I, along with other friends, organized a football tournament.The tournament was a 4v4 tournament and was played on our building turf with players coming from other societies as well. I was not only the host of the tournament, but also a participant. The experience of managing an event, albeit a small one, was surreal and did teach me a lot. Also I was physically active throughout the tournament as I was also a participant.
Learning outcomes
LO1: I identified my strengths and weaknesses during this experience. I found that I could be really good at managing an event and solving conflicts. There were instances where two teams fought over a goal and I mediated the conflict and resolved it. One weakness I found in me in the course of this experience, was that I could be a bit short tempered. When my team played, sometimes I used to shout at my teammates due to them making an error. I would surely want to improve on my weakness as this will help me in various situations in life.
LO2: Management skills were something that was a challenge for me initially. I had never planned an event before and neither did my friends, so for us this experience was something very new. I overcame this challenge by embracing it and never giving up. After the completion of the tournament, I felt very confident about conducting events in future. Another challenge for me was to captain my team, although I have been playing football for a long time, leading a team was something I had seldom done. Again, I overcame this challenge by gaining the respect of my teammates. It is very important to undertake new challenges, because everytime we take up a new challenge, it helps us push our boundaries and learn something new.
LO3: Organizing a tournament requires a lot of preparation. I had to organise the auction a day prior with all the fellow captains, arrange for drinks and fruits on the day of the tournament, and create a timetable and fixtures for the tournament. Along with managing things for the tournament, I also had to practice with my team for a while so that we are ready to play.All these tasks require good organizational skills so that the event runs smoothly. Initially it was looking a bit difficult, but as I engrossed myself into the process, things went as per the plan. After this experience, planning things will surely be easier than before. In the course of our life, there will be many circumstances where we would require to plan out things, it could be as small as a family dinner to a huge mega conference event, and however the magnitude of the event be like, the basics of organizing yourself applies everywhere.
LO4: Hosting a tournament is a tough job. Gather people, handle them on the day of the event, solve the conflicts, and try to make the event as smooth as possible. Doing this requires a great level of commitment and perseverance. From the beginning I was committed towards this activity. There were instances where I had to reach out to every participant personally which was very tiring, however I needed to show commitment towards the final goal which was to successfully organize a tournament. Another instance where I had to show commitment was during the play. As the captain of my team, I had some commitment towards my team which was to lead them through the tournament. On the day of the event, our matches were back to back and we were really out of energy, however I made sure that my teammates stayed motivated. It is always easy to commit to things, but that is what makes us irresponsible. Showing perseverance helps us reach our aim without being distracted in between.
LO5: I had organized this tournament along with my friends hence had to work in a team. Also, football is a team sport, hence I also had to play as a team with my teammates. Together, I had a lot of teamwork from this experience. I had previous teamwork experiences and also I have a friendly nature, so working as a team is not very difficult for me. Although, sometimes my friend could be really annoying and while playing also, we have heated arguments. This is when the problem solving skills come into play. I used to be patient when such a situation arrived, and sometimes just listening to others can make both of our lives easy. It is very important to learn to work as a team, because as a team we could achieve many things. For example, during the tournament, initially I shouted at my teammates and hence we were losing matches, however I soon realized that and controlled my temper, resulting in us winning the matches and ultimately the tournament.
Final takeaways
The learner profiles I demonstrated and developed over the course of this experience were communication and reflective. To organize an event, it is important to communicate with your fellow organizers, as well as the participants. Also, while playing it is important to communicate with our teammates in order to maintain zero discrepancies. I also developed as a reflective individual. As I also mentioned above, initially I was scolding my teammates, but then I reflected on my actions and immediately worked upon them. This tournament was a medium for the players to showcase their football skills and also bond with their teammates. The tournament altogether was a success, and everything went smoothly, we are also planning to hold similar tournaments in the future.
Evidences
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KTtyR7rvsfTyGBYN8
Link to full videos.