If you’re looking for fresh ideas to raise money for charity or just enjoy team activities, why not organise a sports tournament?

It’s a fun way to get the cash flowing and raise awareness of your club and attract new members at the same time.

And if you’re organising a sports competition for a primary school, you’ll find it gets kids engaged with exercise and learning team skills.

The chances are, your sports tournament will be such a success that it will become a regular event for your community! Here’s how.

Set a budget

Any event costs money to organise. There’s the cost of venue hire, prizes, refreshments, first aid supplies and more.

Work out how much of the costs you can raise through entry fees and tickets. Has your organisation got funds set aside already? Can you raise sponsorship for the event? What about selling advertising in your tournament’s programmes? Could you raise funds from selling refreshments, charging stallholders or from a raffle?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can work out your budget.

Work out your event’s structure

The next thing you need to know is how your event is going to work.

For example, a popular format is five-a-side football. Start with an estimate of how many players will take part so you can work out how many teams you need.

Games will usually last for 20 minutes in total, with two halves of 10 minutes. So now you can estimate how long the sporting action will last.

Add in time for players to warm up and to wrap up the tournament with prize-giving and any other activities like a raffle or social activities.

Now you will know how long you need your venue for and can progress to the next step.

Find a venue

If you’re organising a tournament for your kids’ school or a sports club you’re a member of, you can use their facilities.

But if you’re raising for a local charity and don’t have a ready-made venue, start searching.

Contact local sports clubs, schools and colleges to see if they will loan or hire their facilities. You can also reach out to your local park to see if you can use some of their space.

Set a date

Now that you’ve got the basics covered, you can set a date. This will firstly depend on the availability of your venue. You will also need to ensure your proposed date doesn’t clash with other sports fixtures or local events.

If you’re planning an outdoor sports tournament, bear in mind the expected weather conditions too!

Publicise your tournament

Posting on social media is a must. Also, contact your local media outlets including newspapers and radio to spread the word far and wide.

Use informal communication channels such as word-of-mouth, community notice boards and your school or club newsletter.

Don’t forget to include information on how teams can register and where to buy tickets.

Recruit volunteers

Volunteers are an essential part of any sports event, performing a variety of roles including:

• Planning committee member
• First aid marshall
• Referee
• Ticket seller
• Steward
• Stallholder

In fact, the list is endless! Recruit plenty of volunteers to help your event run smoothly, and appoint a volunteer manager so they have someone to report to.

Make sure you thank them on the day and offer them free refreshments too.

Health and safety first

Ensure that your event conforms with the health and safety requirements of your organisation.

Make sure that you have plenty of people trained in first aid and keep first aid kits stocked up.

You should also confirm that everyone involved in running the event knows how to contact the emergency services.

Eyes on the prize

Consider what kind of prizes you will give out on the day. You can choose any combination of the following:

• An overall winner’s trophy
• Player of the tournament prize
• Top scorer prize
• Medals and/or certificates for all participants

Order wristbands

For an inexpensive addition to your tournament, order wristbands for a variety of purposes.

Start with Tyvek paper wristbands. These are an excellent choice for any event, as they can be given out on entry so that you know that anyone wearing one is entitled to be there.

You can also order customised silicone wristbands and slap bands in a selection of colours to represent the different teams playing in your tournament.

And fabric wristbands are attractive items to sell at your event, creating a real festival atmosphere.

Shop wristbands Australia

We covered the basics of organising a sports tournament here — now it’s over to you to get planning your big day! By following our tips, you’ll find it easier to organise a successful event to raise money or simply bring people together.

Know that Handband manufactures and supplies a variety of wristbands that will add the finishing touch to your tournament. We can customise your wristbands with any message, and they’re available in a wide range of colours and varieties too!

Our standard delivery ships quickly all over Australia. We also specialise in rush orders, so you can get your wristbands within two to five days if you’re in a hurry.

Trust in our expertise so you can focus on organising a fun-filled and successful tournament to be remembered!