Many clubs are recognizing the value of having a embankment programme because of the rapid growth in the sport's popularity and participation. Rather than lose your athletes to a nearby beach lodge for a few months, consider starting a beach program to retain your customers your round. In order to develop your beach program and retain your athletes, information technology's essential to have options for them to compete.

If you are because hosting a beach tournament, here are nine tips to help you run a successful event:

1) Run on fourth dimension

Parents and athletes are very busy, and value their time, and then build a reputation of starting and ending on time. Technical timeouts, players shagging their own brawl, not having enough assurance, time outs, warm-up; all of these things can add up to hours in a twenty-four hour period. Put limits on the reanimation betwixt games and matches.  If yous see an empty court, brand sure it is filled as shortly every bit possible. This is peculiarly of import if you are renting courts hourly, or running AM/PM waves. Beingness efficient and running on time makes customers want to come back because they tin program the residuum of their 24-hour interval around your effect.

two) Make information technology an experience

Deck the venue out, provide coffee, h2o, shade, fruit, luncheon, music. Make sure the nets are perfect height and tightness, rake the courts if you lot accept time. Think of the extra items that bring value to the athlete and spectators' tournament feel. You want parents and players to exit the issue saying: "wow, that tournament managing director went the extra mile."

3) Submit results within 24 hours

Parents and athletes are constantly tracking their points, paying attention to seeding, and making plans for a hereafter event. Seeding of events matters, players know it, get your results in!

iv) Provide clear expectations for reffing/rules at the beginning of the day

During the morning meeting and before the tournament, make certain everyone is on the aforementioned page. Go over the nuts if you must; no passing with open hands, how loose you lot should or shouldn't be with paw setting etc. During the proclamation period, if you want to hold different ages to different standards, talk to each division separately. We tend to encourage all hand setting for our 12U and 14U divisions, and then get stricter with 16U and up.

v) Post the pools the night earlier and share with the attendees

At that place is really convenient software available that can solve a lot of problems. One option is Volleyball Life that tin can automatically seed, build pools, bring players into brackets, proceed track of fourth dimension, assign refs, keep score, post results, digital waiver arrangement, online check-in, and send emails to each division. Information technology really handles all the headaches for yous. I take personally run a 40 team tournament with my cell phone.

half dozen) Take an efficient format

four team pools and bracket play tin can be done in 6 hours if you practise match play with FIVB mode pools Single elimination subclass i to 21.

  • Try to encourage some match play. If the goal is to ready the players for the side by side level, pro or college they need to learn all the nuances that get into playing a friction match. The Order vs Club model is growing rapidly and higher coaches honey when their freshmen enter college with the feel of competing in this format.
  • Attempt to take half dozen, 12, or 24 teams into brackets. It provides a goodbye for the acme teams, which can be assigned to ref, otherwise yous take to go on a team that didn't arrive out of pool, ref yourself or run a moving ridge that can boring downward the bracket.
  • FIVB pool Match play (best ii of 3) instance:
    • 1v4 @ 9am
    • 2v3 @ 10am
    • Winner vs Winner @ 11am
    • Loser vs Loser @ 12pm
    • Bracket will exist dependent on size but presume 30min for i game to 21
seven) Remember of all the details

Parking, closest food options, check-in fourth dimension, weather (air current in particular- when setting upward tents/umbrellas), bathroom accessibility are some essential details to plan in advance. Is there plenty toilet paper? Where should athletes set their video? What happens if teams don't show up or cancel last minute? What happens if a team is tardily? What happens if in that location is an injury? Do you take a get-go assist kit and admission to water ice? Make a list and accept these details worked out at least a few weeks before the event so you lot stay organized.

8) Know your upkeep

Each courtroom with 4 teams scheduled to compete will bring in $240-$400 per day pending the price of the tournament. Allocate some of your earnings to swell prizes. Courts from non-beach facilities cost anywhere from $ten-$50/hr.  If yous are running multiple tournaments or multiple waves in a day, negotiate with the facility provider. Ask for a cap like $25/60 minutes until you lot reach 5 hours in a day. Most of the time the venue wants your concern. Or even meliorate, build your ain courts so you tin control the overhead and expenses. tournaments can be lucrative when done right.

9) Keep the parents in line

All it takes is 1 parent to negatively bear upon an event experience. Parents are not allowed to coach their daughter during play.  Brand sure this is communicated in advance and you lot take information technology officially stated in your Tournament Rule Book. If someone crosses the line, ask them politely non to exercise information technology again. If they do it again make sure you have the next class of action stated in your Rule Book, ie: removing them from the event, disqualification from hereafter events, etc. Ane of the benefits of  beach volleyball is the accountability that is put on the athletes during tournament play.

As the embankment volleyball landscape continues to evolve, the competitive offerings volition help bulldoze the sports growth and popularity. If you are running a quality beach event and working together with nearby clubs you will have an easier time sustaining and growing your beach program and beach tournaments.

Additional resources to run a beach volleyball tournament

Near the Author

Kevin McColloch is the Owner of Moxie Beach, a JVA member guild located in Northern California.  He is also the COO of Volleyball Life, an event scheduling and results platform for beach volleyball.  Kevin is a sometime AVP Professional Athlete from 2002-2016 and the one-time UC Davis Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach from 2018-2021.