Tournament plan & handbook generator

Fill in the conditions and get the format, budget, schedule, staffing and handbook in seconds — all deterministic, every figure reproducible.

💾 Everything is saved in your own browser — refresh or close the tab and it is still here. There is no Submit: fill it in and export the PDF from the bottom right.

The free version calculates one division and the first 16 teams (what you typed is kept, nothing is lost). Unlock to recalculate with every division and team; for anything larger, ask us to run it.

Divisions

One row per division within an age group. Give it a name (e.g. U12 A), pick the age group and the number of teams. Leave referees blank to follow the format (1 for 7-a-side, 3 for 11-a-side); lower tiers can be set to 1.

Format:Teams per group:Match length (min):Tiers are formed automatically by group position, two positions per tier: 1st–2nd → Cup, 3rd–4th → Plate, 5th–6th → Shield, 7th–8th → Bowl, 9th–10th → Trophy, 11th–12th → Vase. Each tier plays its own knockout plus placing matches.
Teams (optional)0/24 entered · the first few are seeded

Pitches

One row per pitch: name, size (5/7/11-a-side) and address. The handbook uses the pitch names in the fixture list and gives teams a separate "Pitches and addresses" page. Number of pitches = number of rows. "Split / by day" means several windows in one day (e.g. 9-12,14-18 with nothing over lunch) or a window for one day only (day 2 9-12). "Closed days" means that pitch is unavailable all day (e.g. taken by a school sports day) — the schedule works around it.

Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days
Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days
Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days
Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days
Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days
Opento· blank = all daySplit / by dayClosed days

Referees (optional)

One name per line (or separated by commas). Fill this in and every match is covered with no clashes, real names go into the handbook, and each referee gets their own duty sheet. Leave it blank and the handbook only shows how many are needed.

Unit prices (defaults for reference — use your own quotes)

Pitch charged:each pitch booked by the day × number of days

Day rate per pitch (by pitch size; enter 0 for your own pitches)

More prices (staff / equipment / insurance / rates…)

Income

Two separate exports — the handbook contains no money at all.

Preview is free. The PDF is saved on your own machine — leave a contact first and we can help if the schedule gives you trouble.

Tournament handbook (teams / referees / staff)

Spring Cup

Organiser: Location: Level: City cupDates:Days 1–2 (dates to be confirmed)
Format: Groups + knockoutDivisions: U12 A16 teams48 matches6 pitches2 days

Generated

Why the plan looks like this

Format: group round robin, then tiered knockout

Teams play a single round robin in their group, then drop into a tier by group position — two positions per tier (1st–2nd → Cup, 3rd–4th → Plate, 5th–6th → Shield, 7th–8th → Bowl, 9th–10th → Trophy, 11th–12th → Vase) — and play that tier's knockout plus placing matches. The point: every team meets opponents of its own level, gets real competition without going out after one game, and ends up with roughly the same number of matches as everyone else.

Grouping: finish sooner, spend less on pitches

This plan groups the teams as U12 A "4 groups of 4". Pitch hire is usually the single biggest cost, so — while still guaranteeing each team its matches — the engine prefers the structure with fewer total matches (smaller groups mean fewer group games). That finishes earlier and costs less. If you would rather every team played more, increase the teams per group by hand.

Fairness: near-equal match counts

Every team plays exactly 6 matches — perfectly balanced. Nobody plays once and drives home while someone else is on the pitch all day.

Referees: staffed to the format

One referee per match for 5-, 7- and 8-a-side; a referee plus two assistants for 11-a-side. Add cover for the big matches, trim it for the lower tiers — nobody is standing idle and no match goes uncovered.

Player welfare: a daily cap on matches

No team plays more than 3 matches in a day, so young players are not run into the ground. Anything over the cap is pushed automatically to a later day.

Every number can be checked

All 48 matches, plus the budget, the schedule and the staffing, are worked out line by line by a deterministic engine. You can check them and reproduce them — these are not ballpark figures. That is the difference between this and a schedule someone drew up by eye.

Competition format

U12 A

4 groups of 4 · 48 matches · 6 per team

Group stage (4 groups of 4), then teams split by group position into 2 tiers, each playing its own knockout plus placing matches: Cup (8 teams), Plate (8 teams). Every tier is played out to a full 1–N ranking. Roughly 6 matches per team.

