Lessons from My First Pickleball Tournament as a Director

Hey there, pickleball Tournament Directors!

I recently jumped into an exciting new role—serving as a Tournament Director for the first time—and I wanted to share a few lessons I learned along the way. I volunteered to direct a fundraiser tournament happening this weekend (March 2nd), and preparing for it has been both enlightening and exhilarating.

Using the Pickleball Brackets tournament software by Pickleball Play Solutions (formerly PickleballTournaments.com) made the process much easier, and along the way I picked up a few insights that may help fellow tournament directors—especially those just getting started.

You may already know some of these tips, but they might still be helpful reminders for your next event.

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1. PT Perks Makes You Look Good

One of the first things I discovered was how powerful PT Perks can be.

Think of it like having a backstage pass—it connects you with sponsors and gives your tournament an extra layer of professionalism.

Through PT Perks, I was able to partner with sponsors such as:

• ONIX
• Pickleball Pro
• Pickleball Central
• Jigsaw Health

These partnerships brought complimentary and discounted items to our players, which added excitement and helped elevate the overall experience.

Not only did the perks make players happy, but they also helped attract more participants. And let’s be honest—who doesn’t enjoy free swag and sponsor giveaways?

It made the tournament feel like a pro-level event without all the extra stress (well… mostly).

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2. Use the Built-In Simulator Early and Often

Now for a small confession.

The built-in simulator in Pickleball Brackets software is incredibly helpful for estimating court capacity and scheduling. Unfortunately, I discovered just how powerful it is a little later in the planning process than I should have.

Picture this: registration numbers climbing quickly while I’m frantically running the simulator to make sure we didn’t end up playing matches into the middle of the night.

Thankfully, I was able to adjust the scoring formats to keep things manageable—but it was definitely a learning moment.

The takeaway?

Use the simulator early and often.

It helps predict match flow, court usage, and tournament timing long before you reach the panic stage.

Trust me—it can save you a lot of stress.

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3. Advertising Is Worth It

Like many tournament organizers—especially for fundraisers—I was trying to keep expenses low and maximize donations.

Because of that, I initially decided to keep the tournament private and avoid advertising it widely on platforms like Pickleball Brackets.

While that saved some money, it also created an unexpected problem: players had trouble finding the registration link.

This led to a lot of emails and messages from players asking where to sign up—and I quickly became very familiar with the phrase:

"Did you check your spam folder?"

The lesson?

Sometimes spending a little money on advertising and visibility can actually save a lot of time and administrative work.

Making registration easier for players makes your life easier too.

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Looking Ahead

As I prepare for tournament day, I’d love to hear from other tournament directors.

If you have favorite tips, tricks, or lessons learned while using Pickleball Brackets software, share them! Insights from experienced directors can make a big difference for newcomers like me.

We’re all part of the same growing pickleball community, and helping each other makes running tournaments easier—and more fun.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll share what it was actually like running the tournament on event day.

Until then—happy pickle-ing!

Casie Caldwell
Pickleball Play Solutions