On the surface of school sports

By Heather Barker Vermeer

Industry Reporter

Stellar sports grounds need quality playing surfaces.

Professional sports surfaces boost the calibre of athletes you can att ract as well as staff morale, student participation, community engagement, plus visual appeal for your school branding. Reputation aside, however, there are health and safety benefi ts to properly maintaining and upgrading school sports surfaces. Maintenance should be planned as part of the project and being pro-active in this can save money and time lost due to surface degradation, particularly when it comes to drainage. When a new synthetic surface is installed, moss and algae are not an issue. Over time, however, surfaces become aff ected by natural debris, such as leaves, soil, and litt er, as well as weather events like the recent fl oods. All this can enable algae and moss to grow. Scheduled maintenance will keep your surface at the standard it should be aesthetically, and for optimum safety and playability. Stellar sports surfaces can also diversify the types of activities students can play on the ground. Whether your current priority is a ballin’ basketball court, a pristine cricket wicket, an international standard hockey turf, state-of-the-art squash court or an all-weather athletics track, there is a tried and tested process to achieving the results you want for your school and ensure you don’t slip up. Options include, but are not limited to, all-weather artifi cial turf, synthetic multi-sports courts, sand-based fi elds with hybrid turf reinforcement, or hardwearing acrylic court surfaces. The major trend in Australia recently has become synthetic multi-sport courts, which remove the weather-dependency of what can be wet, muddy winter sports fi elds and enable a variety of sports to be played year-round. Increasingly, these are brightly coloured and marked for many sports, with bold design in primary colours intended to act as a magnet to young minds. Many primary and secondary schools choose not only to add netball, basketball, hockey, and tennis markings, but incorporate additional features such as hopscotch, four square and handball, along with many other ball game variations for maximum usability of your multi-use sports surface.

Your cost analysis will determine how bold you can be, so consider construction, maintenance, renewal, decommissioning, and cost per hour of use. It can be wise to go on site visits to sports fi elds in your area yourself, prior to engaging a consultant, and ask questions of those responsible not only for the decision-making but the upkeep of facilities: benefi t from the learnings of others and ascertain what you personally, and as a school, believe to be good practice in this fi eld.

Image courtesy of Grassports Australia

Nikki Bradford from Grassports Australia advised: “Schools looking to upgrade their sports surfaces should consider the longevity of the product they are putt ing in, they should also consider the use of Australiamade products built for our harsh climate that won’t wear easily, and they should also consider whether the surface will be used by external clubs and/or the public. She said: “Schools will also need to consider what the area will be used for as there are diff erent pile heights and regulations for each surface and sport. If you are trying to create a multisport area it would be advised to use a surface that caters to more than one sport.”

What to look out for:

Nikki suggested: “Maintaining your surface frequently is vital to ensure optimal playing characteristics are preserved and the longevity of the surface is assured, but towards the end of the surface life span it’s wise to start planning for it to be upgraded. “Look out for splitt ing seams, wearing down in high traffi c areas, slipperiness, moss, and algae build up. It’s important to be aware of these signs to avoid safety concerns. No two sports facilities are the same, so a tailored maintenance plan helps ensure a safe and premium quality facility is always in optimal condition. It is important to maintain and monitor the surface quality with full reports detailing the facility condition and works that have been carried out. Schools should also monitor Government grant applications to be sure they have an opportunity to apply. When internally funding, it’s wise to be aware that the cheaper option may not always be the best, you pay for quality and workmanship guarantee.” Craig Bowron from Sportzone Group specialises in tennis court construction and the design and resurfacing of artifi cial grass and synthetic sports fi elds and playgrounds. He told us that the main factors to consider here are drainage, purpose, and timing: “In most schools, the drainage system in sports areas has been neglected, and it is crucial for keeping courts or fi elds hasslefree for years to come. The purpose of the court or fi eld is central too, including its usage as well as student ability levels. Finally, schools should be aware that the installation of acrylic surfaces needs to be carried out in the warmer months--plan for this. “The main consideration here though is usage. For example, for a sprint track - will the students be wearing spikes? This will oft en dictate what type of system or surface we recommend. Another thing would be the condition of the existing surface as this can infl uence whether resurfacing is recommended, which can save money and utilise existing assets, or is a new build required? The best way to go about this is by employing a reputable company, checking their past references, and doing your due diligence.

