How to create a round robin tournament draw

Round Robin Tournament

Round Robin Format

One of the most common formats for a tournament is a two-pool Round Robin. In this format, teams or players are divided into two groups. Then each player/team in each group plays every other player/team once. After all pool matches have been completed, the top two teams in each pool go forward to a finals series in which loses are knocked out.

It is perfectly possible to have pools where only winners go through to the knockout semifinal stage, or the top two team go through to the quarter-final.

The number of pools and the number of players/teams in each pool depends on the total time available, the duration of each match, and the number of pitches/courts. In a junior soccer/football tournament, matches can be as short as 15 minutes each way (30 minutes total).

The Schedule of Matches

As an organiser of a Round Robin Tournament, it is very important to create a schedule of matches in which there is no error. The two main issues in creating a draw for a Round Robin Tournament is that it is necessary to:

Avoid missing a match, an easy thing to do!
Avoid back-to-back matches for any team/athlete as this may put them at a disadvantage

The schedule of matches needs to be made known to all teams/players well in advance otherwise there are risks that teams/players may arrive late for the first few matches.

Using Tournament Scheduling Software

In situations where an organisation or club regularly conducts tournaments, either knockout or round robin, it is worthwhile to consider the purchase of tournament scheduling software. It will save you time and greatly reduce the likelihood of error.

All-Pro Tournament Scheduler Pro is an excellent example because it very versatile and easy to use. This software package has many useful features and you will be able to:

Create tournament charts and schedules for Single Elimination, Double Elimination, Pool Play, Round-Robin, and Consolation
Enables teams/players to be seeded
Handle multiple events and multiple locations
Publish tournament charts, game schedule and results online

If you are interested to try this software you should visit All Pro Software - Easiest to use Sports Statistics Tracking and Scheduling Software.