A school sports tournament is a great way for kids to show school spirit while participating in a favorite sport. Tournaments may be organized by the school district, a youth leauge, a YMCA or even a junior college.

Running a school sports tournament takes a lot of effort. Volunteers and sponsors are so important to your success. There are some things you can do to make your school sports tournament run smoothly and be an event that everyone will want to participate in, year after year.

1. Plan Ahead. The more time you have to plan for your event, the more time you can take care of every necessary detail. This can also help you find needed volunteers, sponsors for donations and publicity for the event. Time is your friend.

2. Prioritize. Get a commitment from vendors, sponsors and volunteers for the most important aspects of the tournament first. This includes securing the fields, getting schools on board and planing for the two fundraising aspects of your event: sponsors and concession stands.

3. Assign Jobs. Ask your most committed parents to be over the main areas of the tournament listed above. Then these volunteers can seek support from other parents to help get the job done, such as creating a volunteer schedule for the concession stand. Making a volunteer assignment specific and measurable will help them accomplish the tasks that need to get done. Ask volunteers to help with tasks that they will enjoy doing, matching tasks to personalities and skill levels.

4. Obtain Sponsors. Sponsors can often be an important part of a sports tournament for a school. Some items you may want to find a sponsor for include refreshments and trophies. You may also want to get sponsors for “giveaway” items such as visors or sunscreen for the crowd. Sponsors for a school event are best found in your school community: ask parents and ask local businesses for sponsorship. A great way to find sponsors is for parents to go with a child from the sports team to ask for sponsorship.

5. Publicize. Your event should be publicized through the local newspaper, cable television and local radio station. Utilize every type of media available to you. Getting your event seen in the media is a time to “pump up” school spirit and it is exciting for the kids to be seen in the school paper. It is also a great opportunity to thank your sponsors for your event. Get a copy of the newspaper, television show or radio broadcast and share this with your sponsors so they know that they were mentioned. This will encourage them to be involved for the future.

6. Say Thanks. It is important to thank all your sponsors and volunteers. They will remember if they are thanked or if this is neglected, and this may determine their participation for the coming year. Make a telephone call and write a letter thanking sponsors for their participation. A thank you note, a small gift and/or verbal recognition at the tournament are just a few of the good ways to thank volunteers.

7. The Kids. The focus of the school sports tournament is all about the kids learning about good sportsmanship and having the opportunity to participate in an event that encourages school spirit. When planning a large event, sometimes small details go awry. But if you focus on the kids having a good time at their event, focus on the bigger picture, everything else will matter less. Be sure to thank everyone involved for their participation, with the kids having a good time and your enthusiasm they are sure to participate next year!