There are numerous structures or formats that can be utilised when running an event.
Common structures and formats that are used in event management include:
Knock out competitions
Round robin, pools and leagues
Carnival of events
Handicapping and seeding
Expeditions
Tabloid events
A knock out competition consists of a number of players or teams, with players often ‘seeded’, meaning they are ranked on their ability. In a knock out, the top two seeded (best) players are placed on opposite ends of the draw so they can’t meet until the final (provided they don’t lose beforehand!). There are no second chances in this type of format. If you lose, you are out of the tournament or event. This format is commonly used in sporting events that begin with large number of teams or individual players, e.g. the Australian Open.
Round Robins are played with four or more competitors or teams. Each competitor or team plays all other teams, irrespective of the results.
Everyone plays the same number of games with the winner being the person or team with the most wins or points after all rounds are complete. If there are a large number of teams or individual competitors, pools may be used. In this context, a pool refers to a group of individual competitors or teams. All teams or competitors still play each other and the winner of the pool usually progresses to a finals series. This format is often utilised for one day sporting gala days such as the PDSSSC Oz Tag Championships (see draw below). This format is also used at the highest level. The IRB Rugby World Cup is a great example of Round Robin and Pool formats. This format is also used at the FIFA Football World Cup.
A round robin style of competition can also be used for a weekly competition using a home and away basis. A final series would be needed for this structure.
Leagues are competitions that use league tables to group teams of similar abilities in a chart to show the current standing of the participants (teams or individuals). These lists are generally published as a ladder in newspapers and other media, as well as the official web sites of the sports leagues and competitions.
League tables often show winning percentage (depending on the sport), sorted in order of points or percentage. However, many league tables show further statistics; these may include:
wins
losses
draws or ties
goal differential (Goals scored minus goals conceded)
home/away win/loss records
Examples of leagues include NRL, AFL, A-League, Super 15 Rugby and the ANZ Netball Championship.
This format or structure is commonly used for sports where there are a large number of individual events that need to be completed. A carnival of events may last for one day (e.g. school swimming carnival), or go for several weeks (e.g. the Olympics). View the attached Cerdon College Swimming Carnival Program.
Handicapping is when the best athlete, team or animal (as in horseracing) has a more difficult task to complete to win because they have been deemed to be the better or more talented competitor. (View the short video below)
For an athlete competing in the Stawell Gift (a professional athletics foot race) the better or faster athletes will start back on the track, meaning they actually run further than other competitors. Previous race times are used to calculate the handicap (Watch the video below)
Another example of an event that employs handicapping is the Melbourne Cup. The better horses carry more weight.
Seeding is when athletes are graded or ranked based on their ability. Better athletes have higher rankings. This structure is at times utilised to form pools in round robin formats or to form the draw of a knock out tournament.
Racing Explained - Handicapping
Individual or a group to participate in an activity or series of activities that lasts several days or weeks. It is commonly used to organise outdoor education or adventure-type experiences. An example of an expedition type activity is the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The program aims to develop a range of skills in outdoor education activities, including expeditions, in a range of outdoor environments. According to the Duke of Edinburgh Australia, today over 143 countries have adopted The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program and more than 8 million young people have participated worldwide. Visit the website and view the video attached below for more information.
Experiences that last a lifetime - Duke Of Edinburgh's International Award-Australia
A tabloid event is a structure or format that allows maximum participation in a series of activities.
Competitors are grouped together, often by age. They then move around a series of events as a group and participate in all events on offer. Often Athletics carnivals and school activity days adopt a tabloid format to ensure that large groups are engaged and competing with athletes of similar age and ability.
1. Complete the following table. Identify which structures or formats best suit each of the events listed. Justify why you think this format is best suited.