There’s no question that a well thought out hockey tournament will draw teams in from all over your region and maybe even beyond. Hockey is a great way to pass the time in winter, and a good event should attract a lot of attention both from teams and fans alike. So how does one put on a successful hockey tournament? Here are a few ideas.

Planning is everything

Although you will have to be ready to adapt to the unforeseen when it arises during the tournament, most of your success will rely upon the planning you do before the event. Make sure that you have the following details planned out well ahead of time:

The prizes. You will probably want to offer some kind of prizes that will gain the attention of a few different teams, in the demographic you are looking for. Medals are great, but cash prizes or gift certificates will be great attractants too. And make sure that you have a few T shirts made up; they are good prizes, and they will also serve to advertise your tournament in the following years!

Advertising! Speaking of advertising, you will need to do some in order to get the news of your tournament out there. Get the numbers of organizations that might be interested in attending the tournament, and make sure to get them to confirm. You should have an RSVP date ready so that you can prepare the opening games of the schedule. And don’t neglect local advertising either; you want to bring in those fans!

Get the schedule ready! You’ll want to prepare a schedule well in advance that lets everyone play as much as possible. Round robins are probably the best way to go, as they let teams play in a good number of games before they are eliminated.

Scheduling used to be one of the harder parts of tournament planning, but there are plenty of software programs out there to help you out today!

Take care of the out-of-towners! Any really great tournament is going to attract teams that aren’t from your area, and you want to make sure they are well taken care of. This will mean that they will be happy enough to return the next year, and it will also mean great word of mouth! Take care of finding billets or other accommodations, and try to arrange some nice deals with local dining establishments.

The most important thing about a hockey tournament is that everyone involved has a lot of fun. Good planning before hand will mean that the details are out of the way, and everyone can focus on the games!