Assigning a Theme Instance to a Competition overlay sets the visual look and feel of the graphics shown during matches in that Competition. A single Competition can have multiple overlays, and each overlay can be assigned its own Theme Instance and Game Plan.
Themes vs Theme Instances
It helps to understand the difference between a Theme and a Theme Instance before assigning one.
• A Theme is platform-level. Themes are designed and built by the LIGR team, and are made available to your Organisation once assigned.
• A Theme Instance is customer-level. It is a specific configuration of a Theme, customised with your branding (colours, logos, sponsor assets, and other configurable options available for that Theme).
• Theme Instances are assigned at the Competition overlay level, not to individual matches. Every match played within the Competition inherits the overlay configuration.
Because Themes themselves are maintained by LIGR, customers work with Theme Instances to control how their graphics appear.
Why Assign at the Competition Overlay Level?
• All matches in the Competition automatically use the assigned Theme Instance
• You configure branding once per overlay, not per match
• Multiple overlays can be set up on the same Competition for different output needs (for example, a main broadcast overlay and a secondary stream), each with its own Theme Instance and Game Plan
Prerequisites
Before you assign a Theme Instance, make sure you have:
• An existing Competition created in your Organisation
• A Theme Instance configured and ready to use
• Admin or Owner permissions on your Organisation
Assigning a Theme Instance to a Competition Overlay
Follow these steps to attach a Theme Instance to an overlay on an existing Competition.
1. From the main navigation, open the Competitions section.
2. Select the Competition you want to configure.
3. Go to Settings, then Streams and Overlays, then Overlay Settings.
4. Select the overlay you want to configure, or add a new overlay if needed.
5. In the Theme Instance field, choose the Theme Instance you want to apply.
6. Assign a Game Plan to the overlay if required.
7. Save your changes.
[ Image placeholder: Competition overlay settings page showing the Theme Instance selector ]
Once saved, any new match created under this Competition will use this overlay configuration by default.
Using Multiple Overlays
A Competition is not limited to a single overlay. You can configure several overlays on the same Competition, each with its own Theme Instance and Game Plan. This is useful when:
• You produce different output feeds that need different branding
• Different sponsor arrangements apply to different streams
• You want to run a primary and a secondary graphics configuration in parallel
Each overlay is configured independently under Overlay Settings.
Verifying the Theme Instance Is Applied
After assigning, confirm the Theme Instance is working correctly.
1. Create or open a match under the Competition.
2. Preview the graphics output for that match.
3. Check that the correct branding, colours, and logos appear on the overlay.
[ Image placeholder: Match preview showing graphics styled by the assigned Theme Instance ]
Tips
• Set up your Theme Instance and assign it to the overlay before creating matches. Existing matches may not automatically pick up a newly assigned Theme Instance.
• Use a separate Theme Instance per Competition if each league or tournament has distinct branding requirements.
• If you need multiple graphics configurations for the same Competition, add multiple overlays rather than swapping Theme Instances back and forth.
• Test your Theme Instance on a practice match before going live, so you can catch any colour or logo issues early.
• If your Competition has sponsors, make sure your sponsor configuration (either Ad Sets for inbuilt themes or playlist-based ads for Rive themes) is set up alongside the Theme Instance for a consistent look.
Common Issues
The wrong graphics are showing during a match Check that the Theme Instance is saved on the correct overlay for the Competition, and that the match belongs to that Competition.
My updated Theme Instance isn't reflected in an existing match Some matches may have been created before the Theme Instance was assigned. Re-check the match settings or re-save the overlay configuration to refresh the link.
I can't see the Theme Instance I want to assign Confirm the Theme Instance has been fully configured and saved within your Organisation. If it's still missing, check with your Owner or Admin.
Logos or colours look wrong Open the Theme Instance configuration and confirm the club colours, logos, and sponsor images are correctly uploaded and mapped to the available configuration options.