How to run a successful Tournament on Main Court

Step 1: Create Your Tournament

Start by pressing the “+” button on the app's bottom toolbar. Then press “Tournaments” and “New.” Fill out the required tournament details, such as:

• Name
• Type
• Location
• Date and time
• Whether you want others in the area to see your tournament

After inputting this information, upload an event image. Main Court will review this image to ensure it meets the platform’s quality standards, typically within 4 business hours. Once your tournament is approved, you can set up your divisions and invite players.

Set your tournament to “Open” so that all Main Court users can see it. If you do not set your tournament to “Open,” you will need to have enough “friends” or “groups” in the app to fill your divisions.

Step 2: Add Divisions

Press the “+” button in the bottom toolbar of the app, then “Tournaments,” and select “Existing.” Click on the tournament you want to add divisions to.

For “Enter Title of Tournament,” input the division title. We recommend including:

• Gender of the division
• Event type (e.g., singles, doubles, mixed)
• Level (e.g., “Men’s Doubles 4.5+”).

Continue entering the division information and press “Next.” To add more divisions, repeat this process.

Important Note: Players on Main Court can register for tournaments at or above their skill level but not below. This feature ensures fair competition within divisions and maintains the integrity of skill-based matchmaking.

Step 3: Invite Players

Use Main Court’s filters to invite players by skill level. You can select players from:

• Your friends list
• Groups
• Your network

Invites are sent via app notifications and emails. Ensure your players know where to find the invites under the notification area of the app. The email will include your event poster and any notes you put into the division notes, so make these notes as engaging as possible.

Managing Your Tournament

Step 4: Pairing & Unpairing Players

• Pairing Players:

  Players can pair themselves when signing up by paying for their partner (if their partner is also on the app). Players can also pair themselves after registering by clicking the pairing button.

Organizers can pair players manually:

1. Click on your tournament.
2. Scroll to “Confirmed Players.”
3. Select the “Bookmark” icon next to the player you want to pair.
4. Choose the second player and confirm your selection.

• Unpairing Players:

1. Go to “Tournament Details” and find the “Confirmed Players” section.
2. Tap “Partner” to view current partnerships.
3. Click the trash icon to unpair players. Confirm your selection.

Step 5: Reinvite Players

Seven days after sending your initial invites, you can reinvite players or invite new ones who have joined since your first invite.

Use the “View Invited” section to manage invites. To invite new players, press the “+” button in the upper-right corner.

Step 6: Use Email for Tournament Communication

Regular communication with players via email is key.

• Send reminders to confirmed players.
• Ask players to invite others to join.
• Reconnect with past participants to engage experienced players.

Step 7: Export Tournament Data

Use the Export function to receive an email with Excel worksheets containing:

• Player information
• Partners
• Divisions
• Payments

This makes managing check-ins and tracking tournament details efficient.

Step 8: Promote Your Tournament

1. Go to “Tournaments” on your home page.
2. Swipe to “Scheduled” and select the tournament you want to promote.

3. Tap the “Share” button in the upper-right corner to share the entire tournament.

For social media, press “More” to share on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Include the tournament URL in the post text.

Tagging: Tag @maincourtpickleball on Instagram and @maincourt on Facebook to increase visibility.

Step 9: Manage Payments and Refunds

Players pay through Main Court’s integrated payment system, which handles all fees transparently.

• Organizers receive full registration fees while players cover platform and Stripe fees.
• Payments are released 15 minutes before the tournament starts and should appear in the organizer’s bank account within 2–10 days.

Refunds are processed automatically if a player cancels more than 24 hours before the event.

Step 10: Use the Waitlist

Use the Waitlist feature to manage overflow when a division is full. Players on the waitlist are notified when spots open up.

Important: Players must register and pay after being notified, or their spot may be taken by another player.

Step 11: Thank Participants and Notify Them of Upcoming Tournaments

After your tournament, go to your past tournaments and send a thank-you email to participants.

• Include details of upcoming tournaments.
• Encourage players to join future events.

Need Help?

If you have any questions, contact Main Court via the Support section of the app or email us at info@maincourt.com.