tournaments at the lucky goat
Turn your group night into a proper contest. Teams battle across Darts, Shuffleboard, Pool and Air Hockey, with trash talk, silly awards and a knockout finale the whole room gathers round to watch.
We run everything, so all you do is bring the group.
Your group's tournament
Why groups love it
Fun, not serious
Four classic pub games, small teams and silly awards. Nobody needs to be good, and everybody gets involved.
We take care of it all
Hosts, fixtures, scorekeeping and a live scoreboard are all on us. It's under control from the first match to the last.
Nothing to work out
Guests always know where to be and when, so they can focus on playing and catching up.
Hype before, bragging after
Fixtures land a week ahead for the trash talk. A trophy and the results are yours to keep afterwards.
Make it yours
Side awards, voted by your guests
Everyone votes on the scoreboard from their phone, so there's more to win than just the games:
- Best Team Name: the silliest, smartest or most shameless
- Best Dressed Team: the reason to go all in
- The Wooden Spoon for the team with the fewest points
Look the part
Ask each team to wear something that says who they are, so the room can tell who's who:
- Coloured wristbands or bandanas, one colour per team
- Hats or visors in team colours
- A theme for the whole group, like decades, sports kits or superheroes, with each team picking its own twist
Trash talk before, bragging rights after
A week before, everyone gets their link and sees their team, their fixtures and who they're up against. The banter starts there. Afterwards the results are theirs to download and the trophy takes pride of place.
Prizes
A custom trophy is included for the winners. Send us the wording at least a week ahead and we'll have it made. Want to go further? Add-ons, per team or per team member:
- A bottle of champagne
- A bar tab at The Lucky Goat
At a glance
The scoreboard does the heavy lifting
No spreadsheets, no chasing scores, no group-chat updates. Everything runs through one link.
You get your link
We send you a private link to your tournament. Add your team names, captains and players, or paste a guest list and we shuffle everyone into balanced teams.
You share the guest link
Send players the finished link. They see their team, their fixtures, who they play and the prizes on offer.
Everyone follows live
On the day, guests follow every match from their phones. Our hosts enter every result, so you never update anything.
Your team's day
Live standings
Vote for the awardsThe guest link shows:
- Your team's schedule: when and where each of your games is, updated live
- Live scores and results as they come in
- Group standings, the knockout bracket and the full team list
- A short guide to how the competition and the points for each game work
- Voting for the side awards, and results to download at the end
What we need from you
Team names, team captains and team players
If we don't have these 7 days before the event date, we can allocate these at random. The team captain's role is to round up the rest of their team to make sure they are where they need to be and on time.Share the guest link
Send everyone their completed link at least a week ahead, so they understand how the tournament works, who they will be playing against and what prizes are up for grabs.Choice of prizes
Let us know if you want to reward your guests with more than just bragging rights.
We bring one hostone hosttwo hoststwo hoststhree hoststhree hosts to run the tournament: the fixture list, scorekeeping, the games and the live scoreboard.
Your day
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:20
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +0:30
Group stage
3 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +1:40
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +2:15
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +2:30
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +2:45
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:20
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +0:30
Group stage
3 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +1:40
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +2:15
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +2:30
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +2:45
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:50
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +1:00
Group stage
4 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +2:35
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +3:10
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +3:25
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +3:40
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:50
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +1:00
Group stage
5 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +2:40
Quarter-finals
Played on the darts oches.
- +3:15
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +3:50
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +4:05
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +4:20
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:50
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +1:00
Group stage
6 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +3:00
Quarter-finals
Played on the darts oches.
- +3:35
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +4:10
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +4:25
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +4:40
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
- +0:00
Guests arrive
Welcome drinks, settling in and mingling.
- +0:50
Host briefing
Rules explained and teams called together.
- +1:00
Group stage
7 rounds of 20 minutes, with food and drink whenever your team is resting.
- +3:20
Quarter-finals
Played on the darts oches.
- +3:55
Semi-finals
The final four teams battle for a place in the Grand Final.
- +4:30
Bronze Match
The two losing semi-finalists play for third place.
- +4:45
Grand Final
The whole room watches.
- +5:00
Prizes and presentation
Trophy, awards and photos.
Times are a guide. We leave breathing space between stages for food, drinks and a breather, and so we can flex the timetable on the night. Every round lasts 20 minutes: 15 minutes of play, then 5 minutes to finish up and find your next game.
The games
No experience needed. Our host explains each game before it starts, and your team plays together.
Each player claims a number, then knocks out rivals' lives. The last team with players left wins.
Teams play as many games as fit in the round. The team that wins more games wins. In the knockouts it is best of three.
Both teams line up and take turns. Every player has 3 lives. Pot a ball to survive, miss and lose a life. The last team with players left wins.
Teams play as many games as fit in the round. The team that wins more games wins. In the knockouts it is best of three.
In the group stage, games are picked for you so all the tables stay busy. Once your team is out, pool and air hockey are free to play whenever there is no match.
How scoring works
Teams are split into 2 groups of 44 groups of 34 groups of 45 groups of 46 groups of 47 groups of 4. Every team plays the other three in its group.Every team plays the other two in its group, with one round off.Every team plays the other three in its group.Every team plays the other three in its group.Every team plays the other three in its group.Every team plays the other three in its group. Every group match earns tournament points: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss. Our host enters each score and the system works out the rest.
| Game | How a match is scored | A draw is |
|---|---|---|
| Darts and Pool (Killer) | The winning team scores the number of its players still standing when the game ends. If there is time for another game, the points add up | Equal totals |
| Shuffleboard and Air Hockey | Each team scores the number of games it wins in the time available | Equal games won |
If teams finish a group level on points, the margin (the difference in scores across their matches) decides, then a bull-off. If a team does not turn up, their opponent takes the win.
How the knockouts work
Who goes through: the top two teams in each group reach the semi-finals.the winner of each group reaches the semi-finals.the winner of each group reaches the semi-finals.the five group winners plus the three best runners-up (ranked on points, then match margin) go into the quarter-finals.the six group winners plus the two best runners-up (ranked on points, then match margin) go into the quarter-finals.the seven group winners plus the best runner-up (ranked on points, then match margin) go into the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals are played on the darts oches before the semi-finals.
Quarter-finals are played on the darts oches before the semi-finals.
Quarter-finals are played on the darts oches before the semi-finals.
Then the whole room gathers round to watch the finale: the Bronze Match (the two losing semi-finalists play for third) and the Grand Final (the two winners play for the title).
Common questions
Do we need to be good at the games?
No. The mix of games and small teams means everyone contributes, and the host explains each one first.What if some guests don't want to play?
Every match is a team effort, so quieter guests can cheer, keep score or take a turn when they feel like it. The finals are built for watching.When do people eat and drink?
All the way through. At any moment roughly half the teams are resting, so the bar and food area stay steady rather than swamped. We'll agree the food and drink with you when you book.What if our numbers change?
Tell us as early as you can, and no later than a week before. We adjust the number of teams and the fixtures.Do you cater for access needs?
Yes. Tell us in advance and we'll plan the stations and games around your guests.Ready to play?
Get in touch with our events team to plan your tournament parties@theluckygoat.co.uk. Tell us your numbers and your date, and we'll take it from there.