How It Works

Two Ways In.
One Platform Behind It All.

Whether you're a Tournament Director running the whole show or an Assignor managing the officials, Tourney Direct meets you where you work. In the portal, by SMS, or both. Here's the journey from adding your first event to filing your last 1099.

01 / SMS
Via Text
Conversational. Add events, add and message your staff, gather availability, send assignments. All by text. Supported by Teddy, your sports event AI Assistant.
02 / Portal
Or Via The Operator Portal
Full visibility. Bulk tools, dashboards, reporting, the Messaging Hub, and every workflow at your fingertips. Supported by Teddy, your sports event AI Assistant.
01 Get Started
Onboard Your Event World

Add Your Staff.
Add Your Events.
Get Set Up to Pay Staff.

First time in the portal? You'll be confirming and assigning staff to events in under an hour.

  • Add your staff

    Officials, event staff (ticketing, parking, gate crew), collegiate coaches, and trainers. Add them one at a time with a quick form, or bulk-upload from CSV/Excel.

  • Add your events

    Tournament dates, locations, fields, sports, levels; all the details that downstream tools need to do their job.

  • Connect your payment account

    We auto-charge your stipend budget upon event approval, so payment to staff is automatic and on-time. No invoicing back-and-forth.

  • Add your colleagues

    Invite teammates, assign roles, and control access. Tournament Directors, Assignors, and admins each see what they need. Nothing more, nothing less.

  • Need college coaches? Tap the marketplace

    Post your event to our Stipend Marketplace and reach college coaches looking for paid event work. They apply, you review, you decide.

tourneydirectportal/staff

Your Event Staff Line-up

Officials
Bulk upload + officiating group invite
142
Event Staff
Ticketing · Parking · Gate
38
Trainers
Single-add form
12
Coaches From the Marketplace
College coaches submitting interest
7
Stipend Marketplace
3 Coaches Interested In Your Event
Coach R · State U$450
Coach M · Tech College$450
Coach P · Regional$450
02 Months Out
Build the Bench

Reach Out.
Make Offers.
Lock In Who's Working.

The work that happens long before the first whistle blows to staff the right people for the right events.

  • Invite staff to apply or accept

    Reach out to collegiate coaches, event staff, and trainers to gauge interest. They respond in the portal or by text. No apps, no logins required.

  • Build a branded web page

    Pick the events to feature, add your logo, customize the look, and share a link. Interested coaches land straight in your event dashboard.

  • Send offers to those who said yes

    Make formal offers to interested staff. Track who's confirmed, who's pending, and who's declined. All in one view.

  • Backfill cancellations as they happen

    When someone drops, you'll get a cancellation alert immediately. Reach back to your bench or have Teddy line up a replacement.

  • Collect hotel needs (if you offer them)

    If your stipend package includes lodging, Teddy will coordinate via text for you. Who needs a room is captured with auto reminders. Download the list when Teddy has completed coordination so you can book travel in batches.

  • Reminders go out automatically

    Teddy sends scheduled reminders as the event approaches, including offer response nudges, and anything else you've set up. You don't lift a finger.

9:41
Teddy
Teddy · Tourney Direct
Text Message · SMS
Today 9:38 AM
Hi Sarah! I'm Teddy, your Tourney Direct AI Assistant. Please be sure to save my phone number in your contacts so I can best support you.
You've been offered a stipend of $450 to work the Spring Showdown that takes place April 18–20. To accept, text 1. To reject the offer, text 2.
1
You're confirmed for Spring Showdown! We'll be in touch with more details. A calendar invite is on its way. See you there! ✅
Delivered
Text Message
03 Week Of
Officials Availability + AI Messaging

Collect Availability.
Talk to Everyone.
Without Talking to Everyone.

The week of the event is when communication volume spikes. Let the Messaging Hub and Teddy carry the load.

  • Ask officials for availability

    Teddy collects responses by text and adds them in the portal for you. They reply once, you see it instantly in your scheduling tool.

  • Use the Messaging Hub for everything else

    Our AI-powered email messaging platform handles every conversation: write your own message or have Teddy. Review, send, done.

  • Send to groups, individuals, or your whole roster

    Attach files, images, parking maps, hospitality details, share links; whatever your staff needs. Reach the right people, on the channels they actually use.

  • Or just ask Teddy

    "Teddy, ask all officials assigned to Field 3 to confirm by 6pm." Teddy handles it.

9:41
Teddy
Teddy · Tourney Direct
Text Message · SMS
Today 4:12 PM
Hi Marcus! Please submit your availability for Spring Showdown. For Sat, Apr 19, are you available? 1 = Morning only (up to Noon) 2 = Afternoon only (after Noon) 3 = Any time that day 4 = Not Available
3
For Sun, Apr 20, are you available? 1 = Morning only (up to Noon) 2 = Afternoon only (after Noon) 3 = Any time that day 4 = Not Available
1
Thank you for submitting your availability! If you're selected to officiate, you'll receive a text with your game assignments. Have a great day! 🗓️
Delivered
Text Message
04 ~48 Hours Out
Schedule & Assign

Bring the Games In.
Assign Them Out.

