Handball Club Tournament Software
Eight youth teams, two courts, a 2-1-0 table and a 7-metre shoot-out if the final is level
Eight youth teams fit into one Saturday on two courts: two groups of four, semi-finals, a third-place match and a final, 16 matches in all. With halves of 20 minutes, the IHF time for the 8–12 age group, each match needs a 50-minute slot and the day runs from 09:00 to about 16:30. Groups use 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. A level knockout match goes to 7-metre throws.
The tournament day on two courts
08:30: team managers hand in their squad lists. Up to 16 players per team, as in IHF Rule 4:1.
09:00: group A, round 1. Both matches start together, one on each court.
09:50: group B, round 1. Groups take turns, so every team rests for about 50 minutes between its matches.
13:10: the last group B round. At 14:00 the group stage is over after six slots and 12 matches. Half an hour for food and a check of both tables.
14:30: semi-finals. The winner of group A plays the runner-up of group B, and the winner of B plays the runner-up of A.
15:30: third-place match on court 2, final on court 1.
16:30: medals. Tables and bracket are already on the public event page.
The organiser sets the slot length: two halves of 20 minutes, a 5-minute half-time and 5 minutes to change teams. IHF Rule 2:1 gives 10 minutes as the normal half-time break, so if you shorten it, say so in the invitation.
12 group matches, 2-1-0, and teams level on points
A group of four plays 4 × 3 / 2 = 6 matches, so two groups play 12. Two semi-finals, the third-place match and the final make 16. Every team plays three group matches, and the semi-finalists play five.
The Regulations for IHF Competitions give 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Teams level on points are separated by the matches between them: points, then goal difference, then goals scored in those matches. Goal difference and goals from all matches come after that, and a drawing of lots last.
An example group. A beat B 18-15, B beat C 20-17 and C beat A 16-14. All three beat D: A 19-17, B 21-16, C 25-10. A, B and C finish on 4 points. Between themselves each has 2 points, and the goal difference decides: A +1, B 0, C −1. The order is A, B, C. Across all matches it would be the reverse: C +14, B +5, A +3. A table sorted by total goal difference would send C through as winner and A out.
Put this order in the invitation before the first throw-off. A coach who sees a big win over D on the table will expect it to count.
Youth halves, 2-minute suspensions and the 7-metre shoot-out
IHF Rule 2:1 sets two halves of 30 minutes from age 16, 2 × 25 minutes for ages 12–16 and 2 × 20 minutes for ages 8–12. A club tournament follows its own rules, and on one court 16 matches at 50 minutes each come to 13 hours 20 minutes. If you only have one court, shorten the halves. At 2 × 12 with a short break, a 30-minute slot gives 16 slots in eight hours.
A group match can end level. A knockout match needs a winner. Rule 2:2 adds two halves of 5 minutes after a 5-minute break, a second overtime if the score is still level, then, if the competition rules say so, 7-metre throws: five players per team, and once each side has taken the same number of throws after that, the first goal difference decides. Two overtimes in a semi-final push the final back by half an hour. A one-day tournament can go straight to 7-metre throws if the invitation says so.
The handball scoreboard runs a clock through both halves, up to two overtimes and the shoot-out. A 2-minute suspension counts down on the screen. A third suspension for the same player turns into a disqualification automatically. Warnings, red cards and blue cards are recorded too. In the board's format settings, Extra time if drawn: No sends the match from the second half straight to the shoot-out panel, which counts five throws per team, then one each, and shows when the series is decided.
Setting the tournament up in JudgeMate
Start from handball in the create menu. Handball runs as a club tournament: each side of a match is a team, and players need no accounts.
- Add a category in the Groups + knockout format with two groups, two teams through from each, and the third-place match switched on.
- Under Who enters the teams, choose who does it. With I enter them myself you paste the eight team names into the Teams tab. With A team manager enters the team one person per club registers the team and its squad, and the entry waits for your approval. Players register individually suits adult open tournaments, where each player creates an account and names their team.
- Leave Standings rules on IHF. A new handball draw starts with it, so the table uses 2-1-0 and the head-to-head order above. Custom points stays available.
- Set Period length to 20 and Number of periods to 2 for the whole draw. A scoreboard started from a match picks up that format.
- Add two courts with a start time and a 50-minute slot, then run Auto-schedule before the first result goes in.
- Print the match slips and the drawn bracket as PDF for the table officials.
On the day, start a scoreboard from each match. The Referee QR links card then shows a code for that match, and scanning it opens its scoreboard. After the final whistle, Confirm from boards moves the result into the table and the bracket. You close the group stage yourself, and if a tie still decides who goes through, the table flags it for you to settle. Venue TV puts what is on each court now and next on a screen in the hall.
What stays with you and the table officials
- Team time-outs. The scoreboard has no time-out counter. Rule 2:10 allows one 1-minute team time-out per half, and national federations may allow three per match. The timekeeper keeps them on paper.
- Official match report. JudgeMate prints match slips and the bracket. It does not produce a federation match report, so a match in an official league still needs one.
- Who enters results. By default you do, by hand or from the scoreboard. If you switch on Players report results, a player with an account on the squad reports the score and the other side confirms, but only in group matches. Semi-finals, the third-place match and the final are closed by the organiser or a referee from the event staff.
- Walkovers. A team that does not turn up loses 10-0 by default. You can change that score in the draw settings.
- Money and messages. Entry fees can be marked as paid or waived next to each team. Nothing is collected online, and there are no email or SMS reminders.
The rules behind the scoreboard are in how handball scoring works and the handball referee guide.
Set up your event
Free for organizers. No athlete cap. No commission on registrations. See handball features · Organizer guide