7 Tips for Planning a School Sports Tournament

Guest Post by Jennifer Lawton

Many girls sports such as soccer, softball, volleyball and basketball have tournaments. Some tournaments that happen toward the beginning of the season are a way for the team to practice and really “gel.” A lot of league sports have playoff tournaments to determine which team is the champion for the season. Either way, tournaments are something that the kids enjoy and look forward to.

Running a sports tournament can take a lot of work, though. Here are some things you can do to make sure your sports tournament runs smoothly:

1. Plan Ahead. The more time you have to plan for your tournament, the better. This can also help you find needed volunteers, sponsors for donations and publicity for the event. Time is your friend.

2. Prioritize. Get a commitment from vendors, sponsors and volunteers for the most important aspects of the tournament first. This includes securing the fields, getting schools on board and planing for the two fund raising aspects of your event: sponsors and concession stands.

3. Assign Jobs. Ask your most committed parents to be over the main areas of the tournament areas such as scheduling teams for play, getting referees, sponsors and concessions. Then these volunteers can seek support from other parents to help get the job done, such as creating a volunteer schedule for the concession stand. Making a volunteer assignment specific and measurable will help them accomplish the tasks that need to get done.

4. Obtain Sponsors. Sponsors help defray the costs of putting on the tournament and can be a good part of your sports team fundraising efforts. Some items you may want to find a sponsor for are refreshments and trophies. You may also want to get sponsors for “giveaway” items such as visors or sunscreen for the crowd. Sponsors for a sports team event are best found among your player’s families. For example, parents may work for a company that can donate items or cash to help pay for supplies.

5. Get Players. You’ll need to contact other teams directly to get them signed up for the tournament. This is best done by phoning the coaches or schools where the teams play. You may also want publicize your event in local newspapers to get the word out.

6. Say Thanks. It is important to thank all your sponsors and volunteers. Include the names of your sponsors in a program if you have one, and on a “thank you” banner displayed at the tournament. Your announcer can also acknowledge them over the loud speaker between games. Also say thanks to all of your volunteers. A thank you note, a small gift and/or verbal recognition at the tournament are a few ways that you can thank volunteers.

7. The Kids. The focus of the sports tournament should always be the kids! This is a time for them to have fun, develop their skills, build confidence and learn about good sportsmanship. When planning a large event, sometimes small details go awry. But if you focus on the kids having a good time, on the bigger picture, any setbacks you experience will not matter nearly as much.