Once availability is in and the schedule is final, the Assignor takes the wheel.

Assignor Workflow
  • Upload the schedule or build your own

    Got an excel from the tournament director? Upload it. Building from scratch? Use our schedule builder. Either way, you're working in minutes, not hours.

  • Assign with ease

    Drag and drop an official into one game, some games, or all games with a single click.

  • Conflict detection built in

    Mismatched availability and assignments flagged before you publish.

  • Publish assignments and they go out by SMS

    Officials get their assignments by text. They accept, add them to their calendar with the link sent, you see whose in, and you sleep through Friday night.

tourneydirectportal/schedule

Saturday · Field 3

8:30
M. Reed
★★★★★ · 47 events · $65/match
Confirmed
10:30
S. Kim
★★★★★ · 31 events · $45/match
Confirmed
1:00
Open Slot · Center Ref
Open
3:00
J. Park
★★★★☆ · 22 events · $65/match
Confirmed
✓ Publish → 47 SMS notifications sent
05 Game Day
Whistle to Whistle

You Run the Event.
Teddy Runs the Logistics.

Day-of is when automation reigns!

  • Check-in links go out automatically

    Every confirmed staffer gets a check-in link by text. GPS-verified arrival means you know who's on-site without having to login and check.

  • Real-time alerts when things change

    Cancellations and offer rejections come through instantly. Lightning delay? Just tell Teddy. One message, all staffed reached, read receipts in seconds.

  • Check-out at the final whistle

    Staff check out by tapping a check-out link by text. Times logged, # of games ref'd calculated, GPS verified, ready for payroll. Or use our bulk tools and check staff in and out in seconds.

  • Teddy answers questions in real time

    "Where do I park?" "Which field am I on again?" "When's my next game?" Teddy handles it 24/7 so you don't have to.

7:30
Teddy
Teddy · Tourney Direct
Text Message · SMS
Today 7:30 AM
📍 Check-In Reminder — Spring Showdown Tap the link below when you arrive: tourneydirect.com/checkin
CHECKIN
✅ You're checked in! Text DONE when you've finished your shift. 🏟️
DONE
You're checked out. Thanks for working the event! 🎉
Delivered
Text Message
06 After the Event
Survey, Pay, Report

Feedback In. Money Out.
Insights for Next Time.

The event ends. The work doesn't. Our platform handles most of it for you.

  • Surveys go out to staff

    Quick post-event survey by SMS. Feedback is analyzed and shared via text so you see what worked.

  • Approve payment in the portal or via text

    Once you approve, we auto-charge your connected payment account for the total stipend plus our fee. No invoicing. No back-and-forth.

  • Staff get paid in 48 hours

    Direct deposit. Fast. Reliable. The thing that makes officials, coaches, trainers, and day of event staff want to work your events again.

  • Reports tell you what happened

    Total staff expense, broken down by staff type. Hotel costs (if offered). Churn rates from last year's events so you can forecast cancellations and overstaff appropriately.

10:00
Teddy
Teddy · Tourney Direct
Text Message · SMS
Today 10:00 AM
📊 Spring Showdown — Coach Survey Results ⭐ 4.3 TD Rating 87% would work this event again 28 coaches responded
• Top strength: Smooth check-in and clear communication from operators throughout the day • Top improvement: Longer meal breaks and better parking signage were the most common requests • Notable theme: High appreciation for staff treatment; most coaches expressed interest in returning
Full results in your portal: tourneydirectportal.com
Delivered
Text Message
07 / Year-End

Tax Season Without the Scramble.

As the calendar year closes, we handle 1099 logistics so you don't have to dig through a year of spreadsheets, texts, various payment apps, and hand-written notes.

November
We Reach Out to Staff
Confirm mailing addresses and contact info. Ask each staffer how they want to receive their 1099. eFile or Hardcopy?
January
1099s Go Out
eFiles delivered electronically. Hardcopies mailed. Year-end earnings rolled up automatically per staffer. Back-up copies available in their portal.
The Tourney Direct Difference

Why Sports Operators Pick Tourney Direct.

Six things you won't find in a registration platform, an assigning tool, or a generic SaaS dashboard.

01

Built for Sports

Not retrofitted from a generic event tool, retail app, or restaurant scheduler. Every workflow is shaped by how sports events actually run.

02

Texts, Not Apps

Your staff aren't downloading another app. SMS works on every phone and that's where they already are.

03

Pay in 48 Hours Post Approval

From final whistle to direct deposit in two days. Staff remember the platforms that pay them fast.

04

Portal, SMS, or Both

Some operators live in the dashboard. Some run the whole event from their phone. We're built for either.

05

AI That Works for You

Let Teddy take the busywork off your plate while you stay in the driver's seat.

06

1099s Handled

W-9 collection, year-end filing, eFile or hardcopy distribution. Tax season, without the scramble.

From First Whistle
to Final 1099.
Handled.

See exactly how Tourney Direct fits your sports event, whether you're booking 4 fields or 40, running one event or fifty.

Try it out → See What You Get →