What would you like to see in a tournament?

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Jul 6, 2013
371
0
Me and a buddy were talking the other day and trying to figure out why associations die. As coaches or parents, what would you like to see in a tournament? Why have you quit playing certain association's tournaments? What have some done to "draw" you and your teams in? I've hosted a few and am always looking for new ideas. Also can't seem to figure out why certain groups are going strong one year, then die out the next. USFA around here is going through that now. They were the biggest and best for a while, and have all but close shop in roughly a year.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
Individually, poor fields/facilities, poor communication/organization, and poor umpires are tournament deterrents, but collectively are tournament killers!
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,282
38
A fenced in area in left & right field for the parents to sit in. With security to throw out the parents that yell to the players what they are doing wrong.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I'll tell you why I love USSSA. Their website. I can check a tournament to see who's playing in it. I can use USSSA to download their rosters into iScore (though the numbers don't import - boo). I can see the pool schedule, the bracket, the teams' records, all in advance. The other orgs around here pretty much all have crappy websites. It's like it's the 90s or something.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Beer available in the concession stands...YUGE money maker for the tournament directors!

OMG no. Well, not if there are any teams under 14U there at least. With all the drama in 10U and 12U without alcohol, I cannot even imagine what some of these parents would be like after a few drinks. Then again, if I could have a few drinks myself I might not care.
 
Mar 7, 2012
144
0
PA
The one thing I like about USSSA is the website, and the number of tournaments in each age and class (that's about the only thing in our area i like about them the cost, umpires, field maintenance, site directors all are terrible.) In our area ASA has the better umpires but they don't have many tournaments available in our area.

The things that drive me the most nuts is useless gate fees.
We played in the fall at one of the popular fields in the area, I think they have 6 fields host USSSA tournaments every weekend, now they are charging $5 a day a car to park in their lot - which BTW is an unpaved lot full of potholes. Think about the money they rake in typically have at least 20 teams playing a weekend - usually more each team has say 11 players they are bringing in minimum $2,000 in parking a weekend, add in tournament fees at $575 and the money they rake in from their kitchen ($4 for french fries) they make about $15,000 each weekend not that you would know they have been charging this gate for for about a year and half no upgrades to fields, parking lots, port-a-pots. I refuse to play there unless we absolutely have to now.
Conversely, we also play at Diamond Nation (Jennie Finches Complex) They charge I think $5 an person (kids, players and coaches are free). But in return for that fee there are indoor and outdoor batting cages to warm up in, turf fields are in top notch shape, bathrooms are immaculate, parking lot paved, they have police directing traffic out of complex, not to mention you get to meet Jennie Finch at every softball tournament they hold. That my parents don't mind paying because you feel like your getting something for your money
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
OMG no. Well, not if there are any teams under 14U there at least. With all the drama in 10U and 12U without alcohol, I cannot even imagine what some of these parents would be like after a few drinks. Then again, if I could have a few drinks myself I might not care.

Bring a camera and you could win $10K on America's Funniest Home Videos, a guest spot on Jerry Springer, or your own reality TV show "Psycho softball parents"...I think most of the batsh!t crazy parents are already brown bagging it from the parking lot anyway.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
The one thing I like about USSSA is the website, and the number of tournaments in each age and class (that's about the only thing in our area i like about them the cost, umpires, field maintenance, site directors all are terrible.) In our area ASA has the better umpires but they don't have many tournaments available in our area.

The things that drive me the most nuts is useless gate fees.
We played in the fall at one of the popular fields in the area, I think they have 6 fields host USSSA tournaments every weekend, now they are charging $5 a day a car to park in their lot - which BTW is an unpaved lot full of potholes. Think about the money they rake in typically have at least 20 teams playing a weekend - usually more each team has say 11 players they are bringing in minimum $2,000 in parking a weekend, add in tournament fees at $575 and the money they rake in from their kitchen ($4 for french fries) they make about $15,000 each weekend not that you would know they have been charging this gate for for about a year and half no upgrades to fields, parking lots, port-a-pots. I refuse to play there unless we absolutely have to now.
Conversely, we also play at Diamond Nation (Jennie Finches Complex) They charge I think $5 an person (kids, players and coaches are free). But in return for that fee there are indoor and outdoor batting cages to warm up in, turf fields are in top notch shape, bathrooms are immaculate, parking lot paved, they have police directing traffic out of complex, not to mention you get to meet Jennie Finch at every softball tournament they hold. That my parents don't mind paying because you feel like your getting something for your money

The cost! Yes. We haven't been playing travel ball all that long. We started spring of 2nd year 8U so just 2 years. And I swear tournament costs have doubled in those 2 years. You pay $400+ for a tournament, then they charge gate fees too. It's $6 or $8 or $10 per person, or it's $115 for the team. This year we're paying $1700 for team dues to be on a no name B team. We get a lot for that (the org has its own indoor facility so our indoor practice time is basically unlimited, a pretty major perk) but still. And we are still having to fundraise to cover costs for all the tournaments we want to play in. It's insane.
 
Jul 6, 2013
371
0
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).
 

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