The wrestling tournament checklist
By Smart Wrestler · Updated 2026-09-14
Everything a host does from eight weeks out to the day after, in the order it needs doing. Print it or work down it on the platform.
Quick answer
A wrestling tournament checklist runs in phases: eight weeks out, book the venue, confirm sanction or insurance, and set the date and format; six weeks out, connect Stripe, build and publish the event, and open registration; two weeks out, recruit table workers and volunteers, order awards, and confirm mats, scales, and medical; the day before, close registration, generate preview brackets, and set up mats and tables; on the morning, run weigh ins and check in, lock brackets, assign mats, and start; during, keep mats fed and score every match; after, complete the tournament, post awards, reconcile payments, and thank the crew.
Eight weeks out: the foundations
- Book the venue with enough floor for your mats plus warm up space, and confirm bleacher capacity and parking.
- Decide the format: style, individual or team, divisions, weight classes, bracket structure, and number of mats. Style is locked once created, so decide it now.
- Confirm sanction, insurance, and medical coverage requirements for your level.
- Set the entry fee, refund policy, capacity, and registration deadline, using the entry fees and budget guide.
- Request an Admin account on Smart Wrestler and start Stripe verification; it can take days and the event cannot take a paid entry until Stripe can accept charges.
Six weeks out: publish and open registration
- Build the tournament: agreement, details and contact email, format, weigh in rules, weight classes, registration settings and consents, fee and refund policy, review.
- Upload your own liability form if you use one.
- Pay the hosting fee for the capacity you reserve and publish. Registration opens immediately.
- Announce to clubs and schools with the tournament link. Registration and payment happen on the family's phone.
- Watch the registrations page weekly; raise capacity early if you will pass your tier.
Two weeks out: people and supplies
- Recruit table workers (two per mat), weigh in staff, check in volunteers, an awards volunteer, and a head table. Give each their own Staff or Volunteer login.
- Order medals or awards for every place you will award, per division and weight class.
- Confirm mats, mat tape, scales (calibrated), tablets or laptops for each table, chargers, and Wi-Fi or hotspots.
- Arrange an athletic trainer or medical presence and a first aid station.
- Line up referees for your mat count and format, and confirm their rate.
- Plan concessions, admission if any, and the announcer or PA.
The day before: setup
- Registration closes at the deadline; review the roster and cancel any known scratches.
- Generate preview brackets and read the warnings: thin classes to merge, duplicate seeds, experience gaps.
- Lay mats, tape boundaries, set tables with a scoring device and the spectator display for each mat.
- Test every device on the venue Wi-Fi; open the scoring screen and the mat display on each.
- Post signage: weigh in, check in, mats by number, awards, restrooms, and the tournament link for families.
Tournament morning: weigh in to first whistle
- Open weigh ins and check in on time. Unpaid entries are blocked automatically; direct them to register on their phone.
- Close weigh ins, regenerate brackets from the final field, resolve the last warnings, and lock.
- Assign groups to mats, set group order, and turn on the dynamic queue.
- Brief table workers: start, score, undo, confirm pins; every action is on the audit trail.
- Press Start Tournament. The roster goes public, scoring opens, and families see brackets and mats.
During and after
- Keep mats fed: the queue does this; a head table watches for stalls and injuries.
- Use broadcast notifications for announcements families need (lunch break, awards timing).
- Correct any mis-scored match by reopening it; the bracket and audit trail are preserved.
- As weight classes finish, awards post automatically; hand out medals from the awards page.
- Press Complete Tournament to send final placement notifications and close staff access.
- Reconcile in Stripe, pay referees and the venue, export the registration CSV for the treasurer, and send a thank you with results to every club.
Step-by-step
Step 1: Eight weeks out
Book the venue, decide the format and style, confirm sanction and medical, set fees and capacity, request hosting, and start Stripe verification.
Step 2: Six weeks out
Build the tournament in the eight step wizard, pay the hosting fee, publish, and announce the registration link.
Step 3: Two weeks out
Recruit and assign staff and volunteers with their own logins, order awards, confirm mats, scales, devices, connectivity, medical, and referees.
Step 4: The day before
Close registration, generate preview brackets and resolve warnings, lay mats, set tables and displays, test devices, post signage.
Step 5: Tournament morning
Run weigh ins and check in, regenerate and lock brackets, assign mats, brief tables, and start the tournament.
Step 6: During and after
Keep mats fed, correct scores as needed, hand out awards as classes finish, complete the tournament, reconcile payments, and thank the crew.
Frequently asked questions
How many table workers do I need?
Two per mat is comfortable: one scoring on the device, one running the clock and calling bouts. One can do it with practice.
How early should I open registration?
Four to six weeks before the event. Earlier for large invitationals where teams plan their season.
What is the most common reason a tournament cannot publish?
A missing contact email, a division without a period duration, a deadline after the start date, Stripe not ready, or an unpaid hosting fee. The error names it.
Do I need paper bout sheets as a backup?
Many hosts print brackets the night before as a fallback. Everything runs live on the platform, and completed matches are preserved.
Keep exploring
Work the checklist on the platform
Registration, payments, brackets, mats, scoring, and awards, all in one host account.