Hotels for Youth Sporting Tournaments: Group Discounts and Logistics

December 5, 2024

Are you planning a youth sporting event in 2025? Taken over a team and facing your first season as manager or coach of a young team? When it comes to lodging and group hotel rates, we got your back!

Engine is the leader when it comes to group booking. Our platform was built specifically for groups, crews, and teams. We offer an aggressive and stackable rewards program that you can use with your typical hotel rewards program and enjoy 2x the savings.

In addition, we offer pre-negotiated hotel rates for groups with over 700,000 hotel partners across the globe. This means bigger savings for you and your team. Click here to learn more about our group booking platform.

Just a few examples where we offer group hotel rates:

The Youth Sporting Scene

The youth sports scene is huge (warning – Youtube video) and continues to grow. Which is great as it provides a steady stream of new talent to professional teams.

If you’re a coach or have stepped up from coaching to management, you have a lot on your plate.

Don’t let organizing tournaments be one of your headaches.

We’re going to share 5 steps to organizing sporting games and events, from setting the date to securing hotel booking discounts for the teams.

Let’s get to it!

Youth sporting tournaments

Whether it’s a local Little League or nationals, organizing tournaments can seem like a huge undertaking.

It is, but it’s also easily achievable with the right approach.

Like most things in life, break it down into bitesize pieces and organizing a tournament can be a breeze.

There are 5 main steps to organizing youth sporting tournaments:

Scheduling
Funding and budget setting
Organizing insurance, safety and security
Organizing accommodation
Communication and marketing

Let’s take a look at each of these in a little more detail.

Scheduling youth tournaments

Scheduling can be simple or much more complex depending on the sport.

Some sports require a stadium while others just require a field, park, beach or something much simpler.

Some sports require tournaments at certain times of the year, like local or regional finals or at the end of a season.

Consider:

The type of event
Event format
Duration of the tournament
The number and type of sports teams
Hotels for sports teams if required

Each of these will have a bearing on team and accommodation availability so will need careful consideration.

The ideal schedule is one that doesn’t clash with other sporting events and that are at a logical time for the sport in question.

There should also be enough time to market, communicate and organize the event.

Funding and budgeting

Funding and budgeting can also be simple or more complex.

Smaller tournaments may only require some equipment and a field. Others may require a stadium sponsorship, transport, prizes and more.

Consider:

Charging teams enough to cover the costs
Applying for grants or funding from local authorities
Working with schools and colleges to secure funding
Approaching local businesses with sponsorship opportunities
Any other local funding opportunities

Events that require security, infrastructure and insurance will likely require funding or sponsors. This can come from your organization, local authorities, schools or private sector sponsorship.

The more involved the event, the more time you’ll need to bring it all together.

Organizing insurance, safety and security

Organizing insurance, safety and security is usually best delegated to someone who has done it before.

This is probably the most complex area of managing youth sporting events and games.

Insurance is complicated, contractual and potentially expensive. Get it right and you’re fully covered for every eventuality. Get it wrong…

Safety and security are the same. If required for your event, they need an expert eye.

Consider hiring an event safety company or consultant and take their advice where relevant.

Organizing hotels & accommodation

Not all tournaments will require hotels, but if yours does, addressing it early will definitely help.

Communicate with local hotels and accommodation companies who specialize in group reservations and discounts (like us!).

Start early and you could secure big hotel discounts for the teams and players in return for guaranteed occupancy.

Consider:

Working with a platform to manage sports team hotel booking
Communicating directly with accommodation providers
Securing discounts for block booking
Booking early enough secure sufficient accommodation for all teams

Hotels for sports teams can be hard to book at certain times of year. The earlier you start, the higher your chances of success.

We recommend starting early, using a hotel booking system, grouping bookings wherever possible and making sure every team or attendee pays a deposit.

Communication and marketing

Communication and marketing are an essential part of organizing youth sporting tournaments.

If people don’t know it’s happening, they won’t attend. Fortunately, you have multiple channels at your disposal, from social media to local and sports press.

Consider:

Advertising in local press, news or TV
Using school newsletters, websites, forums and other channels
Leveraging social media and the internet
Sporting press
Arranging interviews for you, your team or attending teams

The earlier you communicate the dates, venue and potential hotels for sports teams, the more time teams have to prepare, raise money and book.

Organizing youth sporting tournaments

There’s a lot involved with organizing youth tournaments. But if you approach it logically, use all resources you have at your disposal and the people around you, it’s very possible.

While it may feel like there’s a lot for you to do, setting the date, securing hotels for sports teams and other tasks, you’re probably not alone.

Start early, make a plan, use the people around you and work with local resources and your event should be a huge success!

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Biggest Youth Sporting Tournaments for 2025

Basketball:

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL):The EYBL is a premier circuit for 17-and-under teams, featuring top high school talent from across the nation. The season culminates in the prestigious Peach Jam tournament, held annually in July at the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, South Carolina. This event is a key showcase for college recruiters and basketball scouts.
USA Basketball Youth Tournaments: Organized by USA Basketball, these 5x5 tournaments provide middle and high school divisions with high-quality competition environments. The events emphasize skill development and sportsmanship, attracting teams nationwide. Specific dates and locations for 2025 are to be announced.
American Youth Basketball Tour (AYBT) Nationals: Scheduled for July 11-13, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this tournament offers a five-game guarantee for boys' and girls' teams from 3rd grade through varsity levels. The AYBT Nationals focus on providing competitive play and development opportunities for young athletes.
Youth Basketball of America (YBOA) National Championships: The YBOA hosts its National Championships at the AdventHealth Fieldhouse in Winter Haven, Florida.‍
Grassroots 365 "The Finals": Set for June 17, 2025, in Anaheim, California, this tournament gathers elite basketball talent from across the country. It offers national exposure and competitive play, with team and individual awards recognizing outstanding performances.‍
Hardwood Basketball Tournaments: Operating year-round, Hardwood Basketball organizes events across Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Their 2025 schedule includes various tournaments catering to 1st through 12th-grade boys and girls, emphasizing affordability and competitive play.

Soccer:

US Youth Soccer National Championships: This premier event will take place from July 22 to July 27, 2025, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. It features top teams from across the nation competing for national titles.
Target USA CUP: Recognized as the largest youth soccer tournament in North America, it is scheduled for July 11-13 and July 15-19, 2025, in Blaine, Minnesota. The event is expected to host over 1,100 teams from around the world.

Baseball:

Little League World Series: Set for August 14 to 24, 2025, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, this annual tournament brings together the best Little League teams globally to compete for the championship.
USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI): Held every March in Cary, North Carolina, the NHSI gathers 16 of the top high school baseball teams from across the country, offering national exposure and high-level competition.

Softball:

U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals: After group stages in 2024, the finals will be held in 2025 in Dallas, Texas. This tournament features the world's top U-18 women's softball teams competing for the title.

Ice Hockey:

IIHF World U18 Championships: Scheduled from April 23 to May 3, 2025, in Frisco and Allen, Texas, this international tournament showcases the best under-18 ice hockey talent from around the globe.

Flag Football:

NFL FLAG Championships: Aligned with the NFL's Pro Bowl festivities, this event features youth flag football teams from across the country competing at a national level. The 2025 dates and location are to be announced, but it traditionally occurs in late January or early February.

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Article written by

HE Marketing

Meet the Engine Marketing Team, where creativity is combined with strategy to craft engaging and informative content. Our team is dedicated to curating stories and articles that provide valuable insights into the world of travel, accommodation, and hospitality.