6 4 Competitions What different types and levels

6. 4 Competitions What different types and levels of competition are commonly available? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different types?

Competitions One of the greatest appeals of taking part in physical activity is the element of competitiveness. Various ways in which they can be structured… O Knockouts O Leagues O Ladders O Combination events

Knockouts Simple format where the winner advances to the next round and the loser is eliminated from the competition. Player/Teams will often be seeded to ensure better teams don’t meet in the early rounds Advantages Disadvantages O Quick and easy to organise. O If you lose may only get 1 O Can allow high numbers of game. O May need qualifying events or byes to make the numbers work entrants (half drop out each round)

Leagues O Most commonly used O All teams play each other a set number of times over a season. Advantages Disadvantages O Can cater for large entries O Lasts a long period of time with several leagues O Ensures everyone get same number of games O Arrangements can be made in advance for ticket selling O Weather conditions can lead to fixture congestion later on in season. O Lower leagues (Local) suffer from regular changes to structure

Ladder O Set number of players in a list O You can challenge people above you and take their place Advantages Disadvantages O Well suited to racquet sports O Progress can be slow O Simple to run and administer O Only suits a fairly small entry

Combination events Combine elements of the previous, most commonly group leagues with winners reaching knockout stages. Advantages Disadvantages O As many games as you like O Can take a long time to can be played- flexible O Teams may get more than one chance to qualify O Allows for high numbers of team to be involved complete O May be some ‘meaningless’ games where results doesn’t matter.

The best thing about combination events….