“The beautiful game” is yet to peak its popularity in India and the level of interest in the sport is very less as compared to sports like cricket, hockey, etc. Football may be the most popular sport in the world but the attention that Football gets in India is very less and it is due to this that the sport has not developed in India. However, the interest is now picking up thanks to many new self styled tournaments and websites which report on local football tournaments. Organising a football tournament is difficult, even more so in India, a country which is obsessed with Cricket; but beyond that, managing teams has its own set of problems. Organizers need to keep themselves ready for issues relating to the tournament. There are issues which are generally present in most of the tournaments but are often taken for granted. It is key to get the basics right which would ensure that the tournament, however small it may be, is successful. Managing multiple teams in tournament is difficult and here are a few points which are often missed out on:
1) Registrations
Registrations play an important part in every tournament. The size of the tournament does not matter as no tournament can function without participants. If one has the appropriate number of teams for the tournament, it becomes competitive in nature as well as the process of scheduling becomes easier. Registrations can be difficult to get if one doesn’t network as well as advertise the tournaments properly. The organizers need to target their audience well in order to make the tournament successful.
The standard way of doing so is via the phone, advertisement over facebook and other social media sites, etc. Sites like the Leaguelab.com, Konkuri.com, Thefootballmind.com, etc. help in targeting sport specific audience.
2) Transfers and Trials
Transfers are an exciting and an important aspect of any tournament, it transfer is what makes the game interesting and more competitive. Trails are to be conducted before transfers in order to see if the player suits the squad or not. Transfers are the necessary in order to add depth to a squad.
Many tournaments have an auction based format. For these tournaments, it is an uphill task to keep track of players and the process of auctioning becomes cumbersome and it results in confusion. If the organizers are to follow this manner of tournaments, they can use the help of technology. They have the option of creating a specified program/website or use one which is established.In most casesit is easier to use an established site/program as the workload is less for the Organizers.
3) Communication
The management also needs to interact with the teams participating. They need to inform the teams about their match schedules, transportation, venues and its details, and get the squad details from the teams.
Communication plays a key role in ensuring the success of the tournaments. Different methods of communication can be used however, it is necessary to use one where in all bodies involved in the tournament on the same page. There are few traditional methods by which this can be done but, one needs to know that for communication to be effective, multiple ways to communicate must be employed.
Communicating via the internet over multiple platforms is not only easy but fast, reliable and accessible almost everywhere. There are specific portals which make things for end users easier by helping different types of end users interact among themselves, at one location.
Sites like Leaguelab.com, Konkuri.com help in doing so.
4) Schedule
Fans are the key factor in making football what it is today. Fans often map their schedule according to the fixtures and it is due to this factor that the schedules need to be accurate and need to be updated immediately in the case of any changes. It is the responsibility of the organizer to take care of the schedule and provide it timely; this not only makes the players comfortable but also ensures that other elements like medical assistants, match officials, etc can be given fixed dates and time slots.
Sites like Enjore.com, LeagueLab.com help us do the same.
5) Match Updates
Fans wish to connect to their team and game as much as they can. Match updates along with the score-line, are vital as fans who cannot watch the match as they help the stay updated about the events. It is easy for tournaments to provide regular updates which have a lot of sponsors but for tournaments which are not as well funded, this becomes a cause of concern which, in the long run can lead to drop in the fan’s interest in the club.Pre-match news, news relating to the fixture, squads, suspensions, venue, match timing are all necessary and needs to be communicated not only with the players and the clubs but the fans as well.
6) Match Reports
Match reports are very important. These reports tell the reader about each and every key event that takes place in a match, Goals scored, Goal scorer’s name, line-ups, substitutions, Cards received by players, Penalties awarded, Free kicks awarded, etc; everything is covered in a match report. They are the text based highlights of the game. They need to be covered accurately by the organizers to keep the user interested. They also need to be precise in nature to ensure that the user does not lose interest.
Visual representation of facts is a very efficient way of gaining the interest of the fans. A match timeline can be employed where in a visual representation of the events that take place in the match are visible. Tools like YouFoot can be used to give match reports as well as match updates.
A 360 degree solution
One can manage tournaments by scheduling fixtures, take care of registrations, publish match reports, provide fans with live updates, handle the press releases and communicate internally as well as externally, at one location, The Football Mind portal.
Players can use their profiles to mention their stats and give other key details which would help clubs as well as other interested parties keep a track of the player. Transfers/trials can all be scheduled by the club ad fixtures can be sent to players with ease on the site. News, match updates, posts can all be shared with the click of a button.
The choice is ultimately on the organizer; they can either use already established sites or pay to create their own portal. Both methods have their pros and cons, where an established site may not be customizable down to the last detail, a tournaments’ dedicated sites may face a wide array of problems ranging from development to server related issues. It is certainly easier to use an established site as the burden is not on the user but on the provider, even more so on a site which has all features in one location.
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