Tournament FAQ

Tournament Software is the platform of choice that is used for many badminton competitions worldwide - from grassroot level to the top tier BWF events. It is reliable and not that hard to figure out, and your personal data is secure.

You will need to go to www.tournamentsoftware.com website and complete the sign up process. You will be asked to create a login name and password, provide your name, contact details and some personal information. Once you click "Sign up", an activation email will be sent to you. Click on the activation link in the email, and you’re all set to use online entry process. It's a bit easier to do on a desktop / tablet screen, but quite doable on a smartphone too. You will find step-by-step instructions below.

1. Go to www.tournamentsoftware.com (you may need to agree to accept cookies if you're visiting the website for the first time)

2. Make sure you select Badminton as your sport, and then click "Sign up" in the top right corner.

3. Fill out the sign-up form (make sure you use a valid email address, and take note of your username and password), and click "Sign up"

4. You'll see a "Thank you" window. Time to go to your mailbox to verify your email address.

5. You will have received a confirmation email from Tournamentsoftware.com - open it and click on "Activate".

6. You will be taken to a log in screen - enter your login name and password, and click "Login"

7. Congratulations, you have created and confirmed your account. Now is a good time to add some required details to it - click on your name in the top right corner, and select "Account settings".

8. Make sure you fill in the Birthdate and Gender fields, as well as your home address - click on the "Edit" link next to the respective sections and add the required information.

9. Your account is now ready, and you can enter your first tournament.

1. Make sure you're logged in using your player account.

2. Find the tournament you want to enter, and click on "Enter online".

3. Make sure that your personal details are correct, and "Change" (or add) them if necessary.

4. Choose your events. In doubles you can nominate your partner (and enter their Member ID if you know it), or choose "Partner wanted".

5. Choose the required extras (such as ?"Event membership" if you are not a current member of Badminton WA).

6. Read the Tournament Regulations carefully, and select "yes" once you are ready to proceed.

7. Choose "Pay" to proceed to online payment. Important: your entry is not completed if you haven't made the payment, however if you decide not to go ahead with the tournament, you will need to withdraw.

8. You'll be taken to PayPal which is a secure platform for online payments. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can just pay using your debit / credit card.

9. Enter your card details, complete the required information and click "Pay now".

10. Your entry is now completed, and you will soon receive an email confirmation.

If you have lost both the username and your password, start with recovering your username (login) by clicking on this link.

Once you know your username, you can reset your password using this link.

Please write down your Tournament Software username and password for your tournament entries.

Once you submit the entry via Tournament Software, you should receive an email confirmation with your entry. You will also receive an email from PayPal confirming the payment of your entry fee.

Yes, you definitely can. Follow the system prompts to through the steps of the entry process. When you get to the selection of events (step 3, "Entry details"), choose your preferred doubles event, and tick the checkbox "I'm still looking for a partner". The organisers will try to find you a partner from available players. If a partner couldn't be allocated, the organisers will cancel your doubles entry and you will be refunded the entry fee for this event.

The list of players on Tournament Software website is only updated when the referee re-publishes the tournament. This may not happen until the entries have closed and draws have been completed completed. If you have received an email confirmation of your tournament entry from Tournament Software, and have completed the payment, then everything is fine with your entry.

That's not a problem at all. Just enter "none" or "N/A" in the "Club" field.

In doubles both players need to register in the tournament and pay their respective tournament entry fee.

Member ID is a number that is assigned to tournament players when they first compete. It remains the same for all state or national level tournaments in which you participate in Australia. It is your unique identifier that helps keep track of your tournament entries and ranking points.

Tournament Member ID is independent of your membership with Badminton WA (or the badminton association in any other state). Your membership with the state sports association may change from year to year, but your Member ID remains the same. If you are a member of Badminton WA, it doesn't automatically mean that you have a Member ID. Member ID is assigned to you when you first play in an official tournament.

If you already have played in an official (state level) tournament in the last few years, most likely you have already been issued a Member ID.

You can find the Member ID database here on the Badminton Australia website - download the Excel file, and look for your name on the worksheet corresponding to your state (WA if you're in Western Australia).

If you haven't played in a tournament before, or can't find your Member ID - please enter your date of birth in the DDMMYYYY format (eg 15041992) in the Member ID field on Tournament Software, and the tournament organisers will issue you a Member ID number.

Please write down your Member ID, and use it every time you enter a badminton tournament in Australia.

We strongly recommend that you update it in your Tournament Software account profile. Just follow these three simple steps:

1. Go to edit your profile by clicking on https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/member/profile.... (make sure you're logged in as yourself - you should be able to see that in the top right corner of the Tournament Software webpage)
2. Click on "Sport details"
3. Enter your Member ID to the "Member ID" field, and click "submit".

Saving your ID in your Tournament Software profile will make it easier for you to enter tournaments, ensure correct handling of ranking points, and assist the tournament organisers with processing of your future tournament entries.

The match schedule is usually released on Wednesday before the tournament weekend. Check the tournament page on the Tournament Software website: go to "players", and click on your name - you should see the list of your matches and the scheduled match times.

Sometimes some of the matches won't show the schedule time next to them. It may mean, for example, that the match has been scheduled for Sunday but the schedule has only been published up to Saturday; or that particular match hasn't been scheduled yet. If you have particular concerns, please contact the tournament organisers with your query.

Unfortunately individual time exemptions can not be granted. By entering the event the player is agreeing to be available to play on all days from the first until the last match.

In all individual tournaments, if you are running late and miss your match, of if you have to withdraw / forfeit due to an injury or another reason, you will have to be withdrawn for the entire tournament based on the General Competition Regulations.

