Do you run a sports tournament?  If so, tournament growth should be toward the top of your to-do list.  Growing your tournament leads to increased notoriety for your sports organization, a more fulfilling experience for tournament participants and not to mention, more money for your organization in tournament fees.  Below are 3 easy ways you can grow your tournament’s participation.

1.) Promote a Cause.  Tying your tournament to a cause lets you do two great things at the same time; grow your tournament and help people in need.  Pick a charity that you feel strongly about and use your tournament as way to help the charity.  The specific way you partner with the charity is up to you and them; you can give a portion of your profits to the cause, let charity workers come to your event and hand out material, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  By associating your tournament with a charity, you will not only be doing something laudable, you will also be helping your event grow.  People will be more inclined to participate in your tournament if it is aligned with a great cause.  They will also be more likely to tell their friends about the tournament as well.

2.) Video Everything.  People love videos.  Especially people who play and coach sports.  Assign a videographer to tape your tournament’s games.  You don’t need an expensive professional to do the job.  The videographer can be anyone who knows how to operate a camera.  Quality is not as important as content.  In addition, don’t be afraid to tape things other than games.  Often this is where the best stuff comes from; conduct a post game interview with a winning coach, interview a fan, etc.  After the tournament is over, use a basic video editing software to piece together a highlight reel.  If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, reach out to a friend.  In today’s YouTube Age, it is not very hard to find someone who knows how to edit a video.  Once you have the final product, feature it on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and your tournament’s website.  When people see the video, they will get a quick understanding of what your tournament is all about and will be more likely to sign up to next year’s event.

3.) Use Online Registration.  This goes without saying.  In today’s internet age, people do not want to deal with annoying registration processes that involve printing out forms, filling them out, scanning them or mailing them in, etc.  Using old-fashioned registration techniques is a major repellent for tournament sign ups.  People are used to getting things quickly and on-demand over the web.  If you burden them with an antiquated sign up process, not only will they be less likely to sign up, but your organization will come off as old-fashioned and out of the mix.  Online registration is growing exponentially.  Chances are, a lot of the other tournaments in your area are already using it.  If you want to keep up, and not lose potential participants, then get in the game.  You don’t need to spend any money wither.  Check out our free online tournament registration software.

Want to learn more?  Check out StadiumRoar’s free eBook for sports program marketing.

Know of any other good ways to increase tournament participation?  Leave a comment and let us all know.