A Step-by-Step Guide to Organising a Junior Lacrosse Tournament

Start with the numbers, not the paperwork

Before you book a pitch or print a single fixture list, work out who is actually coming. A junior tournament in the South West can mean anything from six under-11 sides on a school field in Somerset to sixteen clubs travelling from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Gloucestershire for a full day of competitive lacrosse. Your numbers shape everything else: how many pitches you need, how many umpires, how many parking spaces, and whether the cake stall will stretch.

As a rough guide, eight teams playing small-sided games fits neatly on two pitches across a morning. Anything above twelve sides is a full-day job with staggered starts. Speak to coaches early, because the summer term fills up fast with cricket, athletics and end-of-year trips, and a date that clashes with a county sports day will cost you entries.

Set your entry fee only after you have costed pitch hire, medals, umpire expenses and first aid cover. Most junior tournaments break even rather than make money, and that is a perfectly respectable outcome.

Book the venue early and plan for rain

In the South West the weather is the single biggest variable. A grass pitch in April can be unplayable after one wet week, so approach council leisure services, school grounds and club facilities with a clear brief: number of pitches, changing rooms, toilets, accessible parking and a water supply.

Ask three questions before you sign anything:

• Is there a back-up surface? An all-weather pitch may let you run a shortened, small-sided format if grass fails, but check whether lacrosse footwear is permitted on it.
• What is the cancellation policy? You want a refund or a rearranged date, not a goodwill gesture.
• Can we park everyone? Parents arriving from across three counties will drive, and a narrow lane with sixty cars on it is a safeguarding risk as well as a headache.

Confirm public liability insurance and whether the venue requires a copy of your club certificate. Send a written risk assessment to the site manager a fortnight ahead.

Safeguarding and compliance come before fixtures

Nothing on the day matters more than this. Appoint a designated safeguarding officer who is present for the whole event and whose name is on the programme, and make sure every coach and umpire is DBS-checked through the national governing body pathway.

You will also need:

• Written parental consent for each player, including emergency contact numbers and medical conditions.
• At least one qualified first aider per pitch area, with a clearly signed treatment point and a defibrillator location known to all volunteers.
• A concussion protocol agreed in advance, with the rule that any player suspected of head injury is removed and does not return that day.
• A photography policy. Many clubs now ask parents to register consent, and it is far easier to enforce a clear rule than to unpick it afterwards.

Brief your umpires on the age-group rules you are using, especially for under-11 and under-13 sides where contact levels and stick checks differ. Consistency between umpires keeps the day calm.

Build a fixture list that actually fits the day

Round-robin pools are the kindest format for junior players. Give every team a minimum of three matches, cap games at short running-clock halves, and leave fifteen minutes between rounds for teams to find each other. Nothing derails a schedule faster than back-to-back fixtures on the same pitch.

Print and email the schedule a week ahead, and post it on a board at the entrance as well. Include points systems and tie-breakers in writing so no one argues at four o'clock. Build in a thirty-minute buffer before finals, because you will need it.

Matchday logistics: pitches, kit and volunteers

Arrive two hours before the first whistle. Mark or check pitches, confirm goalposts are secure, and set out scoreboards, bibs, match balls and spare whistles. A dedicated volunteers' briefing forty-five minutes before the start should cover timings, radio or phone contacts, the lost child procedure and where to send injuries.

Refreshments, recognition and the small stuff

A tea urn, squash station and cake stall raise more than you would think and keep families on site between matches. Ask each visiting club to bring a plate. Arrange water refills rather than selling plastic bottles.

Finish the day properly: medals or certificates for every player, a short thank-you to volunteers and umpires, and a player-of-the-tournament award voted by umpires. Send a brief feedback form the following week. That is how next year's tournament gets easier, and how a good South West junior event becomes a fixture in the calendar.