PERL 105 Practicum: Scheduling Session

Factors to Consider Availability of space Availability of space Facility (size and suitability) Facility (size and suitability) Sport (length of games) Sport (length of games) Participant conflicts Participant conflicts Nature of competition (recreational or competitive) Nature of competition (recreational or competitive)

Selecting a Format Basic formats 1. Round Robin 2. Elimination 3. Combination The main difference between the two formats is the number of guaranteed games that teams will play. Therefore, it is important to decide on the nature of the tournament and whether you want to emphasize participation or competition.

Round Robin Ideally, all teams play each other at least once. Ensures all teams play the same number of games Ensures all teams play the same number of games For large leagues, pools are often used For large leagues, pools are often used Need more time for this format Need more time for this format Better for teams with less skill just looking to have fun Better for teams with less skill just looking to have fun Ex. NBA Regular Season Ex. NBA Regular Season

Round Robin Scheduling *Even # of Teams *Even # of Teams –Round 1 A vs B A vs B C vs D C vs D E vs F E vs F –Round 2 A vs D A vs D B vs F B vs F C vs E C vs E –Round 3 A vs F A vs F D vs E D vs E B vs C B vs C Etc… Etc… *uneven # of Teams (ie. there will be a bye) *uneven # of Teams (ie. there will be a bye) –Round 1 F vs A B vs C D vs E –Round 2 F vs C A vs E B vs D –Round 3 F vs E C vs D A vs B Etc…

Round Robin – Determining a winner Often attach points to wins, ties, and loses. Team with the most points wins. Often attach points to wins, ties, and loses. Team with the most points wins. –Ensure a small point differential You can just do # of wins You can just do # of wins Ties – you need a process to decide on ties at the end of your schedule Ties – you need a process to decide on ties at the end of your schedule –Consider head-to-head results, fairplay points, points for and against, etc…

Elimination Teams are eliminated from the competition after one or more losses Emphasizes winningEmphasizes winning Doesn’t take as much timeDoesn’t take as much time Better for teams with a high level of skill looking for a competitive formatBetter for teams with a high level of skill looking for a competitive format Games cannot end in a tieGames cannot end in a tie Ex. NHL Play-offsEx. NHL Play-offs

Byes Byes occur when there are an odd number of teams More difficult when scheduling elimination tournaments More difficult when scheduling elimination tournaments Get rid of all byes in the first round Get rid of all byes in the first round Number of participants (real or implied) needs to be a perfect power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16) Number of participants (real or implied) needs to be a perfect power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16)

Equal Total: Rank of teams is ______. Formula: ___________ (where N=number of teams)

Equal Difference: Rank of teams is _________ or all rankings are similar Formula: ___________ (where N=number of teams)

Combination Use a combination of both Round Robin and Elimination in the same schedule Preliminary rounds are often Round Robin (often include pools) and playoffs are EliminationPreliminary rounds are often Round Robin (often include pools) and playoffs are Elimination Ex. MacEwan Rec leagues and tournamentsEx. MacEwan Rec leagues and tournaments

Double Elimination Tournament Quicker tournament with more games per team Quicker tournament with more games per team Each team must lose twice before they are out Each team must lose twice before they are out Made up of a winners bracket and a losers bracket Made up of a winners bracket and a losers bracket –Winner of Losers Bracket can still win the tournament.

Scheduling Assignment Volleyball Tournament (Recreational) –8 teams –2 courts –1 hour games –8 hours total (9 am – 5 pm) –A tournament champion must be declared at the end of the tournament Build a schedule using any format you like. Be prepared to explain your choices.

Scheduling Assignment Volleyball Tournament (Recreational) –8 teams –2 courts –1 hour games –8 hours total (9 am – 5 pm) –A tournament champion must be declared at the end of the tournament –Double elimination tournament where the ranking of the teams is unknown