Sports Group Melbourne — Tournament Marketing

The 12‑Week Playbook

One system for every SGM tournament launch. Organic builds the story from week 12, paid support adds weight once there's proof to promote and will carry awareness and registrations, and email support through newsletters and solus keeps the club network warm all the way to kickoff.

Before go-live

Competition information must be locked in prior to pushing

Show

Campaign timeline

Weeks out from event day. Filter by channel above, then click any dot for the detail. Week 0 is event weekend.

Click a dot on the timeline to see what's happening that week.

The four modules

Same content as the timeline, laid out as a reference. Click a module to expand it.

Organic

Weeks 12 → 0

Always on

Runs the full 12 weeks. These are the content angles to draw on throughout, since there's no highlight reel or crowd photos yet for a new competition — several of these can run as graphics, announcements or copy-only posts before any imagery exists.

  • Tournament announcement post + registration link live
  • Key dates
  • Venue
  • Countdown graphics
  • "Locked in" posts as clubs register
  • Milestone posts — 30, 50 or whatever targets
  • Sponsor announcements
  • Behind‑the‑scenes: if available from location / clubs associated
  • Fixture release
  • Final registration call / spots closing
  • Logistics posts: if viable and supplied
  • Sponsor activations (on‑field presence, giveaways)
  • Live coverage: results, standout moments, photography
  • Real‑time story updates across the event
  • Sponsor shout‑outs from the venue
  • Thank‑you / wrap post seeding next tournament
  • Champions / winners post
  • Photography based posts where available
Paid

Supports organic

*Timing varies per competition, ideally from week 10

Budget is limited, so spend needs to work harder than a broad awareness push can afford. Week 10 is the sweet spot: early enough to still influence registrations, late enough that hopefully a handful of clubs have signed on from SGM and affiliated club relationships, and been provided to marketing to post. Paid ads need to start once there is social proof to put behind the spend, rather than boosting an empty page.

  • Launch Meta ads once first handful of clubs are registered
  • Target parents in the tournament catchment area

If budget permits and needs additional push:

  • Urgency messaging as registration nears close, as an ad

Given the limited budget, timing is everything: too early and spend is wasted with nothing to promote, too late and paid loses the runway to influence registrations. Timed right, paid brings in a lift in registrations and awareness that organic alone can't deliver.

Newsletter

Monthly feature

Timing flexible, always within the lead‑up

A monthly feature in the newsletter, sitting alongside social rather than duplicating it. Exact timing shifts depending on when each edition goes out, but within the 12‑week lead‑up it will always be included.

  • Registration status — teams in, spots remaining
  • Key dates, venue and format detail
  • Draw / fixture and what to expect on the day, once available

May also pick up an additional feature prior to the 12‑week lead‑in, if a newsletter edition falls before the campaign officially starts.

Dedicated email

CMWeb and/or Mailchimp

Upon launch, plus case‑by‑case

A dedicated email upon launch, sent via CMWeb and/or Mailchimp depending on the competition and audience. Positioned just after organic launch so there's already something to point to (teams in, venue confirmed), and early enough to still move club registration decisions.

Launch send

  • Direct registration push straight to the club/coach audience
  • Single clear call to action: register your team

Content

  • Tournament essentials: dates, venue, format, cost
  • Early registration proof point if available (teams already in)
  • Direct link to the registration form

Further dedicated sends used on a case‑by‑case basis where an additional push is needed.