The Best Seats
In The House

Basketball has been a longtime favourite game for people of all ages. From playing a casual game in the backyard to cheering on a high school or professional team in an arena, the game truly brings friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours together.

While basketball has been played on a myriad of surfaces, athletic professionals recognize the importance of best court design to suit the facilities’ needs and that accommodate the players and audiences with those features that enhance everyone’s experience.

For one of our recent projects, we  found ourselves in the picturesque city of Owen Sound, in Southwestern Ontario. Located on Georgian Bay, Owen Sound is a popular tourist destination for Ontario residents, particularly during the summer months.

From a tourist perspective, Owen Sound is known for its access to water in many shapes and forms and for camping and beaching it along the shores of Georgian Bay. The area is also known for a number of spectacular waterfalls located just outside of the city that are perfect for day trips for visitors.

With COVID-19 still  a real concern across much of the world and particularly here in North America, many are asking what a potential re-opening, if any, for the athletic and sports industry could look like. While we certainly can’t pretend to have all of the answers, keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry is what we do. Here’s what we are learning about re-opening plans and what they could entail over the coming weeks and months.

Bleachers and Seating

As facilities begin to plan welcoming back participants and possible spectators, much has gone into the planning of seating. It’s obvious at this point that sitting elbow-to-elbow in a bank of bleachers will unlikely be an option for the foreseeable future. When it comes to smaller venues, we are seeing an uptick in small bleacher orders. Many operators are ordering additional seating that would allow seating for a similar number of spectators while maintaining physical distancing.

If you have been following us for any amount of time or have been a customer of ours over the years, you know how large of a role innovation plays inside our organization. It was nearly ten years ago that as a company, we went all-in on digital, abandoning many of the traditional ways in which our industry operated.

Costly ads in print, billboards, tv and radio still play a role in many marketing mixes out there today. For Sport Systems, we believe wholly in the development of a digital platform to not only reach new audiences but also to educate them on our industry, products and the people who design, manufacture and install them.

One of our most recent projects brought us to the Durham region of Ontario, located about 80km east of Toronto. Nestled in the municipality of Clarington, we were involved in some much-needed upgrades at a local recreation complex.

After experiencing significant growth over the past five years, the game of pickleball is now everywhere these days. While played outdoors the majority of the time, in Canada, the season is drastically reduced as the fall and winter months roll in. To extend the playing season, many facilities are beginning to expand facilities and programming to offer indoor pickleball courts and associated programming.

Since the early 1900s, fans have been crowding into bleachers to cheer on their favourite teams. These enthusiastic onlookers seldom allow inclement weather such as, rain, snow, or cold temperatures to stop them from showing their support.

Nowadays, with so many creature comforts available to us, sports facilities are making great strides to improve their guests’ experience and comfort levels even more. With the vast majority of today’s bleachers being constructed with aluminum, bleacher covers can offer protection from seasonal elements and sun damage and can also provide added comfort for spectators. Whether you have aluminum or wooden bleachers, these protective covers can offer several advantages.

Located around 30km outside of downtown Toronto, one of our recent projects took us to the beautiful city of Markham, a part of the Greater Toronto Area. As the largest city in the York Region, Markham is home to close to 400,000 residents and is home to a number of scenic pathways and outdoor spaces.

With a revitalization project in the works, our team was contacted to help ensure the safety of residents in the area at Morgan Park, one of the city’s most popular recreational spaces. As part of the revitalization, the city undertook a massive renovation to the park’s pool and surrounding area. In addition to the pool, the park is now home to a new children’s playground as well as sports fields such as baseball diamonds.

During the design phase, it was immediately apparent that the new playground scheduled for construction was potentially in harm’s way from the big bats playing under the lights of the community baseball fields.

With the warm summer months upon us, kids out of school, and adults wanting to get in shape for swimsuit weather, it’s the time of year when gyms and athletic facilities are normally busting at the seams with activity. However, the “stay-at-home” orders and forced closings for non-essential businesses due to COVID-19, have disrupted routines for businesses and individuals alike.

Of course, these empty facilities have impacted the industry but for many organizations, the downtime offers the perfect opportunity for catching up on equipment repairs, evaluating cleanliness protocols, and scheduling routine maintenance and inspections without inconveniencing clients. Additionally, it allows staff members to stay busy and continue earning an income, while enabling facilities to improve various aspects of their business.

Originally founded as a non-denominational evening college to serve veterans returning from World War II, Carleton University has since blossomed into one of Canada’s most respected post-secondary institutions.

Located in the heart of Canada’s Capital, the university now serves over 31,000 students on its picturesque campus bounded by the world-famous Rideau Canal to the north and the Rideau River to the south.

Over the years, we’ve been privileged to have partnered with the school on numerous occasions and have watched it grow over in tandem with the lovely city we call home. In addition to outfitting a number of other facilities on campus with equipment over the years, we were honored to have been selected to completely redesign and install the school’s grandstand bleachers as well.

Located in central Arizona, just south east of Phoenix, lies the charming town of Chandler and more importantly, the home of Basha High School. Opened in 2002, Basha High School was named after Eddie Basha, Jr., a dedicated community member who called Chandler home until his death in 2013.

Basha High was the third high school built by the Chandler Unified School District and currently has over 2,500 students enrolled. In addition to a high standard of academic accomplishment, the school is home to the Basha Bears, an athletics program that has consistently gained notoriety in the state of Arizona. Early on in the school’s history, their softball team was crowned state champions in 2008 and 2009, volleyball state champions in 2019 and boy’s basketball state champions in 2017. In addition to those accomplishments, their cheerleading team is a five-time winner of Arizona’s co-ed Cheer State Champions.