First ask yourself why you are organizing a sports league? Is it to impact the community? To give kids a place to play? Or is it to build a brand and be profitable? There are so many kinds of amateur sports leagues from the small neighbourhood one that is just there for friends to have fun to the large city-wide tournament looking to pull in big sponsors and tv coverage. Each has its own set of goals and issues.
Pro tip: Knowing your reason, and what you’re aiming for helps you prioritize what is most important in your plan and what can be set aside.
There’s a whole lot that goes on to planning a league, from venue, referees to signage and marketing. Work backwards from your ideal start date and plan the rollout of each of the items necessary. List out everything you can think of that will need to be done and list out how long it will take. Organize the list to include any extra lead time for items which you aren’t so sure about. Then begin to budget out the cost of all the items on your list to know exactly how much you’ll need to pull the event off!
Pro tip: Don’t forget to allocate extra time for gathering of teams or players especially if this is the first league you’ve run.
Venue is likely going to be the most difficult thing to confirm, especially if you are either playing a sport that requires specialized equipment or one that doesn’t have enough booking inventory to serve the community. So it’s important to lock it in!
Pro tip: Locking in a venue in months in advance can sometimes net you a discount as many venues look to secure early bookings to guarantee revenue!
To avoid the dreaded scenario of not enough players to actually run your league, you need to start marketing the moment you’ve established a date of play. Flyers, social media, word of mouth are all valid methods of reaching out to your potential players, don’t be afraid to hit the pavement to talk to players at open runs especially if it’s your first league.
Pro tip: The Huddle marketplace is a great place to start posting your content about your league for players to find!
Finding and using a good league management tool will make the process of running, managing and scheduling your league so much easier. There’s a number of league management software out there but finidng the right one will help you increase revenue, reduce cost and create a more engaged community and fan base around your league!
Pro Tip: Huddle Host is the digital tool to help organize sports, smarter & easier. Simplify administrative and marketing work by publishing to Huddle marketplace and access an entire region of youth and everyday athletes.
Based in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Huddle is the ASEAN centric sports platform ready to cater to your specific needs.
Mission Statement
Huddle helps everyone play by connecting sports experiences.
Our commitment is to help everyday athletes, organizers and fans discover awesome ways to play. By digitizing the community, we give everyone access to games no matter where they are. We combine our passion for sports with commitment to community, technology and improvement.
Huddle aims to elevate the way we experience and play the sports we love and unite the communities of those we serve.
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