How Better Athletic Facilities Improve the Game-Day Experience for Fans and Players
When it’s game time, an athletic facility becomes the setting for a shared experience between players and spectators. People love to attend games and cheer on their favorite teams and athletes, making the stadium, arena, ballpark, or gym more than just a backdrop.
In fact, the facility’s layout and features can play a major role in the overall experience.
A well-designed facility provides comfort for fans and increases enjoyment for both spectators and players. If the facility doesn’t accommodate the sport well or feels uncomfortable for fans, it can negatively affect the experience and potentially discourage attendance.
Keeping that big picture in mind, it’s not practical to design an athletic facility with a focus on one specific sport if other sports are also going to be played there.
Fans expect better, and so do the players.
This guide shows facility owners and sports enthusiasts the advantages of a flexible design that accommodates different sports and needs.
Benefits to Improving Athletic Facilities
Improving an athletic facility can be expensive and time-consuming, but the upgrades bring plenty of benefits.
Some of the goals that can be achieved through upgrades include:
- Catering to a wider range of players and fans
- Making an older facility look sleek and modern
- Attracting new visitors
- Increasing the number of useful spaces
- Expanding profit-making opportunities
- Complying with accessibility regulations
In many cases, facility owners can choose to make improvements over time. For example, a facility management team might decide to upgrade the playing surfaces before working on fan spaces. Targeted improvements can also help the facility increase its return on investment over the course of the project by allowing shorter closures.
Areas to Upgrade
Improved Seating
Almost everything about watching sports has changed over time, including expectations about seating. Ticket prices have risen, and fans expect a little more for their dollar, including comfortable seating that accommodates people of different sizes.
One of the best ways to show respect to the fans is to increase their comfort while they sit for hours. Improved seating can take different forms, such as upgrading from bleachers to individual seats or adding wipe-clean seat cushions. Fans want to enjoy sitting through the entire game without feeling stiff and sore the next day.
Video Boards
Video boards are a great way to boost the look and function of the venue for fans. Colorful displays can increase engagement and make it easier to track and enjoy the game. With advances in LED display technology, video boards have become more versatile and accessible, making them an increasingly useful facility upgrade.
During the game, the facility can show video of the action from hard-to-see angles or replay key moments. The boards can be used to introduce the players before the game or play sponsored messaging from corporate partners throughout the contest.
Concessions
In the early days of athletic facilities, concessions were often relatively basic. You could perhaps buy a box of popcorn and a pop, a beer and a hot dog. Now, fans expect a wider range of meals and snacks, and many are willing to pay for it. Facilities can expand basic options into a pizzeria or a modern burger bar. For facilities that add exclusive spaces for donors or VIPs, buffets with prime steaks and catering take it to the next level. Better food options mean everyone can enjoy a good meal without having to visit a restaurant outside the facility.
Multifunctional Spaces
Fans and players can tell immediately when a venue isn’t tailored to the sport or the teams using it. For example, baskets that won’t retract or adjust in height can make it harder to accommodate younger players or different levels of competition.
The solution is a multifunctional design. Storage should be multifunctional and accommodate the equipment needed for each sport. Nets and baskets can be made retractable with motorized systems, so the transition is seamless and efficient. Adding retractable dividers can accommodate tournaments where multiple games can take place at the same time.
Lighting
For all-season facilities, lighting is a key element. Outdoor stadiums that rely heavily on natural light may have limited options for hosting events during the shorter days of winter. Lighting should provide sufficient illumination, with appropriate levels and controls to meet the needs of players and fans. For example, appropriately designed overhead lighting can provide uniform illumination of the playing surface while minimizing glare for players and spectators. In fan spaces or locker rooms, indirect or diffused lighting can create a softer, more comfortable environment.
Accessibility
Ideally, everyone who wants to see or play in a game should be able to do so, regardless of their ability. This highlights the importance of accessibility for players and fans. Increasing accessibility might include installing adaptive sports equipment and accessible, step-free entrances so people who use mobility aids can easily enter and use the space.
For fans, improved accessibility includes accessible routes, ramps, elevators where required, clear signage, and appropriately designed accessible parking spaces. Creating quiet rooms can help fans with sensory sensitivities manage the noise and bustle of a game by providing a place to take a brief break.
Playing Surfaces
The right playing surface depends on the sport, calling for a versatile approach to gym flooring installation. Certain synthetic sports flooring systems can provide the performance characteristics needed for sports such as basketball while incorporating shock-absorbing properties.
Modular sports flooring systems can also allow facilities to change surfaces more quickly between compatible sports.
Many people enjoy watching and playing sports, but they enjoy it even more when the sport and facility feel like a perfect fit.
By making the improvements discussed above, facility operators can demonstrate their dedication to both players and fans.
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