1. What this Program Type is
Tournament Programs are used to register players for a tournament and to assign those players to tournament specific teams. They handle the sign up and payment piece for the event, while also giving you a clean way to build and manage rosters that are specific to that tournament.
Tournament Programs can be set up as Open or Invitational with Registration, depending on whether you want anyone who is eligible to join or you want to control who receives an invite.
In many cases, clubs use Tournament Programs when a subset of their Core Program teams will participate in an off site tournament and need to register and pay separately.
2. When to use this Program Type
Use a Tournament Program when you are organizing participation in a specific tournament, especially when there are separate fees or rosters for that event.
Typical use cases include:
Sending one or more teams from your Core Program to a weekend tournament
Building a combined or “all star” tournament team from players across multiple Core teams
Managing tournament specific payments, waivers, and communication separate from your regular season activities
Tournament Programs are a good fit when:
You want to keep tournament fees and rosters separate from your season fees and rosters
You need clear tournament teams that may be slightly different from your regular teams
You want to track which players and teams participated in each tournament across the year
If you are running an in house league with standings and a full schedule, a League Program will be a better fit. If you are offering a camp or clinic that you host yourself, a Supplemental Program is usually more appropriate.
3. How registration works with this Program Type
Tournament Programs can be either Open or Invitational with Registration.
Common patterns include:
Invitational tournaments for selected players or teams
Club staff decide which players or teams will be offered a spot in the tournament.
Invited players or team contacts receive access to the correct registration for that Tournament Program.
This is common when you are selecting a subset of players from a Core Program or choosing specific teams to attend.
Open tournaments within the club
Any eligible player or team in the club can register to participate.
You may use eligibility rules such as age group or current Program participation to control who can see the option.
This can be helpful for internal tournaments or events where a wider group of players can sign up.
Registration details typically include:
Tournament specific waivers and policies
Payment for the tournament fee, which is separate from any Core Program fees
Information needed for the event, such as jersey number, preferred position, or travel notes
You can configure registrations to support:
Individual player sign ups, where admins later place players on tournament teams
Team sign ups, where a coach or manager registers a full team into the tournament
4. How teams and rostering work
Tournament Programs focus on tournament teams that may be the same as, or slightly different from, your season teams.
Key points:
Tournament Programs use Traditional Teams so that you can build clear rosters for each tournament team.
For individual registrations, admins create tournament teams and place players on them after registration.
For team registrations, a team is created or selected as part of the registration flow, and players are then added to that team.
Common patterns:
Using existing Core teams
You may mirror a Core team roster inside the Tournament Program.
This keeps the same group together and makes it easy to track which Core teams attended which tournaments.
Creating tournament specific teams
You may build new teams for the event by combining players from multiple Core teams or from a larger pool.
This is common for showcase teams or special tournament selections.
As with other Program types that use Traditional Teams:
Team based features such as rosters, team calendars, and communication are available for these tournament teams.
Team Type is not meant to be changed once registrations begin, so you should choose the structure you want before families start signing up.
5. How this Program Type connects to other features
Tournament Programs can connect to several areas of the platform, especially when they are used alongside your Core Programs.
Relationship to Core Programs
Many clubs start from existing Core teams and then create Tournament Programs to handle event specific registration and rosters.
This separation allows you to track tournament participation and fees without mixing them into your regular season Program.
Calendar and scheduling
You can create events for tournament games, travel days, or team meetings under the Tournament Program and its teams.
As with other Programs, events must fall within the Program Start Date and End Date.
Some clubs choose to mirror the tournament schedule in the Calendar so families can see everything in one place, even if the official schedule also lives on a tournament website.
Communication
Because Tournament Programs use Traditional Teams, you can send messages directly to tournament rosters.
This is helpful for sharing game times, field locations, weather updates, and travel information.
Reporting
Using the Tournament Program type and appropriate Program Category helps you see which tournaments you attended, how many players participated, and how much revenue came from these events across a season or year.
When combined with Core Program data, this gives a clearer picture of total player engagement.
6. Related articles
For more context on how Programs work and how they are managed, see:
Programs Overview
Program Lifecycle & Visibility
Program Management for Admins
You may also want to review these Program Type articles in the Types of Programs section:
Core Programs (where most main season teams live)
League Programs
Supplemental Programs
FAQs
Can Tournament Programs be Open or Invitational?
Yes. Tournament Programs can be set up as Open or Invitational with Registration.
Do Tournament Programs support team registrations?
Yes. You can configure team sign ups where a coach or manager registers a full team into the tournament.
Why would I use a Tournament Program instead of a Core Program registration?
Tournament Programs help keep tournament fees and rosters separate from your season fees and rosters, while still supporting tournament-specific teams.
Do Tournament Programs use Traditional Teams?
Yes. Tournament Programs use Traditional Teams so you can build clear rosters for each tournament team.