Invitational, in-season tournaments boost your program

An invitational, in-season tournament featuring four basketball teams, eight wrestling teams, or several track teams, for example, can represent a huge boost for your athletic program. When you consider increased gate receipts, concessions, program sales containing sponsors and advertising, and t-shirt sales, this type of event can produce a great source of ancillary funds for your program.

But they also can create more interest and promote your sport in the community and the region. Hosting an invitational tournament may also increase media attention and, thereby, translate into greater community interest. 

A lucrative side or additional source of income is a concession stand at an invitational tournament. The mere presence of a larger-than-normal crowd and having more coaches and athletes in the building should provide the possibility for this increase. In the case of wrestling, for example, having food, snacks, and beverages in the lobby area in between team matches makes it extremely convenient and easy for the participants and their families. It can be a financial windfall for your program.

Consider using the money raised from the invitational tournament to be earmarked for a specific purpose such as renovating the weight room, or some other visible project that can be used by multiple teams. It normally is easier to get booster club members, parents, teachers, and out-of-season coaches to volunteer to help. Utilize individuals who volunteer for essential services such as ticket sellers, scorekeepers, scoreboard operators, and concession workers.  This too saves money and increases the profit potential.

Amenities such as a hospitality room for the coaches and officials are a nice feature even if it doesn’t help to generate additional revenue. This element is a unique touch, and it is something that the coaches and officials will remember. It will create another factor why they — both teams and officials — might want to return. By getting booster club members to prepare food and provide beverages for this extra step, it is possible that there would be no or minimal cost.

If you are going to host a wrestling tourney, you may want to consider a few additional items. After weigh-ins, wrestlers normally like to eat and drink something. The grapplers will continue doing this throughout the day between their matches to maintain their energy and hydration. If you allow the teams and wrestlers to take food into your gym, you will have a major mess to clean up after the event.

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To avoid this problem, post signs and have volunteers at the entrance to your gymnasium informing all participants, coaches, and parents that no food or beverage is allowed inside. Instead, arrange and open up your cafeteria for the wrestlers to use, or put tables and chairs, with extra trash containers, in your lobby as a designated area for everyone to eat and drink. Also, during a wrestling tournament — because it will stretch over eight to ten hours on a Saturday — spectators may want to leave and reenter. While you always record the starting number on the ticket roll for accounting purposes, your ticket takers cannot realistically check each ticket to see if it was purchased that day. To accommodate these fans, use a hand stamp and make sure to utilize a different one for the second day of the tourney — assuming that it started on a Friday afternoon.

Does an invitational tournament take some planning, work, and long days during the two-day event? Absolutely! But when you consider the competitive opportunities for your athletes, the increased exposure for your program, and the potential ancillary funds that are raised, it is worth it.

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