The Best Seats
In The House

Contagious team spirit, bleachers full of school colors, marching bands - it’s hard not to be a college sports fan!  Whether you root for your own school, a hometown favorite, or your beloved alma mater, collegiate athletics give us all something to cheer about.

We all know the big favorite in the college sports world this time of year: men’s basketball!  Each fast-paced game is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, keeping sports fans always on the edge of their seats, if not on their feet.

For Division I basketball teams, regular season games are all played in high anticipation of the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.  Eager college basketball fans are taking careful notes and tracking stats and rankings on all potential March Madness contenders, and anyone who’s watching has definitely taken notice of the Syracuse Orange this year.

This winter season has been one for the record books.  The weather forecast has brought one polar vortex after another, sandwiched between bitter cold arctic blasts.  It seems like everywhere - even the southern US - has been buried with wintry precipitation this season.  Luckily, we will be rounding the bend into springtime soon enough!

After the Thaw

As many of us dig ourselves out of this particularly cold and snowy winter, it’ll soon be time to take to the fields again for outdoor sports.  The best way to shake cabin fever is to get outside and get moving.  With spring sports right around the corner, be sure your outdoor fields and nets will be ready to receive the warm-weather rush.

Extreme winter weather like this certainly takes its toll - on our sanity as well as our sports equipment!  Outdoor nets and goal posts are often left out in the cold during the off-season, allowing for a great deal of winter wear-and-tear. 

All of this arctic moisture can sneak into cracked paint, causing extensive rust damage on goal posts.  Not only is rust unsightly, it can compromise the structure and safety of your goal posts as well.  The wet winter weather along with biting winds rips at sports netting, often making them brittle and weak.  Once the damage of winter is done, netting is more susceptible to holes and tears.

Be Prepared!

Before eager athletes reclaim the field from Old Man Winter this spring, invest in quality goal systems that will last.  From goals and nets for soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey to football and rugby uprights, Sport Systems has the long-lasting gear you need. 

Our goal posts and frames are sand blasted and powder coated for a chip-resistant finish, preventing against rust-causing moisture damage.

Knotless nylon netting can absorb the blows of athletic equipment as well as the winter wind.  Our quality sports netting installs in a snap, making it an simple part of spring field maintenance.  

One of the most magical things about basketball is how despite the set of standard rules, no two games are alike, and each player can express him or herself on the court with a sense of style and flare unique to the sport. Streetball, or street basketball, refers to pickup games of hoops on outdoor courts by amateur players. It doesn’t feel quite right calling any of these athletes amateurs exactly - theirs is the kind of raw skill and talent that can’t be taught. The individual nature of streetballers’ spirit and enthusiasm on the court is what gives street basketball its very character.

By its very nature, streetball is light on rule-enforcement and heavy on the expression individual skill. There are no referees on the street basketball court, so the game tends to move at a fast, uninterrupted pace. In order for a player to hold his own in these types of games, he must be quick and nimble, with killer ball-handling skills. It is no wonder so many young NBA stars got their start on the streetball court.

These days budgets are particularly tight, especially for school athletics.  Luckily, budget cuts don’t have to mean cutting corners; Sport Systems can get you set up with the high quality products you need at highly competitive prices.

When you are looking to invest in your facility, look to Sport Systems.   We will work closely with you every step of the way, handling your project from soup to nuts, saving you time and money!

Design and Build

We are happy to customize any order, specializing in customizing grandstands, press boxes, and barrier netting systems.  University and High Schools turn to Sport Systems for all their sports facility needs.  No matter the size and specs of the job, we will design and build to meet your needs.

Manufacturing

The Sport Systems welding plant is the cornerstone of our manufacturing operation.  Certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau to the highest levels of the Canadian Standards Association, our experienced craftsmen will ensure your stadium equipment is sturdy, safe, and supportive.

From pee-wees to the big leagues, and even sandlots and pick-up games, a competitive edge is in our nature as humans. It drives and motivates us to be our best, and it makes games fun! Youth competitiveness in sports is healthy, but it can lead kids to injury. By taking the necessary safety precautions in your sports facility, you can help prevent your players from getting hurt during gameplay. 

Millions of high school students take to the field every year for a season of their favorite sport that always feels like it ends too soon. Of the many virtues of youth is the raw passion that embodies young people in all that they do, especially on the playing field. During an eight-week season, student athletes will give 100% every day. While participating in youth sports does come with its long list of benefits - improved physical fitness, lessons in sportsmanship, character building, scholarships - the unbridled energy of youth also contributes to an estimated two million injuries in high school sports each year.

