Running padel tournaments and leagues
From the weekend social tournament to the nine-month club league. Which format to choose, how the draw is built, how much to charge and how to run sign-up without ending up with twelve spreadsheets open.
First: which tournament are you actually running
The word “tournament” covers four very different products whose logistics have nothing in common. Before you choose a format, decide which of the four is yours:
| Type | Duration | Sign-up | What the club is after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixin / americano | One afternoon | Individual | Filling off-peak hours and building community |
| Social tournament | One weekend | By pairs | A brand event and new members |
| Club league | 3 to 9 months | By pairs or teams | Recurring occupancy and retention |
| Corporate league | 2 to 4 months | By teams, invoiced to the company | B2B revenue and morning hours |
The four competition systems and when to use each
Straight knockout
The classic draw: lose and you are out. It is the fastest and the most brutal: half your entrants play one match and go home. It only makes sense if the tournament is a single day and the prize is real.
Groups then knockout
Group stage of three or four pairs, then a final draw. Everyone plays at least two matches. It is the standard format for a weekend social tournament, and the one that eats the most court time.
Home-and-away league
Everyone plays everyone, with a calendar and a table. Maximum recurring occupancy and maximum admin: you will be handling postponements for months. See how to set the league up.
Consolation / B draw
Whoever loses in the first round moves into a secondary draw. It doubles the matches and rescues the feeling of having paid for a single match. Close to compulsory if you charge more than €20 per pair.
The seven steps of a club tournament
Fix the dates, the courts and the categories
Count courts per time band, not per day. A 32-pair draw with 90-minute matches on four courts does not fit into a Saturday, however much the calendar says it does.
Write the rules before sign-up opens
Categories, scoring system, tie-break criteria, no-show policy and what happens if it rains. Published before you take the first euro.
Open online sign-up
By pairs, with a cap per category and a waiting list. Run it over WhatsApp or email and you end up with a spreadsheet and twenty open conversations. Online sign-up solves the cap, the order and the payment in one go.
Take payment on entry
In a tournament this matters more than in a mixin: a pair who has not paid and pulls out leaves a hole in the draw you can no longer fill.
Close the draw and publish it
With real times per court. Publishing the draw without times means fifty calls to reception on Friday afternoon.
Collect results without chasing anyone
Have each pair record them as they finish. If the organiser has to walk court to court, the tournament runs late from the second round.
Publish the standings and close
Before people leave. And keep the data: this tournament's entrants are the invitation list for the next one.
You organise the tournament once; the sign-up, fifty times
The creative part of a tournament takes a few hours. The part that eats weeks is answering entrants, taking payment, refilling drop-outs and reminding people of times. And that part is identical in every tournament.
A cap per category
Two men's categories, one women's and one mixed, each with its own limit and its own waiting list.
Payment per pair
One pays for both, or each pays their own. With the status visible next to each entry.
Schedule notifications
A message to the group or to the entrant with their court and their time, without copying and pasting twenty times.
Questions about club tournaments
How many courts do I need for a 32-pair tournament?
In straight knockout, 16 matches in the first round. With 75–90 minute matches on four courts, the first round alone runs to six hours. For a weekend tournament with 32 pairs, count on six courts or two days.
How much do you charge for a social tournament?
Between €20 and €40 per pair at a club tournament, depending on whether it includes balls, food and prizes. The real cost is court time: work out the hours you are blocking at your own rate and add materials and prizes before you set the price.
Does the tournament need to be sanctioned?
For an internal club social tournament, no. If you want it to count towards the regional or national ranking, you have to have it approved by your regional federation and meet its rules, which include refereeing and draw requirements.
What do I do if it rains?
Put it in the rules from the start: an alternative date, a shortened format or a partial refund. Improvising the rain policy on Saturday morning is the fastest way to lose entrants for next year.
Everything on tournaments and leagues
The pages that go deeper into each part of this guide.