MAD Sports Hub vs TourneyMachine
TourneyMachine is one of the most widely used tournament tools in youth sports, it is free to sign up, and coaches already know how to read its brackets — which is a genuine advantage you should not dismiss. Two things a director ought to know before choosing it. It is now branded SportsEngine Tourney, and SportsEngine was acquired by PlayMetrics from Versant Media, announced 1 May 2026, with Tourney explicitly named in the deal. And it does not publish pricing: sign-up is free, everything beyond that is a quote.
How TourneyMachine charges. Not published. Free to sign up; pricing on request. Now a SportsEngine product, and SportsEngine changed owners in May 2026 — verify current terms directly before you commit.
What each one does
| MAD Sports Hub | TourneyMachine | |
|---|---|---|
| Team registration | Structured entries per division, in your own site | Yes |
| Entry fee payments | Into your own Stripe account, no cut on top | Yes. Terms not published. |
| Who processes the money | You do. Your account, your merchant relationship. | Not published |
| Scheduling and brackets | Pools, brackets and field assignments | Yes — scheduling engine, brackets, standings, live scoring |
| Director console | Staff logins with per-role permissions | Yes |
| Coach and parent familiarity | New to your teams | High — widely used across youth sports |
| Organisation website | A custom site, built for your organisation, included in the build | A tournament website per event |
| Sponsor pages | A page per sponsor, built from the sponsor record | Not published |
Last reviewed: September 2026. Figures are what the sources below published on that date and we have not independently audited them — check directly before you commit to anything. Our own pricing is on the pricing page and every figure we quote is the start of a published range, so it is the cheapest version of us rather than the only one. We do not use competitor logos.
When TourneyMachine is the better fit
If your teams already live in TourneyMachine brackets, the switching cost is not the software, it is retraining every coach who shows up on Saturday — and that is a real cost we would not talk you out of respecting. It is free to start, it is proven at scale, and for a director whose only problem is running the event it is hard to beat. Pick them if you do not need a site that works between events.
Switching
Entries, divisions and team contacts export. The specific thing to check before you move is your current terms, because pricing is quoted rather than published and the product changed owners in May 2026 — know your renewal date before you plan anything. Typically three to four weeks to build on our side, and we load your teams, schedule and sponsors rather than handing you a data-entry job.
You own your domain, your content and your data, and you can export it any time. Before anything else we build you a free mockup of your event’s site — no cost, no obligation. Like it, we talk. Don’t, and you keep the design.
Questions
Is TourneyMachine the same thing as SportsEngine Tourney?
Yes. It carries SportsEngine branding now, and SportsEngine Tourney was named explicitly in PlayMetrics’ acquisition of SportsEngine from Versant Media, announced 1 May 2026. Worth knowing mainly because it means your tournament tool and the club platform you may also be evaluating share a corporate parent.
Has the acquisition changed the price?
Not that we can see. SportsEngine Premium still showed $1,299/yr when we checked on 27 September 2026, and Tourney has never published pricing at all. But the long-term pricing and support model has not been publicly confirmed, so if you are approaching a renewal, verify current terms directly with them rather than trusting any page including this one.
Would we save money on fees by moving to you?
We cannot tell you, because their fees are not published — and we would not claim it even if they were. We take 0% of your registrations, but you keep your own processor, so your card fees are whatever Stripe charges you. What you get is the site and the back office as one product instead of two purchases.
Other comparisons: Google Forms + Venmo, Exposure Events, Playbook365.
See it before you decide anything.
We’ll build you a free mockup of your program’s site. No cost, no obligation. Like it, we’ll talk. Don’t, and you keep the design.