If you’re looking for a way to get more involved in sports, playing them isn’t the only option. Organizing your own sporting event can be a fun way to offer something to the local community. Since you’re the organizer, you can really get creative with what you want to do and offer something special.
Hosting a sports event is not necessarily expensive. Everything you need can be done fairly cheaply and easily, depending on the sport you’re interested in. Here are some of the things to consider if you want to host your own sports event.
Decide On A Sport
Since you’re hosting the event, you can choose whatever sport you wish. Hosting a NASCAR race will not be financially practical. On the other hand, sports such as soccer and basketball require only small amounts of equipment and space.
You should also figure out what kind of format to host. You could host a one-day tournament for elimination brackets. You could also try out your own sports day with multiple events, or a novelty Olympics.
Recruit Participants
Having chosen a sport, you’ll need to find participants. You could organize an event for local sports teams, schools in the area or even just voluntary participants. Check with your local chamber of commerce to see if an company teams are interested in getting involved.
Even something relatively crude, like 5-person flag football, can be turned into a tournament! Ask your friends to get involved and send out the word on Facebook for locals to create their own teams.
Offer Prizes
The best way to get people interested is to offer prizes. Cash prizes are an easy way to entice people, but far from the only option. A fun way to draw people in can be to offer personalized sports trophies. You can get these trophies and medals engraved specifically for your event, customized with the name of the winning team or athlete.
Find A Venue
Once you know what you’re doing and how many people you’re expecting, you’ll need somewhere to host your event. Make sure you’re able to get enough space to accommodate the sport (or sports) you’ll be hosting, as well as any spectators.
Many public parks will allow you to host sporting events. You may need to apply for an event license and pay a fee to reserve the space, but the cost relative to the size of the venue might be a bargain.
You can also make your money back by charging a small fee for tickets. The more your event offers — refreshments and a barbecue, for example — the more people will be willing to enjoy a fun family day outdoors.
If you want to host something small and casual, you could even host an event in your own yard! This can be a fun way to get some friends and family together and make use of your property.
Have Fun!
With everything planned out, the only thing left to do is have fun. If you require participants to pay a fee, you might even turn a profit. If money isn’t your motivator, you could also make an event for charity collections. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your day of sporting activities with friends, family and the local community.
