TourneyCentral

Since ChatGPT was released, I have been throwing scheduling queries at it in order to determine how best to incorporate AI into TourneyCentral. With every query, though, I have become more convinced that scheduling a youth soccer tournament is still a human skill. Humans can do it faster and more reliably because they don’t need […]

That was a long title for a short story, but; Take your new marketing plan old school. Publish a telephone number you can get for free from Google Voice and mail confirmation postcards with the team login ID when the team applies, with a hand-written note with a reminder to check into the website often […]

So, you think you want to run a soccer tournament. Why? It’s not a flippant question, but one that needs to be answered before you do one more thing on your event. If your answer is “because everyone else is doing it,” stop, click away and pursue other hobbies. Without a clear purpose for your […]

The most asked questions of a soccer tournament right now by coaches and parents are: Are you planning on having a 2021 tournament? Is there a website? When is registration open? Our advice: Decide. Have answers. Nothing kills off a great marketing plan by saying, “we don’t know.” Because if you don’t know, the teams […]

How do you sell a soccer tournament during a pandemic? The short answer is; you don't. Instead, you pivot to marketing your event for next year. Everyone is now on the same level playing field, all of your competitors have the same market conditions under which to attract teams. Nobody has any particular advantage, points don't matter, especially if everyone was required to cancel last year.

It is with great sadness we learned of Carol’s passing last night. Without her vision and passion for the sport of soccer and her tournament — the adidas Warrior Soccer Classic — it is no small thing to know that TourneyCentral would have had a rockier start and might not even exist today. Carol took […]

It only takes one player with courage to make a difference and affect change. It only takes one player to stand up and do the right thing. I’m not talking about the first one to do something, like insisting on wearing a mask at all times — even on the pitch — during a pandemic. That player […]

Nobody knows what soccer tournament play will look like post-pandemic, but the soccer community does agree on one thing; there will be soccer tournaments. It remains to be seen how much less contact the “non-contact” sport will become. Regardless, it will be interesting. Tournament directors will have to think deeper about how they want to […]

The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly evolving and will affect soccer leagues and tournaments. Right now, it’s not a question of if, but when and how much. While each tournament needs to determine the best path going forward, in some instances these decisions may be made for you, as in Ohio and Michigan recently. While we […]

As a soccer tournament director, you should be crafting a plan to address the coronavirus for your event.