Intramural sports programs are characterized by a wide range of competitive and recreational leagues. Tournaments and other sports events for students are held regularly regardless of the level of skills of individual participants. Profit making is not the main purpose of these undertakings. On the contrary, the major objective is to foster sportsmanship, leadership, and educational skills among the participants. Soccer is an example of a game that can be hosted during such an event. A lot of planning is required to enhance the success of the tournament. Coming up with the fee to be paid and intramural shirts and uniforms requires planning. The same goes for the organization of games, recruitment of referees, and raising the money required to hold the event. Even though the tournament is not-for-profit, it requires funding. The element should be taken into consideration in advance.
Different theories can be used to explain how intramural soccer events in campuses are organized. Generally, theoretical frameworks illustrate how something should be done in accordance with given principles. At times, events fail due to poor planning and inability to adhere to the theories.
In this paper, the author will analyze the process of planning an intramural soccer event. The analysis is based on an event attended by the researcher in their campus. The program will be evaluated from the perspective of a participant. The theory of education management process will be used to highlight planning for the event. The model has many topics that can be used to explain how intramural soccer games should be organized (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). Usually, such games are attended by students from different institutions. The main organizers are the students. Scholars are given the opportunity to plan for the events to ensure they acquire knowledge in management.
Intramural Soccer Tournament in Campus: Planning for the Event
An event plan is like a preparation for a business undertaking. To this end, it provides the user with information on what should be done, when it should be done, and where the ‘doing’ will take place. Proper management is also required to come up with an effective plan for an event. In most cases, intramural events are held on the grounds owned by one of the participating teams, the host. Consequently, the hosts are the ones who plan for the event (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). It is not logical to plan for an event and then hold it on a location controlled by another party.
Event planning takes into consideration, among others, the number of participants to be invited. Depending on the space of the field, the organizers of the current tournament invited teams that they believed would fit comfortably in the location. The operational plan was a significant determinant of the success of the event. It provided information on when the undertaking should be held. The planners came to the conclusion that the most appropriate day will be when most of the students are free. As a result, the intramural soccer game was held when students were not busy with their curriculum activities.
The football game brought together participants from different teams. Such games call for strategic planning on how the teams will participate in the game within the specified time. The event plan helps organizers to know how teams would play. Every lineup that participated in the games was given a plan that showed how events would follow each other. The plan was very important as each squad was informed about where they were supposed to be and at what time. The plan helped in ensuring that there was no time wasted during the event (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). The tournament was completed within the time set in the plan.
Event planning can either be a success or a failure. The outcome depends on various factors. One of them is the commitment of the team responsible for activities to be undertaken during a particular day in the plan. The football intramural event was not a one day undertaking. The planning started at the beginning of the academic year to allow time for fixing the events without any rush. It is important to start planning early when dealing with events. Other institutions that were expected to take part in the tournament were also informed early enough. As a result, they had enough time to prepare for the undertaking (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). Such preparations included selecting players, training, and planning for transport. The organizing committee, which was led by hosting students, received support from administration. The support helped them in making decisions when planning for the event.
Planning for a Campus Intramural Soccer Event: Communication
It is important to know that communication is a key determinant of the success of any given event. It becomes hard to organize an undertaking when there is no communication between the people concerned. The organizers of the intramural event were dedicated to the success of their activities. The organizing committee was composed of ten students and two administrators. Time set aside for discussions regarding the event was respected by both parties.
A good staff-student relationship was established through effective communication. It is noted that effective communication occurs when people in a diverse group understand each other and make functional decisions. The students were willing to listen to what the members of staff were suggesting, creating an environment conducive for planning in the process. The administration team also reasoned with the students, fostering an environment suitable for creative discussions. Most of the events that have been cancelled in the campus in the past have been associated with poor communication. Delegation of duties also helped in the success of the undertaking (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). The concept is an important aspect in project management. To this end, each member of the organizing committee was tasked with the responsibility of carrying out a special duty to enhance the successful completion of the project.
Each member actively participated in the planning process. The move ensured that none of them was overworked. It is not advisable to work under pressure when planning for events. It is for this reason that delegation of duties was important. Working under pressure increases chances of errors. In addition, it is hard to establish proper estimates under such circumstances. Some members of the planning committee were tasked with the responsibility of establishing the cost estimates.
The accounting duties delegated to these members were completed after consultations with the students. Only those students who were willing to take part and those with knowledge in accounting and finance were allowed to hold that position. Some of the planners were good in field work. Such students were tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the field was adequately prepared before the event (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). The individuals carrying out the tasks of designing the intramural shirts included students that were good in designing.
