Category Archives: News

QR Codes come to soccer tournaments

News

TourneyCentral implemented an integration of QR Codes for youth soccer tournaments that lead directly to the web application version of the scores, sponsor DEALS and tournament news. The web app is cross-platform and can be used on any smart phone that has a web browser such as Android, iPhone, HTC and other full-screen smart phone. TourneyCentral is the first and only soccer tournament software provider to integrate QR codes for youth soccer tournaments.

“QR codes are basically speed-dial for smart phones,” says Gerard McLean, President of TourneyCentral. “Soccer fans just need to point and click on the code with a web-enabled smart phone to load the mobile site. Once loaded, they can look up scores, DEALS and the latest tournament news.”

The first soccer tournament to be outfitted with a QR code is the CUSA Cup in Centerville, Ohio over Labor Day weekend, September 3-5, 2011. The website is at http://www.cusacup.com The QR code is displayed on the sidebar of every page on the website. The CUSA Cup tournament is also printing the QR code on the cover of their program as well as displaying at on the scoring boards at each of their four sites.

“We’re excited about leading the technology for soccer tournaments,” says Dan Monahan, tournament director for the CUSA Cup, “… especially the tools that allow our families to be more mobile and access the tournament information quickly where they are. Being mobile helps us deliver a larger audience of ready customers to the advertisers and sponsors who support our soccer tournament.”

In addition to the QR codes to support the mobile strategy, the CUSA Cup has also established a twitter account and Facebook page. Both can be found on their website immediately above the QR code on the left sidebar. TourneyCentral has supported social media for the past year and actively advises soccer tournament directors on how to integrate the platforms for their soccer tournament.

All soccer tournaments in the TourneyCentral family will be outfited with their own QR code within the next month.

TourneyCentral mobile web app screen shots

Screen shots from the TourneyCentral mobile web app

ABOUT TOURNEYCENTRAL
TourneyCentral is the only fully integrated, event-focused online solution for youth soccer tournaments. Since 1999, TourneyCentral has been producing web sites that provide youth soccer tournaments with end-to-end integrated experience management for guest teams, from marketing through scoring. In addition, advertising tools provide tournaments with an increased opportunity for advertising and sponsorship revenue as a result of significantly increased traffic to the web site. For more information, visit www.tourneycentral.com.

TourneyCentral is owned by Rivershark Inc., based in Ohio. Companion and marketing partner properties consist of The Touchline, a blog and iTunes podcast for tournament directors, MyTournamentSpace, a photo-sharing site linked directly into the tournament game schedule and www.ticoscore.com, a single-source database and ranking system for soccer tournaments.

TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Kansas City, MO in January 2011.

Contact for more information
Gerard McLean
gmclean [at] rivershark.com
937-836-6255

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Tweet Inspires Local Student to Design Ace of Cakes Soccer Cake

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“Can anyone draw a Maryland blue crab attacking a soccer ball like a monster truck?” That tweet from TourneyCentral.com President Gerard McLean moved 16-year-old Nicole Manzo, a junior at Fairmont High School, to try her hand at designing a cake. McLean forwarded the design to Charm City Cakes, the star of the popular television show, “Ace of Cakes,” on the Food Network.

TourneyCentral.com is using the resulting masterpiece cake to promote their complete end-to-end soccer tournament management system at the upcoming National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Baltimore, Maryland on January 13-15, 2011. The annual event is a showplace of soccer education, awards and exhibits for soccer coaches and youth tournament organizers nationwide.

The request actually got to Nicole secondhand through her mother Karen Manzo, who is a business associate of McLean’s. According to Karen, Nicole is an “Awesome artist,” whose first job was as a face painter at the Italian Fest. She continues to volunteer for that event and others as time permits. In addition to artistic pursuits, Nicole is a dedicated business student who is, “determined to own her own business some day.” On the extra-curricular front, the younger Manzo is a three-sport athlete spending time competing in field hockey, swimming and track.

ABOUT TOURNEYCENTRAL
TourneyCentral is the only fully integrated, event-focused online solution for youth soccer tournaments. Since 1999, TourneyCentral has been producing web sites that provide youth soccer tournaments with end-to-end integrated experience management for guest teams, from marketing through scoring. In addition, advertising tools provide tournaments with an increased opportunity for advertising and sponsorship revenue as a result of significantly increased traffic to the web site. TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Baltimore in January 2011. For more information, visit www.tourneycentral.com.

TourneyCentral announces major updates in 2011

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TourneyCentral, the only fully integrated online solution for youth soccer tournaments, announced today it has included several new features in the 2011 release of the popular soccer tournament software. The features will provide additional capability via sophisticated integration with new media, including social media. Soccer players, coaches and fans will be now be able to combine their tournament experiences with their personal Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts. TourneyCentral is the only event-focused youth soccer tournament software that provides a complete end-to-end integration solution.

“Our customers continue to ask for leading edge features as the soccer tournament market develops and grows and we continue to respond,” says Gerard McLean, President of TourneyCentral. “At the same time, our competitors have become more aggressive in their attempts to mislead the market regarding our capabilities and strengths. As the established leader in soccer tournament software, it’s time to make another giant step ahead of the market by providing these unique and unparalleled new features.”

In addition to participants, TourneyCentral has also integrated its online DEALS section with advertisers’ social media spaces like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Fans can now connect with advertisers in multiple ways, providing a stronger and more robust experience for important sponsors of the software.

