1717. Scheduling youth competitions
Invited abstract in session WC-40: Sports timetabling, stream Sports and Entertainment.
Wednesday, 12:30-14:00Room: Newlyn LG.02
Authors (first author is the speaker)
| 1. | Dries Goossens
|
| Business Informatics and Operations Management, Ghent University |
Abstract
Nearly every sports competition requires a schedule that specifies who plays whom, when, and where. While professional sports scheduling has received significant academic attention due to its economic impact, youth sports competitions also present critical challenges from a societal perspective. Unlike professional leagues, which are relatively few in number, youth sports competitions often consist of hundreds of leagues, with clubs fielding multiple teams based on age, gender, and skill level. A key challenge arises from the shared infrastructure within clubs, where the number of available fields or courts imposes strict capacity constraints. Additionally, travel time is a crucial factor, not only for reducing CO₂ emissions and transportation costs but also because many sports enforce policies limiting travel time to be no longer than the duration of the match itself. This talk discusses the complexities of large-scale youth sports scheduling, elaborates on innovative solutions, and highlights how effective scheduling and tournament design can reduce venue capacity conflicts and travel time.
Keywords
- OR in Sports
- Timetabling
Status: accepted
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