Help Center Tournament Owner Guide

Tournament Owner Guide

Create, configure, and run a complete tournament from first setup to final results — all from your TT Stars owner dashboard.

10 sections ~15 min read Video tutorials included
Step 1

Create a Tournament

Start by setting up the basic details. You can always edit them before publishing.

1
Open the Owner Dashboard

Go to Dashboard → My Tournaments → Create New Tournament. You'll need an owner-level account (contact support if you need an upgrade).

2
Enter basic details

Fill in the tournament name, host venue, city/state, start & end dates, and a short description that players will see.

3
Upload banner image

Add a 1280×480 banner image. This appears at the top of your tournament's public page and on player notifications.

4
Set registration window

Define the registration open date and deadline. Registrations outside this window are automatically blocked.

5
Save as Draft

Tap Save Draft to keep the tournament private while you continue configuration. Players cannot see or register until you publish.

Create Tournament
New Tournament Draft
TOURNAMENT NAME
State Open 2026
VENUE
Sports Complex, Chandigarh
START DATE
May 12, 2026
END DATE
May 14, 2026
Save Draft
Step 2

Add Categories & Rules

Define each event within your tournament. Categories are the core unit — everything from draws to results is category-level.

1
Add a category

Go to Categories → Add Category. Enter the name (e.g., Men's Singles U-2000), type (Singles/Doubles/Teams), and gender restriction.

2
Set eligibility limits

Define min/max rating, age group (U-18, U-21, veterans, open), and any club/association restrictions.

3
Configure match format

Choose group stage + knockout, straight knockout, or round-robin. Set games per match (Best of 5 / 7), group size, and advancement criteria.

4
Set entry fee

Enter the entry fee per category. You can also set an early-bird fee with a separate deadline, or mark a category as free.

5
Set max entries

Define the maximum number of players. Once full, new registrants are auto-placed on the waitlist.

6
Seeding method

Choose how seeds are assigned: by rating, by manual ranking, or no seeding (random draw). Seeds affect how players are distributed in the bracket.

You can duplicate a category to quickly create similar events (e.g., copy Men's Singles settings to create Women's Singles, then adjust gender restriction).
Step 3

Publish & Go Live

Publishing makes your tournament visible and opens registration to players.

Public Listing

Tournament appears in all players' search results

Auto Notifications

Nearby players are notified of new events

Share Link

Get a shareable URL for social media

1
Pre-publish checklist

The system runs a validation check. It will flag any incomplete categories, missing entry fees, or conflicting dates before allowing you to publish.

2
Tap Publish

Confirm the publish action. The tournament immediately appears in the public listing and players in your configured regions are sent a notification.

3
Share on social media

Copy the tournament's share link from Settings → Share and post it to your club's WhatsApp group, Instagram, or Facebook page.

Once published, category settings (format, max entries, eligibility) can still be edited but changes will not affect already-approved registrations.
Step 4

Manage Registrations

Review, approve, reject, or move players between the active list and the waitlist.

1
View incoming requests

Go to Registrations → Pending. Each request shows the player's name, rating, category chosen, and payment status.

2
Approve or reject

Tap Approve to confirm a player's entry — they get an immediate notification. Tap Reject to decline and trigger an automatic refund.

3
Waitlist management

If a category is full, new registrants are waitlisted. If a spot opens (due to withdrawal), tap Promote from Waitlist to offer it to the next player.

4
Bulk approval

Use Select All → Approve All to instantly approve all pending requests for a category when registration closes.

Registrations
Registrations 3 pending
PendingApprovedWaitlistRejected
Pawan J. · Rating 1850
Men's Singles · ₹500 paid
Rahul M. · Rating 1720
Men's Singles · ₹500 paid
Step 5

Assign Staff Roles

Delegate responsibilities to referees, organizers, and helpers. Each role has scoped permissions.

1
Go to Staff Management

Navigate to Tournament → Staff → Add Member. Search by TT Stars username or email address.

2
Choose a role

Select from Chief Referee, Organizer, or Helper. Each has different dashboard access and permissions.

3
Send invitation

The staff member receives an in-app notification and email. They must accept the invite before gaining dashboard access.

4
Manage access

You can revoke access at any time from Staff → [Member] → Remove. The staff member loses access immediately.

