Time planning is the most underrated part of tournament organisation. The app handles the draw, entering a result takes seconds – but whether the evening ends at 10pm or drags on past midnight is decided on paper, before the first ball is even hit.
The Basic Formula Behind Every Tournament
Tournament planning can look complicated, but the formula behind it is simple:
Total time = matches per round × time per match × number of rounds + breaks
The catch isn't the formula, it's the assumptions you feed into it. Estimate the time per match too tightly, or forget the breaks, and you'll end up with a schedule that works on paper but not in the hall.
What Actually Eats Up Time
Pure playing time usually isn't the problem – the gaps in between are:
- Changeover time between rounds: Setting up, finding new opponents, warming up – realistically 2–3 minutes per changeover
- Waiting time for an odd number of participants: Whoever sits out is usually still standing around in the hall and wants to know when it's their turn again
- Discussions about results: A disputed point can easily cost five minutes – especially at a fun tournament without a referee
- Technical hiccups: A net breaks, a ball goes missing, a table has to be moved
Guideline Times by Sport
How long a single match takes depends heavily on the sport and the chosen set format:
| Sport | 1 set | Best-of-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Table tennis | 6–8 min | 12–15 min |
| Badminton | 10–12 min | 20–25 min |
| Squash | 8–10 min | 18–22 min |
| Tennis (short set) | 15–20 min | 30–40 min |
These are guideline values for keen recreational players – with very uneven playing strength or plenty of chatting in between, feel free to add another 20%.
Worked Example: 16 Participants, Table Tennis, One Evening
Worked through concretely for a typical club tournament:
| Item | Calculation | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Round (8 matches in parallel on 4 tables, 2 matches per table) | 2 × 8 min | 16 min |
| Changeover per round | +3 min | 19 min per round |
| 5 rounds total | 5 × 19 min | 95 min |
| One longer break (drinks, snacks) | +15 min | 110 min |
| Awards & clean-up | +15 min | 125 min |
That's a good 2 hours 5 minutes of pure tournament time – plus time for arrival, welcome and warm-up beforehand. An evening from 7 to roughly 9:30pm is a realistic plan.
Build In a Buffer, Don't Just Calculate One
The most important rule: what you calculate is the minimum time. Something never goes exactly to plan – a player arrives late, a discussion runs long, someone has to step out briefly. A buffer of 15–20% on the total time isn't wasted, it's realistic.
In practice that means: if the hall closes at 10pm, plan your tournament to end at 9:30pm – not 9:55pm. The difference between a relaxed and a rushed final third of the tournament is often exactly those 25 minutes.
The Turnier Manager Keeps Track for You
The Club Turnier Manager shows you at any point which round you're in and what the current standings look like – so you can keep an eye on the time instead of recalculating it at the end. Offline in the browser, no installation.
Try It NowConclusion
Good time planning doesn't start on tournament day, it starts on paper beforehand: set up the basic formula, use realistic times per match, don't forget changeover time, and build in a generous buffer. Get these four things right, and you'll start on time – and finish on time too.