How to Organise a Volleyball Round Robin for A Group Of Friends

Step 1: Lock down the venue

Book the venue early. The longer the lead time, the more flexibility you get with court count and time slots. If you're using a public facility, confirm your booking the week before — overbookings happen.

Step 2: Run the day

Have a single named time-keeper. One person, with a watch, who calls the next round. Don't let it become a committee decision — that's how tournaments fall behind.

Step 3: Print everything you need

Print three things: the schedule, the scoresheets, and the standings template. Have spares of all three. Even if you're running everything from a phone, paper backup saves the day when battery dies.

Step 4: Pick the format up front

The format is the single most important decision. Match it to your time, court count, and player count. Don't pick round robin if you only have 3 hours and 12 players — you'll run out of time. Don't pick single elimination for 6 friends — they'll feel cheated.

Step 5: Build the schedule

Build the schedule before the day. Number every match, assign every court, and write the start time next to it. If you wing the schedule on the day, you will fall behind by round 2.

Tips for a group of friends

Don't turn a friend group event into a club tournament. Keep registration to a group chat message, charge a small amount that covers court hire, and finish with food and drinks.

Format guidance: round robin

Round robin is the fairest format because every player plays every other player. Generate the schedule with a free round robin generator so the rounds are balanced.

Use the linked free generator at the end of this guide to produce a printable schedule in seconds.

Common mistakes

Not communicating clearly before the day. People show up at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or with the wrong equipment because the organiser sent one cryptic message a week ago.