#1: When does the tournament take place?

It's hard to believe, but this question keeps coming up.

You almost want to say: The Pentecost Tournament is taking place at Easter this year.

So here, for all the people who don't know why the Pentecost Tournament is called the Pentecost Tournament: Because it takes place at Pentecost.

Arrival is on the Friday before Pentecost from 17:00, the games are on Saturday, Sunday and end on Monday at around 15:00. As the match schedule can only be drawn up shortly before the match, we cannot give any information in advance as to when the last match of your team or age group will be.

And for those who are too lazy to search the calendar, here are the dates for the years up to 2026 (note: registration is only possible from around  January of the respective year - don't even try before then):

2025: 07.-09.06.
2026: 23.-25.05.

#2: We are sleeping privately. Do we still have to buy a  participant card?

The following services are included in the participant card:

• Type A: Accommodation, meals, use of the shuttle service ( Please note:For 2025, participant cards type A are only available for mini & youth teams. Bookings for senior or U22 teams are not possible for the time being).
  
• Type B: Accommodation, use of the shuttle service
  

If you are staying in private accommodation, you do not need to purchase a participant card.

#3: How does the registration/payment/confirmation process work?

Please find detailed information about the registration process here.

#4: We will come with more/fewer participants. How does this work?

You can adjust the number of guest tickets yourself in the login area of your registration up to approx. 4 weeks before the tournament. Minimal changes (1-3 people) are usually not a problem. For larger changes, we always have to check whether we still have the necessary capacity.

#5: Could you pick us up from the airport or hotel?

Basically: No.

We organize the shuttle service with private or rented minibuses. These are not available to us in unlimited numbers. A trip to the airport on Friday can take more than an hour each way.

Our capacities are therefore not sufficient to drive to distant destinations (Berlin is a big city!)

#6: When will I receive the match schedule or other documents?

We do not finalize the schedule until the weekend before Pentecost. We do this so late on purpose so that there are as few changes as possible.

The documents will not be sent out; participants will find all the documents and the online schedule on our homepage in the week before Pentecost.

#7: Where do we have to go on Friday, or where does check-in take place?

Information about check-in will follow shortly.

#8: How do I get from XYZ to Zehlendorf station?

The best way to do this is to search for a suitable connection with our Berlin public transport companies.

Go to the BVG website and enter the following in the “Timetable information” search mask on the start page:

• Start: The station you are arriving at (*)
  
• Destination: S Zehlendorf Bhf
  
• on: Date of your arrival
  
• at: Time of your arrival

#9: We are arriving on Friday, can we stay overnight at your place?

Arrival on Friday is expressly planned and, with a few exceptions, will be done by everyone. And of course the hundreds of participants arriving on Friday can also sleep at our place.

#10: Where can I find hotels in the area?

Unfortunately, there are not that many hotels in Zehlendorf, but there are in Steglitz (neighboring district).

You can find hotels at:

• hotel.de
  
• hrs.de
  
• berlin.de
  

Most of the tournament grounds are located in the Zehlendorf district on Teltower Damm. Gyms and places to sleep can be found in this area.

#11: When will I receive further documents?

We try to provide all documents as up-to-date as possible. You can download further information from our homepage one week before the tournament. There you will also find the online schedule. Once we have put the information online, you will be informed by e-mail.

We cannot say in advance where you will be sleeping, as there may be last-minute changes up to the day before the tournament.

You will receive all documents, participant cards and a city map on Friday when you arrive. You will also find out the location of your accommodation there.

#12: Is a deposit charged?

1. deposit (match operations): We charge a deposit of €50 (U12-U18) or €100 (U20-Sen) per registered team for match operations, which must be transferred in advance with the registration fee. If the team participates in all its matches and judging, the deposit will be refunded after the tournament.

2. deposit (accommodation): We charge a deposit of €50 per registered team for accommodation. This deposit must be paid in cash at check-in and will be refunded upon check-out by the janitor or the accommodation guard

#13: How strong is league xyz?

We are often asked how strong a U18 or men's league is. The clear answer: it depends on the participants. In other words, we don't know in advance.

What we can say, however, is that our tournament is an “end-of-season” tournament and therefore does not claim to be 100% competitive.

There are always competitive teams who end up fighting for the top places in matches that are usually well worth watching. But there are also always teams who simply take part for the fun of it and who don't care whether they finish 7th or 15th as long as it's fun. And that's the only thing we know in advance: It's fun.

#14: Can younger players also play in the age groups?

Short answer: Of course!

We base the age groups for the tournament on the age groups from the previous season. All people who played in the past

#15: Do we also have to buy a participant card for coaches?

You have to buy participant cards for everyone who is supposed to sleep in our rooms. This includes Coaches, parents, supervisors, etc.

The only exceptions are referees who officially referee in our tournament. We will provide them with accommodation and meals.

#16: How long is the tournament office staffed on Friday and the other days?

The tournament office will open on Friday around 5:00 pm and will then be open as long as required by the arriving teams, usually until 2 or 3 am.

So that we know how long we should wait, we ask the participants to send us a message if they arrive after 10 pm on Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday, the tournament management will be manned until around midnight.

On Monday, the tournament management closes after the last game, i.e. around 3 pm.

But even during the night there is always someone in the tournament management who can at least answer your questions. Especially on Saturday night, you don't have to worry if you get stuck in a traffic jam. The night watch is always there for you and important formalities

#17: I would like to come with a mixed team, is that possible?

Since 2017, we have been offering a separate mixed competition in the senior category.

Mixed teams are also possible in all other age groups, but they must be explicitly stated in advance (or in the comments section during the registration process).

We will then decide on a case-by-case basis how to deal with this.

As a small, basic guideline:

Girls in a boys' team ‭→ normally no problem, participation in competition

Boys in a girls' team ‭→ preliminary round out of competition, then continue in competition. If the match schedule is such that there is no preliminary round, we will apply a rule which means that this team cannot finish in the first four places.

#18: I made a mistake when registering or would like to change my registration. What do I have to do?

If you have made a mistake when registering or would like to change your registration, you need to do two things:

• Read the FAQ on registration.
• Change your registration: Log in with your user data and edit your registration.

#19: Will we be given keys to our accommodation later?

With a few exceptions, we don't have keys for the individual classrooms. For one thing, we don't get them ourselves, and for another, it wouldn't really help most of the time: In Berlin, most schools have a locking system, i.e. all classrooms have the same key.

#20: Are there showers in the accommodation?

Unfortunately, Berlin schools themselves are very poorly equipped with showers. You can usually use the showers in the associated school sports halls. Otherwise, you will also find showers in all Gyms.

#21: Can you prevent overlaps between two teams in the match schedule?

If you inform us of such a wish when you register, we will try to find a match schedule for the preliminary round that excludes the overlap as far as possible. Please use the field “ Comment / request for match schedule”:

From the second round onwards, however, we can no longer guarantee this, as we will then continue to play in the knockout system or an intermediate round. The pairings here are based on the placings in the preliminary round.

#22: Can we also participate with older players in a team?

Basically: No. We see the Pentecost Tournament as a recreational tournament at the end of the season and see this as a disadvantage for the other participants.

If you still want to play with older players, please write to us in advance and make a note of this in your registration. We will then decide whether to allow the exception.

In practice, you will then participate as “out of competition”. This means that you will automatically finish last in the preliminary round, but you will then continue to play as normal. You will therefore have the same number of games, but you will not be able to reach the top places.

Please note: We carry out random age checks! If we find players who are too old, we will exclude the entire team from the tournament!