LEADERSHIP
from hosting a big event. Over the years, we’ve hosted a number of different tournaments at Loch Raven High School. At our most recent basketball tournament, one coach said as he was leaving, “We really enjoy coming here. We are treated so well, and it’s a great event.” And his team had lost earlier that evening. Without a doubt, planning a tournament takes some work, but it can be extremely rewarding. Planning Ahead No matter what ideas you have for a tournament, your first step is to talk with your athletic director. There are a ton of logistics to think about, and you need his or her support before making a
great competition is the goal, your guest list may need to change every year. In some cases, the event can serve as a way for local teams in different size classifications to play each other once a year. Staffing: Along with typical contest personnel and custodians, you will need some additional help, usually from volunteers, to host a quality tournament. The exact needs will vary depending on the size of the event and number of days it will run. Analyze your needs and plan ahead, remembering to include ticket sellers, concession workers, and scorekeepers. You will probably need to create shifts for both game personnel and volunteers. A written schedule is an absolute necessity so that everyone knows when they are due to begin. It would also be wise to have a substitute system organized in case someone is ill or simply forgets to show up for a shift. If you don’t normally have a PA announcer at your matches, you will at least want one for the conclusion of the tournament. This person is vital because you should recognize all-tournament selections and award the championship trophy to the winning team with some fanfare. You may also need to graciously thank any sponsors for making the tournament possible. All of this can be optimized with the help of a good PA announcer. Who should you ask to help with all these jobs? Your booster club or parents of student-athletes, as well as student-athletes themselves, should form the bulk of your volunteer corp. But also consider asking coaches from other sports and faculty members. You might want to try a reciprocal arrangement with coaches who host their own tournaments. Rules & Regulations: Find out if you need to secure sanctioning from your state athletic association for the event. In Maryland, for example, this is required and an absolute necessity in order to host a tournament. You also want to make sure that you’ve followed any applicable state procedures in order to avoid problems or embarrassing situations. This may mean limitations on the cost of tickets or types of awards that can be given to the participating athletes.
Another way to make a tournament special is to make it unique ... Consider a round-robin format with a different scoring structure. Another idea is to pit teams from different leagues against each other: “Who’s Best: East or West?” single move. In most cases, your athletic director will be happy to provide advice, but he or she will need to know you are willing to organize and oversee the event with a minimal amount of supervision. To start, the two of you should talk about the major tasks of planning the tournament and who can be enlisted to help. Here are some areas to consider: The Date: Setting a date is not as easy as it may seem. First, think about what point in the season is best for a tournament. Next, research any potential conflicts with other events. Are school facilities already booked? Is there another big tournament that attracts the best teams? Are the PSATs scheduled for that weekend? Is there a big community event going on? Is it a bad weekend to ask parents or faculty members to help? Invitations: Deciding whom to invite should be based on the goal of the event. If fundraising is key, you’ll want to invite schools with large fan bases. If providing 26
Coaching Management
Publicity: Provide local newspapers with the dates, times, and pairings well beforehand. Even if they don’t normally publicize your events, they can be coaxed to do so for a tournament. Sell the fact that you have a lot of teams from outside the area or that it’s one of the few times this many local teams will be together. Another hint: be sure to offer media members a coupon for free food at the concession stand. Budget: You can’t count on making money, or even breaking even, without a realistic budget. To start, determine the fixed cost of officials, custodians, security, and trophies. Also consider any other expenses which may be unique and necessary in your setting. With your costs known, think about your sources of revenue. Gate receipts and profits from concessions are the major ones. You may also find it necessary to bring in money from entry fees. Do some research to find out the going rate for entry fees at other tournaments in your area. Before you take another step, make sure the money balances. If you’re looking to make a profit, find a way to increase revenues or decrease costs. After you’ve decided the who’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s, you can start a “to-do” list. It is vital to set up a written time line for all the details to be completed. For each new task, simply establish a completion date and determine who will accomplish it. Making It Special Covering all the basics will ensure a well-organized event, but for it to stand out, consider some personal touches. This doesn’t always mean spending money, but rather adding nuances that define your event. One idea is offering a hospitality room for officials and coaches. This feature can be relatively simple. Take a classroom and turn it into a private room, with some sandwiches and bottles of water and soda. Offer a few computers with Internet access for the coaches, officials, and media members to use during their breaks. At our two-day wrestling tournament, we put a lot of effort into our hospitality room, which is overseen by the athletes’ parents and the family of our head coach. They prepare an Italian buffet (homemade dishes of lasagna, baked ziti, eggplant Parmesan, meatball CoachesNetwork.com