Sport Systems is proud to announce the successful completion of another high-quality spectator seating project in Ontario, this time at Emily Carr Secondary School in Vaughan, part of the York Region District School Board.

We're thrilled to celebrate yet another standout collaboration with our long-time dealer and partner, Sparks @ Play, based in Owings Mills, Maryland. In 2024, we joined forces to deliver a custom outdoor bleacher installation at Tucker Field—a vibrant community hub in Bel Air, Maryland. Together, we planned, designed and installed a pair of new custom bleachers for this budding community and the end result serves as a testament to the strength of our cross-border relationships.

While most companies and industries today seem to be moving away from phone conversations, here at Sport Systems, we continue to embrace them. While it is something that we consider to be a vital part of our customer experience, it’s also in light of the fact that many of the products we sell are unique and nuanced in design. 

One such product category that requires a conversation just about every time we sell them is our bleacher and seating department. With unique capacity and design needs, we pride ourselves on customizing solutions fit to each individual project where required. In addition to mapping out seating requirements, a challenge many buyers are now facing is navigating seemingly complex national or regional safety and building codes.

It’s been a little over a year now since we first installed some beautiful bleacher seating at Chatham-Kent’s Fergie Jenkins field. Last spring we were tasked with the challenge of installing a brand new grandstand into the existing infrastructure at the legendary park, a challenge we believe we passed with flying colors. 

Building on our previous success at this beloved ballpark, the City of Chatham-Kent once again came to us with another project for the ball park. 

As with every new project we complete, we are proud to announce the successful finalization of a transformative project for St. Kateri Catholic School in London, Ontario. In partnership with our esteemed colleagues at Worldwide Turf, we designed and installed two state-of-the-art, barrier-free bleachers to complement the school’s new artificial turf sports field and running track, as it prepares to host major sports and track & field events for the region during the upcoming school year and beyond.

Located in the Masonville area, St. Kateri Catholic Elementary School is named after Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native North American who converted to Christianity and devoted her life to faith and sacrifice. Established to serve the growing community in North London, the school reflects a commitment to Catholic education and community engagement.

Bourgade Catholic High School was founded back in 1962 by Bishop Green to serve Catholic students on Phoenix’s west side and is named after Archbishop Peter Bourgade, a French missionary priest. Boasting a 27-acre campus that offers a college-preparatory curriculum with a strong emphasis on Catholic formation, the school enrolls around 350-400 students in grades 9-12. 

In addition to its academics, Bourgade ranks in the top 20% of Arizona private schools for sports and extracurriculars, offering 12 interscholastic sports including football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball along with clubs like Student Council, which earned National Gold Council Excellence Awards from 2013-2016. Serving as home to the Golden Eagles, the school unfortunately had two of their outdoor bleachers recently handed failing grades after being inspected.

While renting bleachers might initially appear to be a budget-friendly option for sporadic or even annual  events, a deeper analysis reveals a multitude of drawbacks compared to the long-term benefits of investing in permanent bleachers. For many facility owners and operators out there,  the bleacher rental game can, at times, feel like a hamster wheel that you can never get off. 

There is little doubt that the initial cost of ordering and installing permanent bleachers may seem daunting (and expensive), it’s worth noting that the long-term cost savings can be substantial. Rental bleachers undoubtedly come with a long list of drawbacks including recurring expenses, availability among many other factors. Permanent bleachers, on the other hand, are a one-time investment that have the ability to eliminate these ongoing costs and headaches almost instantly.

In addition to the above, here’s a few other costs associated with bleacher rentals which can make you feel as though you are running in circles.

Nestled along the shores of Lake Huron lies the city of Sarnia. Long known as the largest city along the great lake, it also serves as a hub for trade and its burgeoning petroleum industry. Aside from the trade industry, the area has blossomed into a family-oriented community and is home to a number of beautiful parks and recreation areas.

As part of a recent project, we were brought on board to help the city with some upgrades to Norm Perry Park, closely situated to the city’s bustling port. Looking to equip this popular park with some new barrier-free seating, the city came to us in search of a fully-accessible and code-compliant bleacher option for the park.

If you, like our friends at the Superior Heights Collegiate and Vocational School in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, are looking for a fully accessible and elevated bleacher, this might be something you’ll want to have a look at.

With the ability to seat 366 people - including four barrier-free seats complete with companion seating - we designed our new 8-row bleacher model (BL-8TB-81- 8 x 24-36E-BF4) almost specifically for this project. With a fence and a track separating the bleacher from the action on the field, the Algoma District School Board came to us to help them design the right solution for their unique situation.

Heading out to western Canada one of our latest projects landed us just outside of Vancouver in beautiful Coquitlam, British Columbia. Working closely with one of our newest partners at Smithscape Construction, we were brought in to help design a 10-row bleacher as part of some major upgrades to a local park.