Role Permissions Summary
Permission Owner Ch. Referee Organizer Helper
Edit tournament settings
Manage registrations
Manage & publish draw
Schedule matches
Enter & validate scores
Override / dispute scores
Step 6

Draw Management

Generate, review, and publish the draw for each category. The Chief Referee can also perform these steps.

1
Lock registrations

Before generating the draw, go to Registrations → Lock. This prevents any new approvals from affecting the draw. A confirmation dialog warns you that this cannot be undone without contacting support.

2
Generate draw

Go to Draw → Generate. TT Stars automatically seeds players based on your configured seeding method, distributes them into groups/brackets, and avoids placing same-club players in the same early-round group.

3
Review & adjust

Preview the full bracket/group stage. Drag-and-drop individual players to swap positions if needed. The system warns you if a swap violates seeding rules.

4
Publish the draw

Tap Publish Draw. All registered players immediately receive a push notification with their bracket position and first-round opponent.

Step 7

Monitor Progress

A real-time overview of every match happening in your tournament.

Live Match Feed

Real-time game-by-game scores

Completion Tracker

% of matches done per category

Issue Alerts

Disputes, no-shows, and delays

The Owner Dashboard shows a live progress grid with all categories. Each category tile shows the number of matches completed vs total, a live match counter, and any open disputes or issues requiring your attention.

You can tap any category to drill down into the full bracket or group-stage view and see live scores, upcoming matches, and staff assignments in real time.

Owner Dashboard
State Open 2026 Live
148
Players
12
Categories
73
Done
2
Disputes
2 disputes require attention
Men's Singles · Women's Doubles
Step 8

Reports & Exports

Generate live and post-event reports for operational tracking, federation submission, and record-keeping.

1
Live progress report

Available during the event. Shows match completion %, total scores entered, no-shows, and remaining matches by category. Exportable as PDF.

2
Final results export

Once the tournament is closed, export complete results in CSV, PDF, or standard federation format for ranking submission.

3
Player roster export

Export the full registered-player list with names, ratings, club affiliations, and contact details for sign-in sheets and accreditation.

4
Financial summary

View total entry fee collections, refunds issued, and a category-wise breakdown. Export as a spreadsheet for accounting.

Step 9

Close the Tournament

Finalise results, publish the official leaderboard, and send closing communications to participants.

1
Verify all results are final

Check that every category shows 100% match completion and all disputes are resolved. The close action is blocked if any match is still open.

2
Publish the leaderboard

Tap Close Tournament → Publish Results. The final standings are made public on the tournament page and all participants receive a summary notification.

3
Issue digital certificates

Upload podium images or certificates in Awards → Upload. Players can download their certificates from their My Tournaments section.

4
Submit to ranking body

Export the federation-format results file and submit it to your state/national association through their portal. TT Stars also supports direct API submission for affiliated bodies.

Video Tutorials

Watch & Learn

Step-by-step video walkthroughs for tournament owners.

Create Tournament
Creating Your First Tournament

Setup, categories, rules, and publishing end-to-end.

Watch video
Registrations & Staff
Managing Registrations & Staff

Approve players, assign referees and organizers.

~6 min
Results & Closing
Closing the Tournament & Exporting Results

Publish results, issue certificates, export for federations.

~5 min
FAQ

Owner FAQ

Common questions from tournament owners.

Can I edit categories after publishing?

Yes, you can edit category details (format, limits, fees) after publishing, but changes do not retroactively affect already-approved players. New applicants will see the updated settings.

What happens if a player's payment fails?

The registration is marked as Pending Payment and does not appear in your approval queue. The player is notified to retry the payment. If payment is not completed within 48 hours, the registration is automatically cancelled.

Can the draw be regenerated after publishing?

Once published and players are notified, a full redraw is disabled to avoid confusion. You can manually swap individual positions in the bracket. For exceptional cases, contact TT Stars support for an admin-level redraw.

How many staff members can I add?

There is no hard limit. Add as many helpers, organizers, and referees as your event requires. All must have active TT Stars accounts to accept invitations.

Guides for other roles
Help Home Player Chief Referee Organizer Helper

Need help setting up your first tournament?

Our team can walk you through the setup process live.

Contact Support

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