Basketball is undoubtedly one of the most popular ball sports around; invented in 1891, this sport certainly came a long way and is one of the most lucrative sports played in North America today. It's a game where professionals earn millions and friends enjoy a challenging exercise session. Either way, you will need a decent hoop if you want to enjoy this energetic game to its fullest. 

Choose Your Game 

Before you buy your hoop, decide where you want to use it. You can play inside or outside, allowing you to choose between a  portable, wall-mounted or in-ground hoop. Portable hoops are secured by a large plastic container that you can fill with water or sand. It's much easier to assemble than other alternatives but of course not as stable. 

Wall-mounted hoops are attached with a bracket to the wall and since they don't have a pole, you can easily fit the hoop above your garage door. Keep in mind that these hoops are very convenient but not very sturdy as other options. 

If you want to enjoy this sport outside, you will benefit from an in-ground hoop. An in-ground hoop is a bit harder to install but they are very sturdy and will last for years at a time. This is the best option for a permanent setup. 

Winter is upon us! The temperature may be dropping, but the indoor sports season is just heating up. There's no rest for the chilly, so don't let cold temperatures and snow on the field get in the way of your team's training regimen. When it is time to bring the sports indoors for the winter season, will your space be ready? Sports Systems can outfit your gym space or indoor arena with all the necessary equipment for the winter season.

David and Goliath Walk Into a Gym. Together. 

We at Sport Systems enjoy a challenge. 

Our record of large scale renovations and seating solutions speaks to our engineering and execution capabilities, something PROFIT Magazine mentioned specifically while ranking us among the 500 fastest growing companies in Canada. Look no further than our projects with Carleton University, Queen's University, and the University of Ottawa. We're proud to say our seating will be enjoyed for years to come as football begins making a return to Ottawa.

We're also proud to supply peripheral equipment to the Frank Clair Stadium project at Landsdowne Park. This ambitious stadium marks a departure from traditional "grandstand" architecture and embraces a provocative, modern look sure to endure the coming decades. With this project we're excited to play a small role in bringing CFL Football back to Ottawa in 2014. Ottawa Fury FC will also enjoy this world class facility. 

So our solutions are proven to work well in both traditional and contemporary designs. All of the projects mentioned above were ambitious in scale, but ambitious doesn't necessarily mean massive. Sometimes, the solution to a large project seems rather obvious. Other times, what you might call a "smaller" project presents unique challenges that send us back to the drawing board. 

Hitting a deep three pointer feels great. Hitting a deep three pointer without touching the rim or backboard, causing that unaccompanied swish sound, is all that much cooler. The clunk of banking it in sounds crude in comparison. The silence of nailing the shot on a net-less hoop disappoints and confuses. Did that even go in? I couldn't hear. Can you tell? I couldn't. 

Aside from this one instance, you probably don't think about nets that much. For most sports the net is something to be avoided, dividing players or hung in the background to catch wayward balls. Which may strike you as an afterthought until you realize nets are essential to a proper facility. Next time you're at a game, look around! 

Outside or inside, nets work hard to keep the potential chaos of sport safely confined to the court, rink, or field. Sport Systems Canada works hard to make sure our sports netting work hard for you as well. 

No one but a goalie should fear the puck hitting him or her square in the face. The same can be said about lacrosse goalies and their dense rubber balls. You volunteer for that kind of risk when you step in the crease, not when you show up to cheer on your favorite team. Like helmets and facemasks, netting barriers are an essential piece of safety equipment for these exciting and fast paced sports. 

Put simply, if you're hosting hockey, lacrosse, or even less violent sports like tennis, you need netting barriers to protect onlookers. While we could go on and on listing the various options and specifications of our netting, it's probably best for you to check it out for yourself. If you're in the Ottawa area, visit the R.A. Centre, St. Laurent Arena, or J.A. Dulude Arena. Our project at J.A. Dulude Arena features clear NHL approved netting to keep spectators safe without blocking their view of the action. Very nice. 

If these are too far of a drive (or flight) check out pictures under the "Installation Examples" portion of the sports netting tab on our website. If you do want the technical rundown on our sports netting (Break strength? Fire retardant? Knotless?) you'll find that information there as well. It also doesn't hurt to give us a call and pick our brains about your particular project. 
Who knows? You may even qualify for a volume discount!