The Best Seats
In The House

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 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.

When it comes to school spirit, nothing shouts it louder than brightly displayed school colours and logos. With this in mind, we have spent the past few years developing a way to bring these colours and images to life with our superior line of athletic equipment and infrastructure.

Our retractable bleachers are one of our most popular product lines. These innovative seating structures are designed specifically for indoor use in gymnasiums and auditoriums and also in other spaces such as pools and arenas. These versatile bleachers provide seating when the need arises and are easily stored in place when not in use.

As part of one of the largest real estate developments in the Middle East, we were invited by our partners in the region to participate in the project of developing The Pearl Qatar.

Comprising of nearly four square kilometers, The Pearl Qatar is a stunning artificial island designed to resemble a string of pearls, recalling Qatar’s history of being one of the world’s top pearl traders prior to the region’s oil boom.

As part of the development, the United Development Company, continues to add amenities for residents of this premiere community. In addition to the community’s luxury villas, apartments and townhomes, it is also home to an award-winning marina, beautiful beaches, and a number of gyms, in addition to the region’s premiere soccer pitch, the Temba Arena.

When it comes to outdoor products, how they stand-up to not only the test of time but up to the inherent weather conditions is ultimately how we evaluate their effectiveness. With structures such as bleachers, which are left outdoors through12 months of the year, much care has gone into the construction and finish of these products.

Aluminum is an incredibly durable material and fares well with extended outdoor use. While the material is great, it is the finish used to protect it is often what makes the difference in the long-term. These coatings and finishes allow these seating systems not only the ability to withstand extended outdoor conditions but also allows them to look ageless through the process.

With that in mind, below are three of the most common finish options for outdoor bleachers and ones you should consider before purchasing your next bank of outdoor seating.

 Throughout history, facilities, sports leagues, and special events have traditionally used stationary seating systems to accommodate spectators. Bleacher seating was ordered specifically to fit a specified space – typically along the sidelines of a sports field - and was never to move again.

In an ever-changing industry such as athletics, the needs and wants of facilities have changed and the bleacher market has adapted accordingly. In addition to improved accessibility seating options, reduced bleacher sizes and all-steel frame construction, there has also been a dramatic rise in the use of portable bleachers.

These seating structures can come in a couple of different configurations. The first being a bleacher that was designed and manufactured to be portable or transportable from the beginning. The second is the availability of tow kits that can easily be installed on existing bleachers, making them instantly mobile.

So aside from the obvious, what is it that keeps facility managers and operators ordering these versatile bleachers?  Let’s dig into it…

When it comes to planned expenditures, our friends over at Recreation Management Magazine conduct annual research that is helpful in more ways than one. Their annual report takes a deep dive into annual trends for spending with regards to colleges and universities across the United States.

While the 2019 edition of their annual survey indicated little to no changes with regards to planned features and upgrades, there was certainly some movement up the ranks for certain products such as bleachers and seating.

While planning for the development of synthetic turf sports fields remains at the top of the list for the second consecutive year, bleachers and seating took honours in the third spot for the most planned additions to colleges and universities. Jumping up from sixth position in late 2018, it is no secret that the building boon for planned seating will continue through 2020.

Working again with our partners at Tadeos Engineering LLC, we recently joined forces on a unique project. Operating as a structural and civil engineering firm founded in Miami in 2015, Tadeos Engineering offers a range of Structural Engineering Services for new construction, additions to current buildings, remodeling, legalization and more. The opportunity to remove old, outdated wooden telescopic bleachers and replace them with new, state-of-the-art telescopic bleachers was presented to our team by Tadeos and we were quick to reply. Organized by the City of South Miami, the project was scheduled to take place at the Gibson-Bethel Community Center. Opened in 2003, the center serves people of all ages in the community of South Miami, offering a fitness center, basketball and volleyball courts, arts and crafts rooms and much more.

Named after one of the most prolific Canadian writers of the nineteenth century,François-Xavier Garneau, the École Secondaire Catholique Garneau follows this historical Canadian’s lead on continuing to develop French Canadian culture.

Located in the east of Canada’s Capital, the school’s motto revolves around the words of Michael Montaigne who said, “The gain of the study, it is becoming better and wiser.” Today, École Secondaire Catholique Garneau invites students to engage in a perpetual momentum of improvement, progress,and wisdom through the pursuit of knowledge and excellence.

Following the success of a number of projects in Nebraska including a new grandstand bleacher for Pawnee Park in Columbus and new telescopic bleachers for Omaha Christian Academy, we were once again paired with our partners at Crouch Recreation.

Uncovering a wonderful opportunity to replace some outdated retractable bleachers in an Omaha high school, key stakeholders at Crouch Recreation brought the project to our attention and we quickly pooled our resources to have a detailed look at the project.

Located at Millard South High School in western Omaha were a number of retractable bleachers that no longer could satisfy building and safety codes and were quickly becoming a maintenance headache for the local high school.