Run a Tennis Tournament in Oxford

Pick the right format for tennis

For tennis, the format that scales best is round robin (8 players or fewer) or pool play with playoffs (16+). The format you pick should match three things: how many players you have, how many courts you can run in parallel, and how many hours of court time you've got. Get those three numbers first, then pick the format that fits.

For Oxford-based tournaments, the practical answer is usually pool play with playoffs for fields of 12 or more, and round robin for smaller groups. Single elimination is the right call when time is tight — but it leaves half the field with one match.

Find courts in Oxford

Oxford — like the rest of the region — has both public and private court options. Public courts are usually free or low-cost but get booked solid on weekends, so plan ahead. Private clubs charge by the hour but offer better availability and equipment.

Book courts well in advance — at least 3-4 weeks for a weekend event. Confirm the booking the week before. Have a backup venue in mind in case something falls through.

Don't name specific venues here — every organiser will pick the venue that fits their network and budget. The principle is the same regardless: book early, confirm the week before, and have a backup.

Set up registration and entry fees

Use an app with built-in payments to handle entry fees. Cash-only and Venmo screenshots work for small groups but get unmanageable past 16 players. Volley handles registration and payments end to end.

Set up registration with a clear deadline at least a week before the event. Open it early — even if you don't think anyone will sign up immediately, an open registration page lets people share the link.

Schedule the day cleanly

Build the schedule before the day. Number every match, assign every court, and write the start time next to it. The schedule is your single source of truth on the day.

Have a single named time-keeper. One person, with a watch, who calls the start of each round. Don't let it become a committee decision — that's how tournaments fall behind by round 3.

Communicate with players

Have a single group chat for the day-of (WhatsApp or Telegram). Use it for last-minute changes and late updates. The group chat replaces the public address system you don't have.

Send a confirmation message the day before the event with venue address, parking info, start time, what to bring, and your phone number. Send a reminder the morning of. Over-communicate.

Run it in Volley

Volley is built for exactly this — running tournaments end to end with proper tennis scoring rules, live brackets, and built-in payments. Free on iOS and Android. Set up the tournament once, share the join link, and let players add themselves. The free Tournament Bracket Maker, Round Robin Generator, and Pool Play Generator on the Volley website are no-app alternatives if you only need printed brackets.