It is an important rule to keep in mind - sometimes we find that players say something like "I don't feel well and I'd like to forfeit my singles match but I would still like to keep competing in doubles". Unfortunately it is not allowed, and such players are facing a withdrawal from all the events they have entered.

In case of team tournaments, there are often slightly different rules - please enquire with the tournament organisers.

It is important that the players are there to play all of their matches, regardless of their earlier results in the tournament. It is just good sportsmanship and also basic courtesy towards your opponents who will be there expecting you. A "No show" for the match is treated as a withdrawal (meaning that you will be withdrawn from all the events you've entered) and will also attract an additional penalty.

Please do your best to be there on time, and try contact the tournament organisers to let them know if you're running late or if you are unable to make it. As the tournament referees are not always able to continuously check their emails while running the tournament, you can try to pass the message via your friends who may be at the tournament venue.

No, you don't have to have a PayPal account - you can use your debit or credit card. Please see the screenshot below.

If the tournament organisers couldn't find you a doubles partner, you will receive a refund of the entry fee for that doubles event.

If you withdraw before the entries closing date, you will received a full refund.

If you have to withdraw from the tournament after the entries closing date and would like to receive a refund, you will need to provide a doctor's certificate (or another official confirmation of extraordinary circumstances requiring you to withdraw). The organisers then will issue a refund of your entry fee (less $10 administration charge).

If it is your partner who has to withdraw, the rule above applies to them, but you will still receive the refund in full as you are not the initiator of the withdrawal in this case.

All Australian players who are not current registered members of Badminton WA (or the badminton association in another state) are required to pay $17 event membership fee, covering mandatory accident insurance during the event. It is payable every time you register for a tournament - if you play 4 tournaments in a year, you'll need to pay $17 * 4 times = $68 in total.

For those of you who are unsure about their status: if you are a current registered member of Badminton WA, you would normally have a current Badminton WA membership card which was issued to you either via a club that you've joined, or directly with Badminton WA.

Please make sure you select this option in the "Extra items" at the last step of the online tournament entry process.

Alternatively, you can choose to become a full member of Badminton WA (and not have to pay this fee again until the expiry of your membership) - this alternative option is also available in "Extra items". The cost of full membership is currently set at $50 adults / $37 juniors. You can find out more about individual membership here.

For events that use Early Bird rates, this situation is an unintended effect of the Early Bird fee structure. For example, if the early bird fee entry fee is $20 and the full fee is $25, the system will require you to pay additional $5 when you make a change once the full fees are in place. If you have paid the extra fees, don't worry - the tournament organisers will see this as overpayment, and will issue a refund closer to the tournament. If you haven't paid the extra money yet, you can contact the tournament organisers with the required change, and they will advise what to do.

If you are planning to participate in the tournament but were unable to complete the payment due to some technical error, or if you have paid but the online system still tells you that your entry remains unpaid, please contact the tournament organisers ASAP and they will advise what to do.

If you are no longer willing to play in the tournament, you cannot just leave your entry unpaid - you need to withdraw. You can do this either by logging in on Tournament Software and withdrawing your entry there, or by contacting the tournament organisers and advising them that you would like to withdraw.

The Badminton WA grading system is aimed to ensure that in our tournaments the players compete against opponents of mostly similar strength (although it may take time for a player to "land" in their correct grade, as there are many factors affecting competition performance and results).

If you have played Badminton WA tournaments in the last 3 years, you will have a grade assigned to you. You can find it in the grading list which is published on this page: www.badmintonwa.org.au/grading.

If you don't have a grade, please use the following guide:

• A Grade (open events) = International player, National player, State player, top club player
• A Reserve Grade = Good club player
• B Grade = Sound competitive player
• C Grade = Social, but competitive player
• D Grade (Recreational) = Adult social player (entry level)

Badminton WA Grading Rules document can also be found at www.badmintonwa.org.au/grading.

You can enter any events at your grade or above. For example, if you are graded B for singles, doubles and mixed doubles, you can enter WSB (Women's Singles B Grade), WSARes (Women's Singles A Reserve), and XDB (Mixed Doubles B Grade).

Open events are where the strongest players compete - those who are graded A can only enter the Open events. Players from lower grades can also enter the Open events if they wish.

In most tournaments there is a rule that a player can enter no more than 3 events across no more than 2 adjacent grades (eg Open and A Reserve, or B and C Grade, but not A Reserve and C Grade).

The age of the player is taken as at 31 December of the current year. In other words, if a player is turning 13 this year, they are not eligible to play Under 13, and must go up one age group.

The Competition Regulation require that "all clothing worn by Players shall be acceptable badminton sports clothing". The tournament Referee will have the ultimate discretion over what is acceptable in a particular tournament, and will make a final decision on admitting or rejecting particular item of clothing if required.

Generally speaking, sports T-shirts, polo shirts and sleeveless shirts are OK, while singlet-style tank tops are not. Sports shorts for men and women as well as sports dresses / sports skirts / "skirt shorts" for women are acceptable. Beach-like clothes (eg bathing shorts) and very baggy t-shirts are not acceptable. "Base layer" shirts / sports compression tights can be worn underneath t-shirts / shorts or skirts. Knee length sports compression socks and sports compression sleeves are acceptable. Track suits / sweatshirts / hoodies / track pants etc can only be worn during warm-up and must be removed before the start of the match.

If a shirt has the player's name on it, it must not be someone else's name.

For higher level competitions (eg National Carnivals, International events etc) there are more specific requirements about acceptable designs, advertising and lettering on players' clothing. These are defined in BWF's General Competition Regulations (which can be found here), sections 20-24.