Non-productive is the best way to describe the opening of the skies on soccer tournaments (or any event, for that matter!) But the irony is that tournament participants somehow manage to blame the organizers and/or the venue.
Unfortunately, tournament organizers don't command the atmospheric conditions. Why not blame the local weather man, who promised a sunny day! When heavy rains drench the fields and render them unplayable, it affects everybody: the players, coaches, referees AND the host soccer organization.
One incident that comes to mind involved a tournament that experienced a down-pour both the day prior to the event and the first day of the event. The tournament matches were canceled at most venues, with the exeption of one venue which remained open throughout the weekend. At tournament's end, the fields were destroyed and remained closed for the entire soccer season. Who suffered for this misfortune? The league players who lost the use of those particular fields for eight weeks! That's the balancing act that a tournament director must face.
A little turf management education will help all of us. Imagine the root zone of the turf as a wet sponge. When the soil is wet, the root zone has nothing to grasp, thereby loosening the soil particles beneath it. Ultimately what occurs is that the grass becomes detached, destroying the entire turf. The 4-6 inch root now becomes only 1-2 inches which ultimately causes the grass to die. So no soccer for anybody.
The cost of putting on a tournament is large. And the cost of attending the tournament is also large. So, who wins (or loses) when a tournament is hampered by bad weather? Unfortunately nobody brings home the trophy.
Let's explore the rain-out insurance options for your tournament.
Cancellation Insurance
There are several forms of event cancellation insurance. However, before purchasing insurance beware of what you are buying.
Rain insurance can be purchased by identifying a selected increment of rainfall over a specified time, date, location and dollar amount of coverage. There are no guarantees that you will be reimbursed for the the entire tournament but rather on a day by day basis that your event is affected. The costs associated with these types of insurance products are based on several years of historical weather data at your location, date(s) and hour(s) applied. A percentage rate is derived from the historical data to which you then multiply the policy's agreed coverage value.
Premium rates generally vary depending on the above parameters. For example, a special event coverage such as a one-day outdoor event may require a rate of between two (2%) and ten (10%) percent of the total limit of insurance requested. Longer-term coverage's (more than one day) can range between one (1%) to five (5%) percent. To determine a premium amount, you take the rate and multiply by the amount of insurance needed per day (i.e., $100,000 insurance coverage x 5.0% rate = $5,000.) There are several companies that offer "event cancellation insurance" and Google will provide you with all the research needed.
Hotel Cancellation Policies
Some events purchase hotel cancellation insurance which at a minimum offers the participant a complete refund of the 1-2 night requirement that hotels are now mandating of tournaments. This insurance is extremely costly and to my knowledge is only available via Lloyd's of London. I know of only one housing company that offers this benefit to its tournaments (due to cost).
Insurance Has A High Price Tag
There are no easy answers. The cost to purchase event cancellation for most tournaments is far too expensive. Like teams who lose their entry fee, the tournaments encounter costs prior to the event that are also unrecoverable – trophies, assignor fees, field and field prep fees, equipment fees, printed materials, contracted labor, etc. What we can do is assess the costs incurred, cover those costs and refund teams the balance of their entry fee after hard costs have been met.
There is no easy solution to pleasing unhappy parents and coaches who feel as though the tournament has "taken the money and run."
So, who do you blame when it rains? Who solves the problem? I would welcome feedback on how to make it equitable for all the parties involved. Please email me at lwaxler@verizon.net.
Louise Waxler is president of Integrated Sports Management Inc., a tournament and event consulting and operations firm. She is also Director of Soccer Programs for the Maryland Soccer Foundtion. She has served as tournament director for the Columbia (MD) Cup and the Washington Area Girls Soccer (WAGS) Tournaments and was an operations executive for both the 2003 Women's Women's World Cup and the WUSA Washington Freedom. Louise is past president of the NSCAA and founder of the Kicks Against Breast Cancer soccer tournament program. For information on the tournament, camp and other operations services of ISM Inc., contact her at lwaxler@verizon.net.