Images courtesy of Sportzone Group

What to look out for:

Craig advised: “If the court or fi eld is synthetic grass, you will start to be able to see the seams or joins, and also the ribs in the grass due to being worn down. Both acrylic hard surfaces and synthetic grass surfaces are susceptible to tree root and water problems when installed on asphalt, which can be noticed by rises in the surface and these are dangerous. My other tip is to use a company that has experience installing school sports surfaces— it is very specialised—and do use Australia-made surfaces because they will last.” Aussie Outdoor Design Director, Jason Day recommended that schools “involve community” while planning as the needs and considerations for each area “can be quite diff erent”. He said: “When planning and designing the sports and play areas, consider that not one size fi ts all; schools are all diff erent in size, and layout and future planning for population fl uctuations should be considered as well as access in and around multisport courts. Fit for purpose installations take into consideration what age groups are planning to use the area and what activities the school needs to exclude or include. With these thoughts in mind, schools may also want to consider by age group whether they want high or low impact sports and activities, as well as how noise may carry, or how things like ball games might impact smaller children around the school.”

“In terms of funding solutions and options, sporting clubs nearby may generally assist with these applications. Usually, a ready design with a budget will assist too, and consider that local sporting clubs can hire your asset, so may be more willing to contribute to an allweather sporting facility; this may just require greater budget consideration and planning.”

What to look out for:

“There should be a yearly maintenance plan with basic cost considerations,” Jason told us. “Synthetic surfaces can impact on other areas, including excess water and debris runoff , so drain clearing and border weed control can also be considered when using low maintenance synthetic surfaces.”

State-of-the-art school sports facility catering for all abilities

For the cricket-obsessed region of Illawarra in NSW, a “world-class” sports facility at Holy Spirit College in Bellambi, Wollongong, won rave reviews by students and players alike.

Completed by the Sportszone Group towards the end of 2020, the $160,000 project included four retractable cricket nets allowing for multiple sport use, particularly for students with dexterity challenges or physical disabilities. The cricket nets were also developed for the Greater Illawarra representative side to train for events such as the Country Championships. Whilst Holy Spirit was impressed by a similar facility recently completed by Sportszone at Randwick Public School, they had high expectations of what they wanted their facility to deliver. Like many schools, the funds for the project were fully donated and funded by the college's Parents & Friends (P&F) Association. It was important that the facility delivered superior quality and longlasting surfacing, inclusivity of all abilities and within budget. Sportszone installed Australian made Supergrasse Centurion for the wickets and SYNLawn Coolplay for the surrounds, both manufactured by APT. Sections of coloured turf, which was a patented system created by Grassports Australia, were cleverly incorporated into the design to assist students with areas to target when performing diff erent types of shots. Like many construction projects Sportszone encountered several challenges including gett ing access to the site while students were using surrounding areas, inclement weather and the facility requiring anticorrosive materials due to the site’s proximity to the ocean. However, all these challenges were overcome resulting in a highly-praised state-of-the-art facility, which caters to all the community. The quality of the facility was in fact so appealing that that it drew former Illawarra cricketer and Holy Spirit College PDHPE teacher Dean Merola, out of retirement to coach the Greater Illawarra cricket side.

Sportszone has long been an installation partner of Melbourne-based APT - the only fully integrated manufacturer of Australian made synthetic sport and recreational surfaces, having installed their ISOcertifi ed products at many schools over the years. For more information please contact APT Asia Pacifi c on 1800 652 548, email info@aptasiapacifi c.com.au or visit www.aptasiapacifi c.com.au