Delegation of duties was effectively executed through communication. None of the students was forced to engage in an activity that they were not comfortable with. The collaboration between all stakeholders helped in creating a big event that most of the participants were pleased with. It is noted that ‘collision’ of duties, which is a common hindrance to such events, was eliminated through delegation of duties (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). To this end, each team of students was allowed to handle something they were good at. As such, the outcome of the preparations was perfection. The theory of education management calls for the participation of all stakeholders in the process of planning for an educational event. To this end, students and faculty members came together in preparation for the tournament.
Budgeting for the Intramural Event
The process of budgeting involves planning for the future expenditures and incomes of a certain project. A budget plan can either be operating or capital in nature. Operating budgets comprise of costs that may be involved in the process of enhancing the success of the event. No capital budgeting projects were employed in the current intramural event because there were no long-term investments made for the tournament. The expenses in this soccer game involved the production of intramural shirts for the university team and marking of the fields. Normally, referees are paid for their services.
However, in this event, there were no costs involved in paying these game officials (Parent & Smith-Swan, 2012). The winners of the tournament were also not rewarded. As such, the expense was also eliminated from the plan. The tournament planners came up with different strategies to finance the event. A number of options were available. For example, the school could have held a fundraising, request for grants, introduce ticketing, or seek for sponsorship. However, after negotiations, the management decided to charge each member of the teams that would take part in the event. A fee of $25 per individual was set. Each team was supposed to have a minimum of 11 members.
An analysis of the budgeting formula adopted for the event reveals that the students and the management team had to do some accounting in the process of organizing the tournament. Accounting is an important element when it comes to the planning and management of sporting events. The organizing committee had to analyze all the expenses before determining the fee to charge each participant. A minimum of 11 players was set after taking into considerations the budgetary requirements of the event. Given the number of teams that had been invited, the organizers were confident that the money raised will sustain the event (Miller, Veltri & Gillentine, 2005). Some of the money raised helped each team to get intramural shirts for the participants. The shirts were printed with theme of the day. Consequently, budgeting proved to be an important aspect in the plan for the intramural soccer event.
A SWOT Analysis of the Event
The planners had to carry out a SWOT analysis of their undertaking. The analysis is an important component of event planning. The organizers were able to point out their strong areas and elements that needed to be upgraded. They were also able to identify external factors that may hinder the success of the tournament, as well as those that may be exploited to enhance its success. It was important to map out these components since the event was an important activity in the university’s calendar.
Strengths
The university’s field was large enough to accommodate all participants. The planning committee invited teams that could be hosted comfortably in the allocated space. The university was also financially stable. The fee charged was mainly for sustenance purposes (Miller et al., 2005). A significant portion of the budget was catered for by the administration. Analysis of this strength made sure that the event was affordable to all participants.
Weaknesses
Some of the weaknesses involved a weak financial base of the committee. However, the problem was addressed through proper planning and bringing on board the university administration. Budgeting helped the committee to establish the correct methods to fund the event. Delegation of duties was another weakness in the initial stages of planning. It was hard to coordinate the activities of all members (Miller et al., 2005). However, it helped to deal with the poor structure of the committee.
Opportunities
The event presented the university with possibilities for new growth. The component was determined by the game, the participants, and the host campus. By hosting the event, the campus improved its image to the outside world. Many people would view the school from another perspective and not just from the angle of academics. Students who participated in planning for the event also had an opportunity to grow. Their management skills were improved. Other students who participated in the game were also provided with the opportunity to recreate and mingle with others. As already indicated, the event was not hosted for the purposes of making profits. On the contrary, it was meant to help students interact and build their extra-curricular personalities (Miller et al., 2005). The popularity of the football game was also improved by hosting the event. Some of these factors were taken into consideration when planning for the intramural event.
Threats
A number of threats that could impede the success of the event were identified. Some of them touched on security and emergency services. Insecurity could discourage many people from taking part in the games. As a result, the planning committee invested in security to ensure that all the teams were protected (Miller et al., 2005). The committee also focused on what could happen if there were injuries during the game. Such eventualities were expected. As a result, the organizers decided to look for medics who would offer first aid and medical help in case of an accident. Analysis of the threats was important in the planning of the event.
Conclusion
Generally, planning for the intramural soccer event in the campus was a success. The success was largely due to the effective event plan drafted by the committee. Proper communication was also a contributing factor. In addition, a critical SWOT analysis of the undertaking and proper budgeting played a major role in the success of the tournament. Participants gained management skills from the planning process. All these elements are part of the main theory of education management process. As such, one may conclude that intramural events are aimed at giving students the management skills they may be needed in the future. Unlike other events, the tournaments are not aimed at making profits for the university.
References
Miller, J., Veltri, F., & Gillentine, A. (2005). A student perspective of intramural sport risk management procedures. Recreational Sports Journal, 29(1), 22-32. Web.
Parent, M., & Smith-Swan, S. (2012). Managing major sports events: Theory and practice. London: Routledge. Web.