How to Run an Americano: A Step-by-Step Guide for Organisers
Running an Americano is easier than it looks. Get the numbers right, pick your points, brief the players, and let the rounds roll.
The short answer
To organise an Americano, get a group that is a multiple of 4, book one court per 4 players, and pick a points target per round (24 is a popular choice). Draw new partners every round, collect each court's score, and add the points to an individual ladder. Most social Americanos run for about two hours.
What do you need before you start?
Not much. An Americano is the easiest doubles event to run once the numbers work. Here is the kit list:
- Players in a multiple of 4. 8, 12 and 16 are the sweet spots.
- One court per 4 players. 8 players need 2 courts. 16 need 4.
- Balls. Fresh balls on every court help, and many clubs put out a new can per court.
- A way to draw pairs and keep the ladder. Paper, a whiteboard, or an app.
- Around two hours of court time for a typical social event.
The table below is your cheat sheet. "Full rotation" means everyone has partnered everyone once.
| Players | Courts | Rounds for full rotation |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | 7 |
| 12 | 3 | 11 |
| 16 | 4 | 15 |
You don't need a full rotation. Most social events stop well before it, and that's fine. For the pairings themselves, see our Americano schedules for 8, 12 and 16 players.
How do you organise an Americano, step by step?
What should you tell players in the briefing?
Keep it short. Players want to hit balls. Cover these points:
- You get a new partner every round.
- Each round is played to a set total, like 24 points. Every rally counts, whoever serves.
- The two scores always add up to the target. 14-10, 16-8 or 12-12 are all fine.
- A 12-12 draw is a legal result. Both pairs bank 12.
- You keep the points your pair scored. Most points at the end wins.
- How serving works on your night. Conventions vary, so pick one and say it out loud.
- Report your score straight after the round, so the next one can start.
How do you keep the event on time?
Time is the organiser's biggest enemy. A few habits help:
- Start round 1 on the dot. Warm-up happens before, not during.
- Keep the gap short. A couple of minutes between rounds is enough for water and a court change.
- Collect scores fast. One slow court holds up everyone. Chase it early.
- Drop the points if you're behind. Going from 32 to 24 buys time without cutting rounds.
What if the numbers don't work?
Someone always cancels. If you end up with 7, 10 or 14, you'll need a plan. Common club workarounds are a rotating sit-out or a bench player who swaps in each round. Our guide to running an Americano with odd numbers walks through the options.
How do you set up an Americano in Scorepion?
Scorepion is a watch-first scoring app that runs Americano events for padel, tennis and badminton. It handles the draw and the ladder, so you can actually play. Here's the setup:
Then you play. Scorepion draws round 1 and puts everyone on a court, with no sit-outs. You can score your own court point by point on your phone or your watch, or just type in the final score. Other courts are typed in.
Every court must report its score before the next round is drawn. The draw looks at earlier rounds to avoid repeat partnerships, so it copes fine if you stop early. You can also change the points or rounds while the event is running, which is handy when time gets tight.
Want to score your court tap by tap? Here's how to score an Americano on Apple Watch or Wear OS. For the full feature list, see the Americano app page.
Run your next Americano from your phone
Scorepion draws every round, avoids repeat partners and keeps the ladder for you. Score your own court on your watch and type in the rest. You get 5 free matches, no card needed.