TierFromTeamsMatchesPer teamFormat
Cup1st–2nd in each group (8 teams)8123Knockout + placing matches
Plate3rd–4th in each group (8 teams)8123Knockout + placing matches

How teams qualify

  • Groups are a single round robin ranked on points. Teams level on points are separated by, in order: head-to-head goal difference → head-to-head goals → overall goal difference → overall goals scored → fair play (fewer cards) → drawing lots.
  • Tiers go strictly by position within your own group, never compared across groups: 1st–2nd in each group (8 teams) → Cup, 3rd–4th in each group (8 teams) → Plate.
  • Nobody plays one match and goes home. Every team drops into the tier matching its group position and plays that tier's knockout and placing matches until all positions are decided.
  • Knockout slots are filled by group letter and position (A1 = winner of Group A), with the group winners seeded highest. When the number of teams is not a power of two, the higher seeds get a first-round bye — that is the reward for the group stage.

Pitches and addresses

PitchTypeAddress
Pitch 111-a-sideAddress to be added
Pitch 211-a-sideAddress to be added
Pitch 311-a-sideAddress to be added
Pitch 411-a-sideAddress to be added
Pitch 511-a-sideAddress to be added
Pitch 611-a-sideAddress to be added

Entries and groups

U12 A

Group A
1. A1 · TBD(seeded slot)
2. A2 · TBD
3. A3 · TBD
4. A4 · TBD
Group B
1. B1 · TBD(seeded slot)
2. B2 · TBD
3. B3 · TBD
4. B4 · TBD
Group C
1. C1 · TBD(seeded slot)
2. C2 · TBD
3. C3 · TBD
4. C4 · TBD
Group D
1. D1 · TBD(seeded slot)
2. D2 · TBD
3. D3 · TBD
4. D4 · TBD

Group positions are set (by draw or entry order). Enter the real team names under Divisions in the generator, and the paid version shows the full list here — names, kit, coaches and players.

Knockout bracket

U12 A · Cup · route to the title (1st–2nd in each group (8 teams))
A1D2D1A2PrevioPrevioB1C2C1B2PrevioPrevio🏆 Winner · TBDQuarter-finalSemi-finalFinalQuarter-finalSemi-final
U12 A · Plate · route to the title (3rd–4th in each group (8 teams))
A3D4D3A4PrevioPrevioB3C4C3B4PrevioPrevio🏆 Winner · TBDQuarter-finalSemi-finalFinalQuarter-finalSemi-final

The bracket seeds itself from the number of teams. When that is not a power of two, the top seeds get a first-round bye (marked "Bye"). A tier's bracket shows the route to that tier's title, with slots labelled by group and position (A1 = winner of Group A, with the group winners seeded highest). The actual pairings follow the draw; placing matches are in the fixture list.Once the draw is made and results are entered, the real names fill in and light up round by round to the winner. Third place is decided separately between the losing semi-finalists.

Fixtures

Day 1 — 22 matches

No.TimePitchDivision / stageFixtureRef
#109:0010:05Pitch 1U12 A · Group A Round 1A1 vs A21
#209:0010:05Pitch 2U12 A · Group A Round 1A3 vs A41
#309:0010:05Pitch 3U12 A · Group B Round 1B1 vs B21
#409:0010:05Pitch 4U12 A · Group B Round 1B3 vs B41
#509:0010:05Pitch 5U12 A · Group C Round 1C1 vs C21
#609:0010:05Pitch 6U12 A · Group C Round 1C3 vs C41
#711:0512:10Pitch 1U12 A · Group A Round 2A1 vs A31
#811:0512:10Pitch 2U12 A · Group A Round 2A4 vs A21
#911:0512:10Pitch 3U12 A · Group B Round 2B1 vs B31
#1011:0512:10Pitch 4U12 A · Group B Round 2B4 vs B21
#1111:0512:10Pitch 5U12 A · Group C Round 2C1 vs C31
#1211:0512:10Pitch 6U12 A · Group C Round 2C4 vs C21
#1313:1014:15Pitch 1U12 A · Group A Round 3A1 vs A41
#1413:1014:15Pitch 2U12 A · Group A Round 3A2 vs A31
#1513:1014:15Pitch 3U12 A · Group B Round 3B1 vs B41
#1613:1014:15Pitch 4U12 A · Group B Round 3B2 vs B31
#1713:1014:15Pitch 5U12 A · Group C Round 3C1 vs C41
#1813:1014:15Pitch 6U12 A · Group C Round 3C2 vs C31
#1914:2515:30Pitch 1U12 A · Group D Round 1D1 vs D21
#2014:2515:30Pitch 2U12 A · Group D Round 1D3 vs D41
#2116:3017:35Pitch 1U12 A · Group D Round 2D1 vs D31
#2216:3017:35Pitch 2U12 A · Group D Round 2D4 vs D21

Day 2 — 26 matches

No.TimePitchDivision / stageFixtureRef
#2309:0010:05Pitch 1U12 A · Group D Round 3D1 vs D41
#2409:0010:05Pitch 2U12 A · Group D Round 3D2 vs D31
#2510:1511:20Pitch 1U12 A · Cup Round 1 (knockout)Cup#1 vs Cup#81
#2610:1511:20Pitch 2U12 A · Cup Round 1 (knockout)Cup#2 vs Cup#71
#2710:1511:20Pitch 3U12 A · Cup Round 1 (knockout)Cup#3 vs Cup#61
#2810:1511:20Pitch 4U12 A · Cup Round 1 (knockout)Cup#4 vs Cup#51
#2910:1511:20Pitch 5U12 A · Plate Round 1 (knockout)Plate#1 vs Plate#81
#3010:1511:20Pitch 6U12 A · Plate Round 1 (knockout)Plate#2 vs Plate#71
#3111:3012:35Pitch 1U12 A · Cup Round 2 (knockout & placings)CupR2-1A vs CupR2-1B1
#3211:3012:35Pitch 2U12 A · Cup Round 2 (knockout & placings)CupR2-2A vs CupR2-2B1
#3311:3012:35Pitch 3U12 A · Cup Round 2 (knockout & placings)CupR2-3A vs CupR2-3B1
#3411:3012:35Pitch 4U12 A · Cup Round 2 (knockout & placings)CupR2-4A vs CupR2-4B1
#3511:3012:35Pitch 5U12 A · Plate Round 1 (knockout)Plate#3 vs Plate#61
#3611:3012:35Pitch 6U12 A · Plate Round 1 (knockout)Plate#4 vs Plate#51
#3712:4513:50Pitch 1U12 A · Cup Final & placingsCupR3-1A vs CupR3-1B1
#3812:4513:50Pitch 2U12 A · Cup Final & placingsCupR3-2A vs CupR3-2B1
#3912:4513:50Pitch 3U12 A · Cup Final & placingsCupR3-3A vs CupR3-3B1
#4012:4513:50Pitch 4U12 A · Cup Final & placingsCupR3-4A vs CupR3-4B1
#4112:4513:50Pitch 5U12 A · Plate Round 2 (knockout & placings)PlateR2-1A vs PlateR2-1B1
#4212:4513:50Pitch 6U12 A · Plate Round 2 (knockout & placings)PlateR2-2A vs PlateR2-2B1
#4314:0015:05Pitch 1U12 A · Plate Round 2 (knockout & placings)PlateR2-3A vs PlateR2-3B1
#4414:0015:05Pitch 2U12 A · Plate Round 2 (knockout & placings)PlateR2-4A vs PlateR2-4B1
#4515:1516:20Pitch 1U12 A · Plate Final & placingsPlateR3-1A vs PlateR3-1B1
#4615:1516:20Pitch 2U12 A · Plate Final & placingsPlateR3-2A vs PlateR3-2B1
#4715:1516:20Pitch 3U12 A · Plate Final & placingsPlateR3-3A vs PlateR3-3B1
#4815:1516:20Pitch 4U12 A · Plate Final & placingsPlateR3-4A vs PlateR3-4B1

The "Ref" column shows how many referees each match needs. Automatic referee assignment — conflict-free, with a duty sheet per referee — is a paid feature; unlock the watermark-free version to see names.

Competition rules

1. Applicable laws

  • This tournament is played under the current edition of the Laws of the Game published by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
  • Pitch size, number of players, ball size and match length for each youth age group follow the standards of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), as set out below.
  • Anything not covered by these regulations is decided by the referee on the day and by the tournament committee.

2. Age-group specifications (RFEF standard)

  • U12: 7-a-side, size 4 ball, 30′ each way (5′ half-time, about 65′ in total), 1 referee.

3. Points and ranking

  • Group stage: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a defeat.
  • Teams level on points are separated by, in order: head-to-head goal difference → head-to-head goals scored → overall goal difference → overall goals scored → fair play (fewer cards) → drawing lots.
  • Knockout and placing matches level at full time are decided by penalties, taken from the distance set for that age group.

4. Substitutions and eligibility

  • Rolling substitutions are recommended for youth matches (a substituted player may return to the pitch). The organiser confirms the number of substitutions before the tournament.
  • Players must fall within the birth years for their age group and hold valid registration or identification. The squad list approved at registration is the one that counts.
  • The number of players on the pitch and on the bench follows the format for that age group.

5. Discipline

  • Accumulated cautions carry a suspension; a player sent off leaves the field immediately and serves the suspension set out in these regulations. Disciplinary decisions rest with the tournament committee.
  • Coaches and team staff must follow the code of conduct for the venue; breaches are dealt with under these regulations.

6. Walkovers, postponements and appeals

  • A team that fails to appear without good reason loses 3–0 and may be removed from the rest of the tournament. Matches lost to weather or other events beyond anyone's control are rescheduled by the organiser.
  • Appeals against a result or a player's eligibility must be submitted in writing to the tournament committee within the time limit stated after that match. Late appeals are not heard.