Guides for people who run tournaments
Practical, no-fluff advice on scheduling fixtures, choosing formats, and running sports events that finish on time — written by the team building FairGame.
Everything here comes from real tournaments and the questions organizers ask us most.
ToolsFree Round-Robin and Knockout Generator
Generate a round-robin fixture list or a seeded knockout bracket in seconds — free, in your browser, no signup. Byes, seeding and home-and-away included.
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ProductWhat's New: Summer 2026 Release
Summer 2026 in FairGame: referees who staff themselves, a rule-enforcing scheduler, tournament templates, deeper brackets and a matchday control room.
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GuidesHow to Create a Round Robin Schedule in Excel
Build a round-robin schedule in Excel: the circle method, the INDEX/MOD rotation formula, odd team counts, and where a spreadsheet stops being enough.
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BasicsWhat Are Knockout Rounds?
Knockout rounds explained — single elimination, the round of 16 to the final, byes and seeding, and when a knockout beats a round-robin.
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GuidesTournament Bracket Generator: How Seeding Works
How a bracket generator seeds teams — the 1 v 16 pairing pattern, where byes go, seeding from standings or skill rating, and keeping clubs apart early.
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OperationsHow to Schedule a Multi-Venue Tournament
Schedule a tournament across venues: travel time between sites, pitch capacity, rest between matches — and what to do when the day will not fit.
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FormatsRound-Robin vs Swiss vs Knockout Formats
The three main tournament formats compared by matches, time, fairness and admin — how a Swiss system works and when it beats a group stage.
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OperationsReferee Management for Multi-Pitch Tournaments
How to staff referees across a multi-pitch tournament without gaps — coverage grids, conflict rules, QR match cards, and auto-staffing every pitch-hour.
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PlaybookHow to Run a Youth Football Tournament
From registration and age groups to scheduling, referees and live results — a practical checklist for a youth football tournament that runs on time.
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Round-Robin vs Knockout: Which Format to Pick
Round-robin, knockout, or groups into a bracket? Compare tournament formats by fairness, match count and time — with a rule of thumb for each.
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How to Schedule a Round-Robin Tournament
A step-by-step guide to a fair, conflict-free round-robin schedule — the circle method, byes for odd team counts, and where spreadsheets fall apart.
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