheSportsDB API, it provides beautiful widgets for live scores, standings, fixtures, team profiles, and player statistics across multiple sports including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Soccer, and more.

✨ Features

🎯 Core Features

• Live Scores Widget - Real-time match scores with 2-minute updates
• Standings Widget - Complete league tables with team rankings
• Fixtures Widget - Upcoming match schedules
• Team Profile Widget - Detailed team information and stats
• Top Scorers Widget - League scoring leaders

💪 Additional Features

• Multi-sport support (Soccer, Basketball, Football, Baseball, Hockey, etc.)
• Responsive design for all devices
• Auto-refresh functionality for live data
• Beautiful, modern UI
• Easy-to-use widgets and shortcodes
• Caching for optimal performance
• Comprehensive admin settings

📦 Installation

Method 1: Upload via WordPress Admin

1. Download the plugin ZIP file
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New
3. Click "Upload Plugin"
4. Choose the ZIP file and click "Install Now"
5. Activate the plugin

Method 2: Manual Installation

1. Download and extract the plugin files
2. Upload the live-sports folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress

Method 3: FTP Upload

1. Extract the plugin files
2. Upload via FTP to /wp-content/plugins/live-sports/
3. Activate through WordPress admin

🔧 Configuration

1. Get API Key (Optional but Recommended)

• Visit TheSportsDB
• Subscribe for $9/month to get premium features
• Copy your API key

2. Configure Plugin

1. Go to Settings → Live Sports
2. Enter your API key (or leave empty for free test key)
3. Set cache duration (120 seconds recommended for premium)
4. Choose default sport
5. Click "Save Settings"

🎨 Usage

Using Widgets

1. Go to Appearance → Widgets
2. Find Live Sports widgets in the available widgets list
3. Drag to your desired sidebar/widget area
4. Configure widget settings
5. Save

Using Shortcodes

Live Scores

[live_sports_scores league="4328" sport="Soccer"]

Standings

[live_sports_standings league="4328" season="2024-2025"]

Fixtures

[live_sports_fixtures league="4328" limit="10"]

Team Profile

[live_sports_team team_id="133602"]

Top Scorers

[live_sports_scorers league="4328" limit="10"]

📊 Popular League IDs

Soccer/Football

• 4328 - English Premier League
• 4335 - Spanish La Liga
• 4332 - Italian Serie A
• 4331 - German Bundesliga
• 4334 - French Ligue 1
• 4480 - UEFA Champions League
• 4481 - UEFA Europa League

American Sports

• 4391 - NFL (National Football League)
• 4387 - NBA (National Basketball Association)
• 4424 - MLB (Major League Baseball)
• 4380 - NHL (National Hockey League)

🎯 Widget Configuration

Live Scores Widget

Settings:

• Title: Widget title
• Sport: Choose sport type
• Auto-refresh: Enable/disable 2-minute refresh

Features:

• Real-time score updates
• Live match indicator
• Team badges
• Match status

Standings Widget

Settings:

• Title: Widget title
• League: Select from popular leagues
• Season: Format YYYY-YYYY
• Max teams: Number of teams to display
• Show form: Display last 5 match results

Features:

• Complete league table
• Win/Draw/Loss stats
• Goal difference
• Points
• Form indicators (W/D/L)
• Position highlights (Champions League, Relegation)

Fixtures Widget

Settings:

• Title: Widget title
• League: Select league
• Type: Upcoming or past matches
• Limit: Number of fixtures to show

Features:

• Match schedule
• Date and time
• Venue information
• Team badges

Team Profile Widget

Settings:

• Title: Widget title
• Team ID or name: Team to display

Features:

• Team badge
• Stadium information
• Founded year
• League information
• Team description

Top Scorers Widget

Settings:

• Title: Widget title
• League: Select league
• Limit: Number of players to show

Features:

• Player rankings
• Goal count
• Team affiliation
• Gold/Silver/Bronze medals for top 3

🔄 API Key Limits

Free Test Key (123)

• Limited endpoints
• No live scores
• Basic data only
• Rate limited

Premium Key ($9/month)

• 2-minute live scores
• All endpoints
• Video highlights
• Event statistics
• Extended data limits

🎨 Customization

Custom CSS

Add custom CSS in your theme:

/* Change widget background */
.live-sports-widget {
  background: your-color;
}

/* Customize team names */
.team-name {
  font-size: 16px;
  color: your-color;
}

/* Style live indicator */
.live-dot {
  background-color: your-color;
}

Filters and Hooks

Available filters:

• live_sports_api_key - Filter API key
• live_sports_cache_duration - Filter cache duration
• live_sports_widget_title - Filter widget titles

📱 Responsive Design

All widgets are fully responsive and work on:

• Desktop computers
• Tablets
• Mobile phones
• All screen sizes

⚡ Performance

Caching

• API responses are cached using WordPress transients
• Default cache: 120 seconds (2 minutes)
• Adjustable in settings
• Automatic cache clearing on deactivation

Optimization

• Minimal JavaScript
• Optimized CSS
• Efficient AJAX for live updates
• No external dependencies

🐛 Troubleshooting

Live Scores Not Working

• Check if you have a premium API key
• Verify API key in settings
• Check if league has live matches

Standings Not Loading

• Verify league ID is correct
• Check season format (YYYY-YYYY)
• Ensure cache is not corrupted

Images Not Displaying

• Check internet connection
• Verify TheSportsDB is accessible
• Check for ad blockers

Clear Cache

Go to Settings → Live Sports and save settings to clear all cached data.

📞 Support

• Documentation: https://sawahsolutions.com
• TheSportsDB API Docs: https://www.thesportsdb.com/documentation
• WordPress Support: https://wordpress.org/support/

🔐 Privacy & Security

• No personal data collected
• Only sports data from TheSportsDB
• Secure API communication
• No cookies used
• GDPR compliant

📝 Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (2025)

• Initial release
• Live Scores widget
• Standings widget
• Fixtures widget
• Team Profile widget
• Top Scorers widget
• Admin settings panel
• Shortcode support
• Auto-refresh functionality
• Responsive design
• Multi-sport support

🤝 Credits

• TheSportsDB - Sports data provider
• Mohamed Sawah - Plugin development
• Sawah Solutions - https://sawahsolutions.com

📜 License

This plugin is licensed under GPL v2 or later.

Copyright (C) 2025 Mohamed Sawah

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

🚀 Future Updates

Planned features for future versions:

• Match statistics widget
• Player comparison tool
• Match predictions
• Historical data archive
• More sports coverage
• Advanced filtering options
• Export functionality
• API rate limiting monitor

Made with ❤️ by Mohamed Sawah
Visit: https://sawahsolutions.com