Run a water polo tournament: four periods,and pool time that adds up
The KNZB sets the playing time per class in a single table: four periods of eight, seven, six or five minutes of actual play. PlayTour knows all four and reserves exactly that playing time, so you plan the pool time around it with the figures your own competition uses.
What makes a water polo tournament different
Three things you plan around in water polo, and how PlayTour takes them into account.
The playing time that belongs to your class
Four periods is the one thing that never changes; how long a period lasts depends on the class. You pick the playing time per event, so the youth and the first teams can each follow their own row of the table on the same day.
- Four periods of 8 minutes for the top divisions and the national cup
- Four periods of 7 minutes for the second and third divisions
- Four periods of 6 minutes for the first class
- Four periods of 5 minutes for every second class and below, and youth
Your pool booking matches your own figures
The clock stops at every whistle, so actual play and pool time are two different numbers. The KNZB books ninety minutes of water for 32 minutes of play. PlayTour reserves the first figure, because that is the one printed in the federation table, and you plan the second with the changeover time you set yourself.
- 32 minutes of play against 90 minutes of pool time at 4 x 8
- 28, 24 and 20 minutes of play for the shorter formats
- Intervals and changeover time are set separately
- Clashes flagged before the schedule goes out
Finished level? Already decided
A goal is a goal and counts one, so the score is a tally rather than a total. When teams are level on points the KNZB looks first at the matches between them and only then at the figures across the whole competition, and that is how PlayTour has it set.
- The matches between the tied teams come first
- Then goal difference across the whole pool
- Then goals scored across the whole pool
- The order is yours to change per event
Setting up a water polo tournament
Four decisions, and PlayTour knows what each one means for the pool.
- 1
Pick the class and the playing time
Four periods of eight, seven, six or five minutes of actual play. You set it per event, so the under-16s and the men can run different lengths on the same day without you creating two tournaments.
- 2
Let teams enter themselves
The team manager enters the team and invites the players, who confirm for themselves. You set the minimum and maximum squad size per event. Collecting the entry fee online is coming soon.
- 3
Draw the pools and plan the water
Pools, pools into a knockout, or a straight elimination draw. The schedule stays inside the hours you booked and flags a clash before you publish, so you do not find out on the morning itself.
- 4
Play and count
Goals come in from the desk and the pool standings keep up. Teams move into the knockout on their own, and the final result is ready as soon as the last period ends.
Water polo tournament questions
How much pool time should I book for a 4 x 8 match?+
The KNZB plans ninety minutes for it. PlayTour reserves the 32 minutes of actual play, because that is the figure printed in the federation table and the only one fixed per class. You book the rest of the water with the changeover time you set per event, intervals between the periods included.
Can a match end level in our tournament?+
In a league it can, and that is exactly what the KNZB prescribes: three points for a win and one for a draw. For a cup tie World Aquatics wants a winner and a penalty shoot-out follows. PlayTour accepts the draw, because that is the result played here every Saturday, and cannot insist round by round that a winner comes out. A shoot-out does not change the goals, so the system reads the match as drawn and you decide who goes through.
How is a pool decided when teams are level on points?+
On the order you set, which in water polo starts with the matches between the tied teams: the points from those first, then the goal difference in them, then the goals scored in them. After that come goal difference and goals scored across the whole pool. One KNZB rung is missing: between those two steps the federation also looks at the goals scored away in the matches between the teams, and the table cannot tell an away fixture from a home one.
Can the youngest age groups take part?+
For every class with a net playing time in the KNZB table the format is there. For the youngest groups the KNZB publishes no net playing time, only a planning time, and we are not putting in a format with an invented figure. You can still schedule those matches by setting the duration of the event yourself.
Does every player need an account?+
The team manager does, because they enter the team. Players get an invitation and confirm for themselves that they are taking part.
Put your water polo tournament up and let the teams sign on
A free account, your events each with the playing time that belongs to them, and the link shared around the region. That is the admin of the day finished. Publishing and taking entries are part of the free plan; the draw, the playing schedule and live results come with a paid plan.