One of the fundamental groundrules of running a tournament is to run it on time.

When you host a tournament, for a weekend (or whatever period of time is allotted), you became a steward of the schedules and the time of other people.  They make a commitment to participate in your tournament, be on your fields, and for some, travel out of town and pay the cost of hotels and meals.  It's important to recognize that we live in a society of busy people with busy schedules.  So when people give us their schedules for a weekend, it is important to honor the choice they've made by staying on time.

I was at a tournament not long ago where as the day wore on, the tournament progressively feel behind.  By the end of the day, the games were more than an hour and a half behind.  This meant that some of the kids playing in finals and semifinals would not get home until late in the evening.

By running a tournament ontime, you create a more enjoyable experience for all those involved.  Families, coaches, clubs are more likely to want to return to a well run tournament.

One of the simple groundrules for running a tournament on time is to set the expectation.  Set the expectation particularly with referees and those who supervise them.  Referees are critical to keeping the tournament on time because they control the flow of the game, start times, etc.

One of the practical ways of course to keep the tournament on time is to run it online.  Schedules, scores, rules can all be posted online.  Referees can see their fields and read about their expectations in advance.  It is practical, and timely--pun intended.

--William High is a freelance writer.