Real Case: How to Organize 1 Tournament Per Week and Make a Living From It
Real Case: How to Organize 1 Tournament Per Week and Make a Living From It
Carlos is 32 years old, lives in São Paulo, and used to work as a warehouse worker at a distribution center. Salary: $440/month. Today, he organizes 4 tournaments per month and earns $1,680 in net profit. This isn’t a miracle story — it’s routine, math, and persistence.
This article shows exactly how he did it, what it costs, how much he earns, and what the weekly routine looks like for someone who makes a living organizing tournaments.
Note: Names and values are based on real reports from Torneyo platform organizers, adapted to protect identity. The math is realistic and replicable.
Where the Idea Came From
Carlos had been playing amateur futsal with friends since 2019. Every year, someone volunteered to “organize the tournament” — which meant creating a bracket in Excel, collecting via transfer, and hoping the referee showed up.
In 2024, the group’s organizer quit. Carlos stepped up. The first tournament was rough:
- 8 teams, $50 registration
- Collected $400
- Spent $300 (court, referees, basic prizes)
- Profited $100
It wasn’t much. But he realized something: it was fun. And more — he was good at it. The bracket ran smoothly, games flowed without complaints, and everyone asked for a second tournament.
That’s where the idea was born.
The Evolution: Month by Month
Months 1-2: Learning
- 1 weekend tournament
- 8 teams × $50 = $400 revenue, $100 profit
- Learned to hire reliable referees
- Lost 3 hours collecting from 2 teams who “forgot” to pay
Months 3-4: Professionalization
- Discovered Torneyo and activated online payment
- Increased to 12 teams × $60 = $720 revenue
- Zero delinquency for the first time — how the financial dashboard works →
- Profit: $280
- Closed 1 sponsorship with a neighborhood bakery ($80) — how to sell sponsorship with ROI data →
Months 5-6: Scaling
- 2 tournaments per month (alternate Saturdays)
- 16 teams × $70 = $1,120 per tournament
- Sponsorship in both (2 × $100 = $200)
- Monthly revenue: $2,240 + $200 = $2,440
- Monthly cost (2 tournaments): $1,400
- Monthly profit: $1,040
For the first time, he earned more organizing tournaments than at his job.
Months 7-12: Consolidation
- 4 tournaments per month (1 per week)
- 16 teams × $80 = $1,280 per tournament
- Sponsorships: 3 × $120 = $360/month
- T-shirt revenue: ~$160/month
- Total monthly revenue: $5,640
- Monthly cost: $3,360
- Stripe fees: ~$60
- Net monthly profit: $2,220
Yes, $2,220. But he reinvested part into equipment (electronic scoreboard, official balls, referee uniforms) and kept $1,680 in pocket profit.
Carlos’s Weekly Routine
Many people think organizers only work on weekends. Wrong. The week is divided like this:
Monday (3-4h)
| Task | Time |
|---|---|
| Publish weekend results | 30 min |
| Send reports to sponsors | 30 min |
| Pay referees and scorekeepers | 30 min |
| Plan next tournament | 1h |
| Reply to interested team messages | 1h |
Tuesday to Thursday (2-3h/day)
| Task | Time |
|---|---|
| Promotion (social media, groups) | 1h |
| Visit businesses for sponsorship | 1h |
| Confirm court, referees, and teams | 30 min |
| Manage registrations on Torneyo | 30 min |
Friday (2h)
| Task | Time |
|---|---|
| Check pending payments | 30 min |
| Print match sheets and brackets | 15 min |
| Prepare materials (balls, vests, water) | 45 min |
| Confirm everything with the team | 30 min |
Saturday or Sunday (10-12h) — Tournament Day
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Arrive at court, set up |
| 7:30 AM | Meeting with referees and scorekeepers |
| 8:00 AM | First games begin |
| 8 AM - 6 PM | Manage round, solve problems, publish results |
| 6:00 PM | Last match, awards |
| 6:30-7:00 PM | Pack up, clean, go home |
Total Weekly Hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 3-4h |
| Tuesday-Thursday (3 days) | 6-9h |
| Friday | 2h |
| Saturday | 11h |
| Total | 22-26h/week |
$1,680 ÷ 96h/month = $17.50/hour. Compare to warehouse worker salary: $440 ÷ 220h = $2/hour.
Monthly Fixed Costs
Carlos operates as a sole proprietor. His fixed costs:
| Item | Monthly Value |
|---|---|
| Phone + internet | $20 |
| Fuel (4 weekends) | $96 |
| Consumables (water, ice, printing) | $60 |
| Equipment replacement reserve | $40 |
| Total fixed costs | $230 |
This value is already deducted from the $1,680 net profit. Variable costs (court, referees, prizes) are paid per tournament and are already factored into the per-event profit calculation.
The 3 Biggest Challenges
Carlos was honest about what’s hard:
1. Rain and Cancellations
“I lost an entire tournament to rain. $1,280 in revenue went down the drain because the court was outdoors. Now I only rent covered courts or have a Plan B.”
Solution: Always have a covered backup court and a clear rescheduling policy in the regulations.
2. Referee Complaints
“Every team complains about the referee at least once. It’s inevitable.”
Solution: Hire well-rated referees, have a clear protest rule in the regulations, and don’t argue during the game. After the game, listen and resolve.
3. Burnout
“After 6 straight tournaments without a break, I was exhausted. Now I take 1 weekend off per month.”
Solution: Don’t schedule 4 tournaments in 4 consecutive weeks. Leave 1 weekend free. Even so, monthly profit stays above $1,200.
What Carlos Would Do Differently If Starting Today
The answer is clear:
- “I would have activated online payment from the first tournament” — lost $150 to delinquency in the first 2 months
- “I would have charged more from the start” — $50 was too cheap. The market pays $70-80 without problem
- “I would have sought sponsorship in week 1” — took 3 months to close the first one
- “I would have used Torneyo from day 1” — wasted 20h/week with spreadsheets before discovering the platform
The Final Math
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Tournaments per month | 4 |
| Profit per tournament | $420 |
| Monthly sponsorship revenue | $360 |
| Monthly t-shirt revenue | $160 |
| Monthly fixed costs | $230 |
| Net monthly profit | $1,680+ |
| Hours worked per week | 22-26h |
| Hourly rate | $16-17.50 |
This is more than most formal jobs. And Carlos started with no money, no experience, and no contacts — just a willingness to organize and a WhatsApp group.
How to Start (Step by Step)
- Find an accessible court — public or partner
- Define a simple format — 8 teams, groups + knockout
- Create the tournament on Torneyo — free to start
- Activate online payment — integrated Stripe, zero delinquency
- Promote — WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, word of mouth
- Execute well — be organized, punctual, and fair
- Repeat and improve — raise prices, add sponsorship, scale
The first tournament will earn $100-200 in profit. The fourth could earn $400-600. The twelfth could change your professional life.
Torneyo features that make the difference: