Why is a football tournament like Cyber Security?
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
If it is really well managed, no-one notices.
When it goes wrong your reputation is damaged and you have a lot of unhappy people, and
It is all about the people, supported by well-run systems and processes.
As part of our social value programme, Through Technology sponsors the annual Oakley Youth Football Club tournament and also supplies and runs the IT systems that help it run smoothly over the late May bank holiday each year.
This years tournament has just completed, providing two very hot days packed with excitement, jubilation and heartache as over 1,300 children ages 6-17 competed in 485 matches for medals and trophies across 12 different divisions.
Like our "day job" work in Cyber Security, when Football Tournament IT does it's job nobody really notices. The matches run on time, kids and parents know when they are playing and on which pitch, referees know which teams are playing on their pitches and when, the scores get tracked and the right teams progress and it all just ticks along.
That was very much the case this weekend, with us doing the IT, but an amazing team of other volunteers running an all day BBQ, sweets and drinks stand, parking 1,000+ cars on school fields, litter picking and setting up and tearing down 8 football pitches and supporting tents and facilities.
Through Technology supplied the IT, selecting Tournify as our management platform and setting it up to register 169 teams, schedule 485 matches over two days, track the 1,083 goals scored (1 a minute).... as well as supporting the team managers briefings, answering queries from the public and even presenting a few trophies.
Our top tips for running IT for a football tournament are fairly similar to ones we give out for IT programmes:
Buy vs. Build. There are several software packages out there designed for this purpose and using them will save you a lot of hassle compared to trying to manage it in Excel or Google sheets.. We'd recommend Tournify for its low-cost, good capability, excellent support and wide adoption, but others are available.
Communication is key. Make sure you publish your event rules and communicate them on the day very clearly. Have multiple display screens showing the information.
Ensure your systems are resilient. In a little village like Oakley, 3,000 people attending an event crushes the mobile network, so its crucial to have options, such as a PA system, paper copies of the match schedule etc.
Be ready for the exceptions. What will you do if teams pull out, leaving you with groups with different numbers of teams? How will you decide tie breaks? You need to define these things in advance and communicate them well, then people know where they stand.
Manage change. Be clear on what you can change and what you can't. E.g. If the result of a match is wrongly reported, and both teams agree, they can change it immediately. But once the draw for the next round is done, its too late.
Track your progress. If matches start to over-run, you need to spot that and correct it before it introduces a big cumulative delay. Remind teams to get to their pitch early. Ask your volunteers to help manage the changeovers between matches to speed things up. No one likes waiting around while watching an empty pitch.
Keep calm and be consistent. With thousands of youth players, a couple of parents or managers will get upset when their team loses. It's just because they care. If they understand why they've not made it through to the next round.... and it reflects what you've told them (or shared for them to read, even if they didn't bother) they'll usually be fine. The complaints only come when you don't do what you said you would.
If you happen to support a grassroots Youth Football Team in the South then consider joining us when we support this fantastic event again next year.....
We're going to take a little break from football management for the summer, but will be opening registrations for next years event later in the year..... maybe you can join us?
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