Game slots you have
Slots per field per day is the hours the field is open divided by the length of one game slot. Multiply by the number of fields and the number of days.
- 8:00 am to 6:00 pm is 10 hours. At 75 minutes a game, that is 8 games per field.
- 8:00 am to 8:00 pm is 12 hours. At 75 minutes, 9 games per field. At 60 minutes, 12.
- 2 fields for 2 ten-hour days at 75 minutes: 32 slots.
- 4 fields for 2 ten-hour days at 75 minutes: 64 slots.
Take a slot or two off each day for a lunch break, field maintenance and the gap between pool play and the playoffs.
Game slots you need
Add the pool games to the playoff games.
- 8 teams, 2 pools of 4, single elimination playoffs: 12 + 7 = 19 games.
- 12 teams, 3 pools of 4, single elimination: 18 + 11 = 29 games.
- 16 teams, 4 pools of 4, single elimination: 24 + 15 = 39 games.
- 16 teams, 4 pools of 4, double elimination: 24 + 30 or 31 = 54 or 55 games.
- 24 teams, 6 pools of 4, single elimination: 36 + 23 = 59 games.
Exact counts for each size are on the bracket pages, for example 8 teams, 12 teams and 16 teams.
When it does not fit
If you need more slots than you have, something has to give. In rough order of how little it hurts:
- Shorten the game slot by 5 or 10 minutes.
- Start earlier or finish later.
- Send fewer teams to the playoffs.
- Switch the playoffs from double to single elimination.
- Add a field or a day.
- Take fewer teams.
The Does It Fit panel in the Softball Tournament Scheduler shows slots available against slots needed and can make the smallest change that fixes it.
Do not forget rest and turnaround
A schedule that fits on paper can still be a bad day. Check that no team plays three games in a row, that nobody waits five hours between games, and that there is a break between the last pool game and the first playoff game so the standings can be confirmed.