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📋 How many pitches do I need and how long will my tournament take?

8 August 2026

These two questions are the same question: the number of pitches determines how many matches can run at once, and therefore how long your tournament takes.

The calculation

duration ≈ (number of matches ÷ number of pitches) × (match length + change-over)

The change-over is the margin between two consecutive matches on the same pitch — for warming up, switching and entering the result. Count on 3 to 5 minutes; forget it and your tournament will run structurally late.

Example

12 teams in 3 groups of 4 gives 18 group matches. With 12 minutes of play and 3 minutes change-over:

  • 2 pitches: (18 ÷ 2) × 15 = 135 minutes, well over 2 hours
  • 3 pitches: (18 ÷ 3) × 15 = 90 minutes
  • 4 pitches: (18 ÷ 4) × 15 ≈ 68 minutes

Add a final stage of 4 matches and count on another 20 to 30 minutes — those matches parallelise less well because they wait on each other.

Why more pitches is not always faster

A team can only be on one pitch at a time. With 3 groups and 4 pitches, the fourth regularly sits empty because there is no match that can be scheduled without a conflict. Rule of thumb: roughly one pitch per group runs smoothly.

Think about rest too: do not let a team play two matches back to back. In UwTornooi you set a minimum rest for that; matches where a team gets too little recovery turn orange in the schedule.

Frequently asked questions

How many pitches do I need for 12 teams?

Three is the comfortable choice with 3 groups of 4: each group gets its own pitch and the 18 group matches are played in about an hour and a half. With two pitches the same tournament takes well over two hours.

How long does a tournament with 8 teams take?

With 2 groups of 4 that is 12 group matches. On 2 pitches, 12 minutes of play and 3 minutes change-over: (12 ÷ 2) × 15 = 90 minutes, plus a final stage of 3 or 4 matches.

What if one pitch is temporarily unavailable?

Put a break window on that one pitch instead of on the whole tournament. The rest play on and the generator schedules nothing there.

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