Guidelines for Hosting a Tournament

Financial Issues

A club that runs a tournament gets 90 percent of the tournament entry fees, and the division gets the other 10 percent. The club is responsible for all of the expenses of the tournament, from venue fees, referee fees, trophies, supply purchases, etc.

The host club may sell T-shirts, concessions, etc. to make money as long as this does not violate the venue's rules. The division does not share in the profit or risk for such sales, regardless of whether the tournament is sponsored by the division or by a club.

Please note that competitors expect to make out their checks for entry fees to the Virginia Division, USFA. If your club wishes to have some other arrangement, ensure the division officers know this before registration opens.

Physical Requirements

An acceptable venue needs the following:

- Minimum floor requirements. The floor should be appropriate for strenuous sports activity. It should be in good condition and should not be sticky, dirty, too slippery, or too hard. Wood is the best surface. If the floor is dirty, you should sweep it before the tournament.

- Minimum space requirements. You should be able to set up at least four strips, preferably six or perhaps more for large events. Each strip is minumum 1.5x14 meters plus 1.5 meters runoff at each end. You need sufficient space between the strips for referees and the scoring equipment.

- Sufficient lighting. Proper lighting allows fencers to see clearly through their masks without deep shadows or direct sunlight into their eyes.

- Tables and chairs. At a minimum, you need one table and two chairs for the bout committee. If you have more tables, you can put the scoring machines on them. And the competitors will appreciate it if you have chairs to put by the strips.

- Trash cans.

- Drinking water.

- Sufficient electrical outlets.

- Accessible restroom facilities for both men and women. It is preferable to have locker room facilities, but if the restrooms are large enough to change in comfortably, locker rooms are not essential.

- Appropriate signs and directions to the venue and parking. (The directions should be published in advance.) If you can't put up signs, have a person available to direct competitors to the venue.

- Emergency plan. You should know where the phone is, where the fire exits are, how to contact venue or campus security, and what the venue's emergency medical policy is. The division does provide a first aid kit with the divisional equipment.

What You Need To Do

Only a current USFA member club in the Virginia Division with active competitive members may host a tournament in the Virginia Division.

First of all, you need to coordinate with the division to determine a date for your tournament and the events that will be held. Then you make the appropriate arrangements with the venue.

Please make sure that we have the venue for the entire day if at all possible. If not, make sure that the division officers know (well before the tournament) when we have to be out of the venue.

After securing the venue, you need to provide the division with complete, accurate directions to the venue and its address. If you discover any problems with the venue, contact the Chairman immediately.

The division appreciates clubs' efforts to publicize tournaments. However, please be sure that you give out the same information that the division does regarding events, starting times, etc. If there is any discrepancy between information you give out and official divisional sources, the division will not accommodate competitors who have the wrong information.

For a club run tournament, you are responsible for getting trophies or medals. Before you buy them, please double check which events are being held and find out from the division how many places you should get trophies/medals for (if you want to exceed recommendations, you're welcome to, but be aware that excess trophy/medal costs may severely affect the profitability of the tournament). For regular open tournaments, the events are usually mixed Foil, Épée, and Sabre, and you usually need to get two third-place trophies/medals. For events that are large, trophies/medals or medals are also usually awarded for fifth through eighth place (the division has a stock of medals).

On the day(s) of the tournament, it is your responsibility to make the venue available; i.e., have someone there with keys to unlock it by 8 a.m. (for a standard tournament where registration opens at 9 a.m.). You need to provide enough people to tape down strips (it's better to do this the night before if you have access to the venue). Besides the people, you also need tape (some venues require special tape), a measuring device to measure out the correct strip dimensions, and knowledge of the correct strip dimensions (see the rule book at www.usfencing.org).

The division officers bring the electrical scoring equipment when necessary. You need to provide people to set up the equipment. It is helpful if your club can provide some equipment.

You must provide at least one meet manager to work with the division officer(s) on the bout committee. Your meet manager takes registration and generally helps run the events as a member of the bout committee (obviously, up to the limit of his/her abilities). Your meet manager doesn't have to be experienced in running tournaments. A representative of your club must be present during the entire competition (preferably, it will be the same person all weekend).

You must also provide a clean-up crew who will remove the tape and help load the divisional equipment into the van or wherever it belongs. You must be able to have the venue locked up after the tournament is over. It is nice if the venue can be locked overnight for two-day tournaments, so that the equipment does not have to be set up again on the second day.

Last Updated November 17, 2008.