young football team competing at Gatlinburg sports complex

Plan a Youth Smoky Mountain Sports Event in 6 Easy Steps

September 29, 2014

At Rocky Top Sports World, we understand how much effort goes into planning the perfect Smoky Mountain sports event. From finding the right location to inviting the teams, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that the player’s experience is both a challenging and memorable one.

That being said, we would like to help tournament organizers take the headache out of Smoky Mountains sports event planning by sharing with your our six easy steps to planning a youth sports tournament.

Pick the Perfect Date and Time For Your Tournament

The first step when planning a Smoky Mountain sports event is to decide when you want to host it. Because most of the competitors who come to Rocky Top Sports World are youth athletes, we understand limitations from things such as school and family time.

That being said, it is also really easy for families and teams to turn their trip to our Gatlinburg sports complex into a vacation, so it would not be too out of the ordinary to plan your event around holidays or special occasions.

Once you decide when you want to host your event, then you can decide who you want to invite.

Determine How Many Teams You Want to Invite

Are you looking to host a smaller event or do you want to invite as many teams as possible from all across the country? This is the time where you make this decision and then send out the invites.

Thanks to the fact that Rocky Top Sports World sits on over 80 scenic acres, there is no real limit to the size of a competition that we can accommodate. This decision really just comes down to organizers deciding how large of an event they want to manage.

Find Referees

Now that you have teams competing, it’s time to find experts to judge them. At Rocky Top Sports World, we can help visitors to our Gatlinburg sports complex get in touch with local and regional referees and judges to help bring their tournament together. To begin this process, all you have to do is give us a call.

Plan to Sell Food/Drinks

When planning a youth sporting event, it isn’t just the players that you have to accommodate. There are also coaches, parents, and spectators who will be present, and they will probably appreciate something to snack on while they cheer on their favorite athlete.

An added tip, if you are trying to use your Smoky Mountain sports event as a way to raise money for a charity or fundraiser, selling concessions is a great way to add extra donations.

At Rocky Top Sports World, we have a huge concession area that can hold both hot and cold food items. There is also a walk-up window and sitting area for guests’ comfort.

Create Tournament Brackets

Because we are all competitors at heart, chances are we always want to know where we stand in terms of placement against the other teams. Make the competitors in your tournament happy by setting up some sort of tournament bracket that they can follow their progress on.

Whether you choose a single or double elimination tournament format, teams can still see how they stack up against the other teams. If anything, coaches can use these brackets as a motivational tool to inspire their players.

If you are looking for an easy way to broadcast these brackets, you will be happy to know that at Rocky Top Sports World we have a ton of message boards inside our 86,000 square-foot indoor facility that are perfect ways to relate updates and tournament standings to your competitors.

Choose Prizes For Tournament WinnersLast, but not least, you have to decide what prizes you want to award the winning teams. Because of the unbeatable location of our Gatlinburg Sports Complex, at Rocky Top Sports World we always recommend that tournament organizers consider reaching out to some of the local businesses in the area to help out with tournament prizes. Most teams who travel here end up staying an extra day or two anyway and treating the experience as a mini-vacation, so why not reward the winners with free passes to one of the popular attractions in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge?

Click here to learn more about the many popular Gatlinburg attractions located near Rocky Top Sports World.
If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by out list, don’t be! At Rocky Top Sports World, we have an excellent team of Smoky Mountain sports event experts that are more than happy to help you and your organization plan the perfect tournament. To begin planning your event today, give us a call or feel free to fill out the Rocky Top Sports World contact form on our website. One of our team members will be in touch with you as soon as possible to answer all of the questions you may have.