>If you are interested in running a tour for 2004 you should
contact Chris Hughes
I'd personally recommend contacting Chris with a well thought-out
BID, rather than a "well, I could go check out a venue I've seen" type
email. You shoud take into account how many pitches you can fit in, whether
you'll have to work around goalposts, etc, whether there's onsite shelter,
toilets, showers & changing rooms, bar, camping site, other local
accommodation options and facilites (e.g. local supermarket, pubs &
restaurants), how accessible the venue is, how many teams you think you can
host, plans and costings for trophies, and an estimation of the entrance
fee per team.
In my personal opinion, Bids should be copied to public forums
(BritDisc & the UKU website) so that the general playing populace, and other
potential TDs, is aware of how many bids there are, and their apparent quality.
This should also increase awareness of the potential profits that can be made
from running tournaments.
For those of you that are against profiteering (or, in favour of better
value for money!), I'd suggest that this publishing of Bids to a public forum
may/could result in a price war, and a general decrease in tournament entry
fees, or increase in the quality of facilities offered!
In response to the proposals that someone be paid something in the
region of �8k to organise and run tournaments for a year...
my personal opinion: paying peanuts will get you monkeys!
There's no way that �8k would cover the time & expenses I consider
required to find and checking out venues, then setting up and running
tournaments.
I'd envisage this as a full-time occupation. And �8k isn't a full time
salary!
Si Hill's suggestion that a couple of students
(or those people that tag along: girlfriends, boyfriends,
injured-so-not-players) be paid to staff a tournament is excellent! Tournaments
can be set up by one or two people, but it's difficult to run an event AND play
on the day.
Nationals 2002 hosted by Layout Dreams (Chris Hughes from BAF &
Wayne Retter from Fluid Druids) in Swindon had ONE additional paid member
of staff. Having Vanessa available to sound the hooters; collect and
collate the scores and SOTG votes; fill in the team names in the relevant
sections of the draw/schedule; tell teams where/when/who they next
play; how to find pitch X; where the water tap is; etc. was a HUGE HUGE
help.
Obviously, rates of pay for staff are negotiable, but something on the
region of �150.00 or more shouldn't be discounted!
