Sports Equipment & Infrastructure Blog | Sport Systems - Building A Better Game

Design Options for Outdoor Basketball Courts

Written by Ryan Wilby | Jul 21, 2020 7:00:00 AM

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.

Court Surfaces

Choosing a basketball court surface that is easy to maintain, is durable, and can withstand traffic as well as the outdoor elements of the changing seasons is important. Fortunately, manufacturers of outdoor basketball flooring have addressed all these details and more. With court surfaces available in several colours and sizes, design options are practically endless.

These professional-quality outdoor flooring options are designed to last longer and require less maintenance, which converts to savings for you. Additionally, these flooring surfaces, which are available in interlocking tiles, offer a shock absorbing feature that not only allows the ball to bounce consistently, it also promotes player safety such as, better traction, a lower risk of impact injury, and reduced recovery time, even after hours on the court. This tile alternative offers up to three times more shock absorption than concrete and eliminates many of the risks of head injuries or broken bones caused by high-impact falls.

Additionally, with high-performance new tile flooring surfaces, you are less likely to encounter easement or hardscape restrictions, as well as the need for expensive heavy equipment. Also, the products are eco-friendly for the most part. The flooring is designed to encourage water drainage and many manufacturers focus on using recycled materials that require less energy to produce, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint.

Choosing a Court Size

Whether you are designing a court for a school, recreational facility or otherwise, outdoor basketball courts are available in standard sizes including 30’ x 30’, 36’ x 66’, and 48’ x 80’, and can also be customized to suit your needs, budget, and preferences. With the flooring tiles typically in a 10’ x 10’ square, they can be cut and assembled to create everything from a main court, side court, half court, and so on. The modular flooring is versatile, designed for high-use and occasional traffic, and oftentimes sports facilities incorporate it into multi-use purposes to make the most of their investment.

If necessary and depending on your needs, an outdoor court will be designed to meet NBA, NCAA, or National High School federation regulations. With these guidelines, the flooring, basketball goals, backboards, ball retention nets, and bleachers, can be designed with the perfect dimensions, complete with all the features you need, all integrated seamlessly within the intended space. Display those team colours on your professionally designed and installed court that will provide a safe, fun experience for players and require very little maintenance or out-of-pocket expense for many years to come.