
Make the most of existing sports courts and pitches by covering them with a canopy or instant building
by Jason Lynock
A really clever way of increasing the sports facilities within a school or college setting is to throw a cover over something that already exists to extend its play time. Consider most hard courts where netball or tennis is typically played. They’re used for just a small part of the year thanks to our inclement British weather. But, with beautiful simplicity, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively add a canopy or temporary building over it to reap all the benefits of all-weather play.
We have worked with many educational establishments in the spirit of recycling and maximising an existing investment to create outdoor courts and pitches that can be used all year round. Add to this the potential for making the spaces accessible by the local community and you have both increased capacity and a great source of regular, income that isn’t weather dependent.
You can go further if you want to and add separate areas for changing facilities, lockers and refreshments area and include lighting to create more of a club feel. There are, of course, options to upgrade the floor or equipment. We also offer a really affordable floor option via tiles that clip together and come complete with court markings – like a huge sports jigsaw! This makes replacing your existing floor another easy upgrade if you choose to. However if you just want to make more of what you already have, a canopy is a great solution.
The main thing is, in making the most of existing sports space, you don’t need to start digging footings or making huge investments. The sports coverings can be temporary or permanent, hired or bought. With Smart-Space you can change your mind at any point of the process and buy it outright if you feel it’s going to be working for you longer term and it makes better financial sense.
Summer sports don’t need to stop during the winter. Your fanatical footballers, cricket devotees and tennis enthusiasts can carry on training twelve months of the year – an absolute necessity for serious athletes. It also puts your school on the map for being able to share its facilities with neighbouring teams.
Unless you go the whole hog and choose to add heating, playing in a covered space provides many of the benefits of being outside. Your players can enjoy plenty of space, fresh air and unlimited access whilst avoiding the downside of wet, slippery or muddy sports facilities.
Talk to Smart-Space about the different options. We have lots of experience of providing this kind of service to schools: working safely and with full responsibility for our directly employed team whilst on site. It’s a win-win for everyone.
"Time was of the essence ... took around 14 weeks from start to finish"
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Tell us about itJason Lynock
Sales Director
Jason joined Smart-Space in 1994 as a site installer, he become a site manager in 1998, after five years moved into sales and is now our sales director. He has 25 years’ experience and is second in command of our 40+ team. There is not a part of the business he has not had experience in, this coupled with his can-do attitude, will make you confident that you are dealing with a consummate professional. He is instrumental in product development and making sure the business is relevant and quick to respond to market needs.