“All our advertising for our tournament has moved online,” claims Dan Monahan, tournament director for the Mead Cup. “The tools that TourneyCentral provides for us in their online DEALS area are far more comprehensive than anything we can print in a program. We can sell more quickly, distribute to a wider audience and drive significantly more traffic to our advertisers.”

“We’ve listened carefully to what the core soccer market wants, and this newest release is our response,” says McLean. “We’re making the tournament experience even memorable for our participants by integrating today’s vibrant new media environment even more tightly with TourneyCentral.”

The only solution of its kind that does not rely on external partners to provide functionality, TourneyCentral offers a stable, secure environment for advertisers as well as fans, coaches and players.

ABOUT TOURNEYCENTRAL
TourneyCentral is the only fully integrated, event-focused online solution for youth soccer tournaments. Since 1999, TourneyCentral has been producing web sites that provide youth soccer tournaments with end-to-end integrated experience management for guest teams, from marketing through scoring. In addition, advertising tools provide tournaments with an increased opportunity for advertising and sponsorship revenue as a result of significantly increased traffic to the web site. TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Baltimore in January 2011. For more information, visit www.tourneycentral.com.

TourneyCentral.com is owned by Rivershark Inc., based in Ohio. Companion and marketing partner properties consist of The Soccer Tournament Review, a blog and iTunes podcast for tournament directors, MyTournamentSpace, a photo-sharing site linked directly into the tournament game schedule and www.ticoscore.com, a single-source database and ranking system for soccer tournaments.

TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Baltimore in January 2010.

Contact for more information
Gerard McLean
gmclean [at] rivershark.com
937-836-6255

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TourneyCentral sends scores and news to Twitter

News

TourneyCentral, an online service available to Soccer Tournament Directors, announced that the users of its service now receive the added benefit of having their scores, schedules, announcements and information automatically “tweeted” out to followers on Twitter at @tourneycentral. Twitter is a micro-blogging application and is currently the hottest social media tool on the market. The development is an added feature because it centralizes soccer event updates for parents and fans, who can turn on the notification if they are at a TourneyCentral tournament and turn it off afterward.

“Many people are at soccer matches tweeting updates to their contacts using their iPhone, Blackberry and cell phones,” says TourneyCentral President Gerard McLean, “It just makes sense that we would automate the process from a single point of contact.” He adds, “This feature of our TourneyCentral product allows tournament directors to maximize the benefits of a very effective social networking medium by pushing out their message on Twitter.”

The tweet uses the #tag of the event (i.e. #WSC is Warrior Classic, #WLI is Westlake Invitational, etc.) and shows which divisions that were updated. In addition to scores and news, the spirit center for each event will be resurrected using Twitter. The calendar of soccer tournament events is available here.

ABOUT TOURNEYCENTRAL
TourneyCentral.com provides comprehensive, event-focused, web-based solutions for youth soccer tournaments and is wholly owned by Rivershark, Inc. an Ohio Corporation. Since 1999, TourneyCentral has been producing web sites that provide youth soccer tournaments with end-to-end integrated experience management for guest teams, from marketing through scoring. In addition, the advertising tools provide the tournaments with an increased opportunity for advertising and sponsorship revenue as a result of significantly increased traffic to the web site. For more information, visit www.tourneycentral.com.

Companion and marketing partner properties consist of: The Soccer Tournament Review, a blog and iTunes podcast for tournament directors, MyTournamentSpace, a photo-sharing site linked directly into the tournament game schedule and www.ticoscore.com, a single-source database and ranking system for soccer tournaments.

TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Philadelphia in January 2010.

Contact for more information
Gerard McLean
gmclean [at] rivershark.com
937-836-6255

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Top Drawer Soccer interviews TourneyCentral

News

Gerard McLean with TourneyCentral was interviewed by Top Drawer Soccer this week. The interview appears in their new technology section on their web site.

“We’re excited to be recognized as a leader in the soccer tournament industry,” McLean said. He added that TourneyCentral, while great software, is much more about helping soccer tournaments manage their operations and marketing than it is about web sites and email.

“Software is just one tool we use,” McLean says. “Other tools we rely on is our expert advise from our staff, who are all soccer veterans. It helps to listen to the soccer world around you and craft tools to deal with upcoming trends.”

ABOUT TOURNEYCENTRAL
TourneyCentral.com provides comprehensive, event-focused, web-based solutions for youth soccer tournaments and is wholly owned by Rivershark, Inc. an Ohio Corporation. Since 1999, TourneyCentral has been producing web sites that provide youth soccer tournaments with end-to-end integrated experience management for guest teams, from marketing through scoring. In addition, the advertising tools provide the tournaments with an increased opportunity for advertising and sponsorship revenue as a result of significantly increased traffic to the web site. For more information, visit www.tourneycentral.com.

Companion and marketing partner properties consist of: The Soccer Tournament Review, a blog and iTunes podcast for tournament directors, MyTournamentSpace, a photo-sharing site linked directly into the tournament game schedule and www.ticoscore.com, a single-source database and ranking system for soccer tournaments.

TourneyCentral will be attending the NSCAA Conference in Philadelphia in January 2010.

Contact for more information
Gerard McLean
gmclean [at] rivershark.com
937-836-6255

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