A sports tournament is a great way to raise money for a charity or just bring a community together for a good time. Planning a sports tournament takes some time and enthusiasm, but the payoff could be worthwhile. If the event goes well, it could become an annual tradition that people look forward to for years to come.
Instructions
1. Choose a location, date, time and sport. If you are running the tournament at a public park, you might want to check with the city's parks and recreation department for permission. If you will be renting a venue for your sports tournament, you will want to call early to make a reservation. If you are hosting the event at a church or community center, make sure that nothing else is planned for the day or days you need.
2. Determine how many teams you will have in your tournament. The easiest way to set up a sports tournament is a single-elimination format, which will move along quickly. Remember that if only one game can be played at a time (you have one baseball field or basketball court), you will not be able to have as many teams. You can play short games in the first rounds and longer games as the tournament proceeds. For example, you might play two 10-minute halves of basketball and then increase to 15 minutes. For softball, you might play only three or four innings for the first rounds. This will allow more teams to be able to participate in your sports tournament.
3. Calculate the entry fee for the tournament. Include all of the costs of running the tournament, including renting a location, advertising fees, food, drinks, equipment, prizes and referee fees. Divide the total by the number of teams. If this tournament is to raise money for charity, include the donation in the entry fee or ask for donations in addition to the fee.
4. Advertise your sports tournament. Be sure to include the date, time, entry fee, equipment required and the purpose of the tournament. Refer them to a phone number or email address where they can register. Advertise in newspapers, on local websites and at community centers. If the tournament will take place at a church, advertise it in the church bulletin.
5. Hire referees or umpires. If you do not wish to use professionals, find volunteers who are willing to do the job for free. Referees are important even in a friendly tournament, so do not skip this important step.
6. Plan to sell food and drinks. People will come to watch the tournament, and they will get hungry. Ask local companies to donate food and drinks, or ask for discounts. If your tournament is raising money for charity, companies will be likely to donate to your cause. You can sell the food and drinks to make additional profit for your charity event.
7. Create tournament brackets. Be sure the brackets are on a poster big enough to be visible to a large crowd of people. The first round of the tournament should have random match-ups, so you will want to draw team names out of a hat.
8. Choose prizes for the tournament winners. Prizes can be small, such as gift cards to local fast food restaurants and trophies, or large cash prizes. A cash prize might draw more people, but it will mean less money going to the charity or charging more money for entry fees. You will need to determine if your tournament is about the prize or about the fun of playing sports with a large group of people.
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