A handball tournament with three playing times,one hall day and a schedule that matches
Handball has a playing time of its own for every age group, and the clock runs. Two halves of 30 minutes are therefore about an hour of hall, and the schedule works with that rather than around it.
Setting up a handball tournament
- 1
Pick the playing time that belongs to the age group
Two halves of 30 minutes for everybody aged 16 and over, two of 25 for the 12 to 16 group and two of 20 for the 8 to 12 group. If a lot has to get through one day, two halves of 15 minutes sit beside them, though that is not a federation playing time.
- 2
Let teams enter themselves
The team manager enters the team and invites the players, who confirm for themselves. Per event you set the entry fee, the number of places and the squad size. Collecting the entry fee online is coming soon.
- 3
Draw the pools across your halls
Every pool is laid across the halls you listed at once, with its own choice per pool, stage or round. If it does not fit the hours you booked, you hear about it before you publish.
- 4
Play and count
Results come in from the desk and the pool table keeps up. Teams move into the knockout rounds on their own, and the final standings are done when the last match is in.
Why a handball schedule adds up differently
The hall booking matches reality
In handball the clock stops only for a time-out, and each side has one per half. Two halves of 30 minutes are therefore about an hour of hall, plus the interval and the changeover you add in the schedule. Booking is simpler than in a sport whose clock halts at every interruption.
- Two halves of 30 minutes from 16 and over
- Two halves of 25 minutes for the 12 to 16 group
- Two halves of 20 minutes for the 8 to 12 group
- Two halves of 15 minutes for a busy tournament day
Two teams level? Fixed in advance
When teams are level on points, handball looks first at the results between all the teams that are level, then at the total goal difference and then at the goal ratio. That order is ready to use, because no standard order starts there.
- A mini table of every team that is level, first
- Then goal difference across all matches
- Then goal ratio, a quotient rather than a difference
- Points per result are yours to set, say two and one
Beach handball runs beside the hall
On sand a match is not a goal total but a set score. Two periods of 10 minutes are scored separately, a level period goes to a golden goal, so every period has a winner. Winning both periods wins the match 2-0, and one period each is decided by a shoot-out.
- Two periods of 10 minutes, scored separately
- A result of 2-0 or 2-1, with the period scores behind it
- Inside a period the figure counts points, because some goals count double
- Four a side, as an event of its own beside the hall
Handball tournament questions
In the hall
Which playing time belongs to which age group?+
Two halves of 30 minutes for everybody aged 16 and over, two halves of 25 minutes for the 12 to 16 age group and two halves of 20 minutes for the 8 to 12 age group. All three are ready as formats, with two halves of 15 minutes beside them for a tournament day that is full.
How much hall time should I book per match?+
The minutes shown against a format are playing time, so the interval and the changeover go on top of them in the schedule. Because the handball clock runs and is stopped only for a time-out, the real length is close to the playing time given.
How is a pool decided when teams are level on points?+
First on the results between all the teams that are level, then on goal difference across all matches, then on goal ratio. Anything still level is decided by a play-off, which you schedule yourself as a fixture.
On the sand
What does a beach handball result look like?+
A set score with the periods behind it, for instance 2-0 (10-8, 12-9). Two periods of 10 minutes are scored separately and a level period goes to a golden goal, so every period has a winner and a beach match cannot end in a draw.
And if each team wins a period?+
A shoot-out settles it: five throws each, taken alternately. The final score is then 2-1, and the period scores stay beside the result. In a beach pool the first tiebreak is the number of matches won, and the head to head follows it.
Why does a period count points rather than goals?+
Because on sand not every goal is worth one. A goal from a 6-metre throw, a goal scored by the goalkeeper and a spectacular goal each count for two, so the figure in a period is a points total. That total goes into the result; which goal counted double is not recorded separately beside it.
Put your handball tournament online
A free account, your pools laid out and the link sent to the clubs nearby. That is the day entirely administered. Publishing and taking entries are part of the free plan; the draw, the playing schedule and live results come with a paid plan.