What would you like to see in a tournament?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

May 17, 2012
2,804
113
1. Get rid of 'Stay and Play'
2. Don't charge me a team gate fee (looking at you NSA).
3. Make the games longer (fewer games with longer game times is OK!)
4. Quit with the run rules at the 'A' level. We paid to play.
5. Upgrade your 2003 websites (USSSA is the best, PGF second)
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Wait...so you folks are saying the ENTRY fee for a regular weekend tournament is $400+, and then they charge gate fees on top? Or are you saying it costs the team $400+ to play total (entry fee, umpire fees,etc).

Tournaments are $300-450, PLUS gate fees. Sometimes they charge the team gate fee of $100+. Sometimes it's per person at the gate. It's ridiculous. There's a low level org around here that does tournaments for under $100 (I can't remember which one it is) but there's not any competition so there's really no point unless you're a C team or an all stars team.
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
Everyone complains about the gate fees. But I can tell you from my experiences over the past couple of years working and sometimes running our tournaments, what many think an organization makes is far less than the total gross unless the organization itself owns the facility being played at. For instance, We hold 2 tournaments a year in our area.

All of the complexes in our area run their own concession stands so there's no profit going to the organization; just the complex. Out of whatever they charge for food comes the initial costs of the product, utilities and workers' wages to be there. On top of that, they are paying the field maintenance workers, products to maintain the fields when no one is playing there such as fertilizer for the grass, top soil, etc. etc. Out of those same profits comes facility maintenance projects such as painting the buildings and so on. If the facility is poorly maintained, then someone isn't charging enough at the concession stands, aren't doing their job properly, don't care or any mixture of the aforementioned reasons. It takes a lot of money to maintain a facility of any size.

As for the organization, when it's all said and done, between gate fees ($3 per car) and tournament fees ($375), we'll gross around $9000 per tournament. Out of that, we pay the rental on the facility and the umpire fees. We have 2 umpires per game even in pool play. The grand total for the umpires, depending upon the number of teams and games is pretty consistent at just under $5000 for the weekend. We're also charged for the supplies we use such as chalk and paint for the foul lines and if it rains, field dry. So between the umpires, the facility rental and supplies, our organization makes a little over $2000 and that's with everyone in our organization volunteering their time for the weekend. If it rains, that profit could be wiped out just in field dry alone. 2 years ago, I think we made a little under $300 for the entire weekend when it rained off and on all weekend long. It wasn't enough to cancel and the fields were easily playable thanks to the massive amounts of field dry, good drainage and a great maintenance crew but still... So it's not what everyone thinks for the most part.

As for what our team looks for in a tournament (not in any order):

1) Well maintained fields and facilities
2) Clean and well maintained bathrooms...Porta-Jons if absolutely necessary but cleaned daily and well stocked with toilet paper.
3) A well run tournament...well organized.
4) Reasonable entry fee for the area and facilities being used
5) Good competition
6) Good umpires...consistent calls. I don't care where the strike zone is that they're calling as long as it remains the same for both teams throughout the game. For the most part, I haven't had many problems with this.
7) If it's an overnighter, reasonably priced, decent motels/hotels in the area not too far from the fields

Basically, good value for our money that we're spending.
 
Last edited:
Jul 6, 2013
371
0
Ahhh. So if what I'm understanding, it's that you may pay $400 for a tournament in your area, but that covers entry fees and umpire fees. Then you pay the gate. I don't think that's unreasonable really at all unless you go like 4 and out (2 pool and 2 bracket). Normal fees around here are like $150 then pay at the plate. It'll run $400-$450 for a weekend in entry and umpire fees if you are winning.

But the responses seem fairly consistent. Good value, good facilities, well organized, good competition, good website. I'd agree. Nothing worse than getting emails right before the tournament that schedules have changed, etc.

But let's take it a step further. All other things being equal, what could one tournament offer, or one organization offer, that would have you saying, "we are definitely going to go THERE that weekend"? Or that would have you wanting to play primarily for one organization over another? I used to like to play in the USFA tournaments here because the website was easier to navigate...the points system was simpler. Everything was just more convenient and the competition was good.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Ahhh. So if what I'm understanding, it's that you may pay $400 for a tournament in your area, but that covers entry fees and umpire fees. Then you pay the gate. I don't think that's unreasonable really at all unless you go like 4 and out (2 pool and 2 bracket).

The problem is that some tournaments are charging you $400 plus a $150 "Team Gate Fee" that the team must pay in order to play your first game. They reason that $150 divided by 12 parents is a bargain compared to if they just charge "X" per person that comes to the tournament. These tournament directors are acting like they are doing you a favor by making me the middle man to collect their gate fees.

If it's such a bargain that give me a choice in paying the $150 upfront or letting you collect $5 per parent at the door. Otherwise just charge me $550 gate fee included and quit messing around with the split pricing.

It drives me nutty. Tournament directors need to quit doing me favors (gate fees, stay and play) and let the market sort it out.

Travel softball is expensive enough.
 
Jul 29, 2012
102
28
NC
I wish we were only paying $400 a tournament. Just sent a $1400 check out. Plus gate fees and stay to play.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
I wish we were only paying $400 a tournament. Just sent a $1400 check out. Plus gate fees and stay to play.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was just throwing out numbers. Tournaments around here vary between $500 - $1000.

I would question what you are getting for $1,400 though. It must be something special. Obviously you aren't paying that per tournament.
 
Jul 29, 2012
102
28
NC
I was just throwing out numbers. Tournaments around here vary between $500 - $1000.

I would question what you are getting for $1,400 though. It must be something special. Obviously you aren't paying that per tournament.

East Coast Summer Nationals in Myrtle Beach.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I wish we were only paying $400 a tournament. Just sent a $1400 check out. Plus gate fees and stay to play.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We're only playing 10U though. And I'm not talking big tournaments, just your kind of average deal. I guess I don't get why the costs have gone up so much so fast.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
On top of some of the other things people have said

- Competent scheduling. Don't give me 8am, noon and 8pm. Don't make me play an elimination game at 8am and then schedule the next game if we win for 3:30pm. This involves the next point as well
- Don't play favorites. Don't accept schedule requests or other special consideration - when they entered they knew games COULD start at 8am so don't bother entering and saying we can't be there until 2pm.
- Don't bring back problem teams or umpires. We all know who they are. Don't accept their money and don't schedule more teams than your umpiring crews can handle.
- Have a contingency plan in place if it looks like raining. You should ABSOLUTELY already knew what you are going to do if weather effects the event
- Set up tournament as much as possible with realistic divisions (make trophy hunters play up, split elimination into two flights, etc, etc - all good things to consider)

Some of the things others have said that are important:
Nice fields are great. Temp fences should always be up for 12U and up if needed. Gate fees are stupid - build them in where possible. Stay & Play is fine if it is not a profit grab (which is obvious if I can book the same hotel for a lower price).
I am fine with timed games. Bathroom and trash maintenance important. Field dragged and relined after about every second game seems about right. Concessions open or do what we do - we just invite food trucks over which is great for everyone.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top