The Best Seats
In The House

Bowl seating concept our team designed for Richardson Stadium at Queen's University

Browsing through the sports column of your favourite newspaper or website these days, we can’t ignore the amount of stadium builds and re-designs being covered.  What used to be strictly an issue of safety for outdated facilities has now morphed into a crowd-focused undertaking by many amateur and professional sports clubs and franchises.

Today’s sports fan places a great deal of emphasis on attaining the most memorable experience possible. Where ticket stubs were once the only souvenir many got to take away from viewing a game, spectators are now leaving with the unforgettable memory of feeling like they were a part of the action.

The end of 2015 was an exciting time for us at Sport Systems, as we were proudly awarded the contract for the redevelopment of the historic Richardson Stadium at Queen’s University.  It was opened in 1921 and nearly a century later, it still remains home to the Queen’s Gaels Soccer and Football teams.

Iconic games and championships checker the stadium’s historic tenure in Kingston and now, once again, the stadium will enter into a new era of the school’s athletic programming.

The plan outlined a plethora of new amenities for teams, coaching staff members and spectators with the focus being on improving spectator sightlines and all-inclusive integrated seating options.  The innovative bowl seating design will soon house up to 8,000 spectators which aims to bring fans one step closer to the field of play, intensifying the stadium experience.

On Canada’s east coast, one of our most recent projects brought us to picturesque New Brunswick, one of the country’s four Maritime provinces.  Home of the Ganong Chocolate Company, St. Stephen, New Brunswick has long been noted as Canada’s Chocolate Town since the company established itself there back in 1873.

Since then, St. Stephen has blossomed into a government town as federal services such as Canada Post and Canada’s Customs and Border Agency opened large offices in the city.  Situated on the St. Croix River, the town sits directly on the border with the United States and each year co-hosts a week-long International Festival with their America neighbours in Calais, Maine.

When it comes to securing a large-scale grandstand bleachers there are, as one can imagine, a number of considerations to be taken into account well before the aluminum arrives at the site.  These structures are permanent in nature and as such, involve a number of key stakeholders early on in the process to ensure the proposed site can handle the structure and that it will be safe for years to come.

While our team can and will gladly aid your organization in completing all the necessary tasks needed to begin the design process of your new bleacher structure, here are three factors that can get you started on the right foot.

As part of a global education community spanning roughly 2,500 schools, the Waldorf education curriculum is one of the fastest-growing educational approaches in the word.  Rooted in over 90 years of history, the Waldorf model focuses on creative problem solving, the development of personal connections and aiding their students in becoming centred, giving them the necessary confidence to succeed in life.

The Toronto Waldorf School officially opened its doors in the fall of 1968 with 19 children enrolled in Grades 1 and 2.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Today the institution educates children of all ages with programming running from early childhood programs all the way to the school’s Grade 8 curriculum, focusing on developing lifelong learners from within its walls.

One of our more recent projects brought us to the Waterloo region in the province of Ontario.  Home to what many refer to as Canada’s high tech capital, it is also home of the University of Waterloo.  Established by a group of business leaders back in 1957, the university has blossomed into a hub of education boasting some of Canada’s leading quantum computing, nanotechnology, engineering and health science students.

It is also home to the Waterloo Warriors, with varsity teams competing in a variety of athletic disciplines such as hockey, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, rugby, football, golf, tennis and other competitive sports.

Sure, we do a lot of work in the athletic and sports industry.  Our company name and tagline firmly reflects it.

While we do handle a great deal of projects in the athletic industry varying from municipalities, colleges, universities to private athletic institutions, our products can be found in more places than most might think. As we continue to establish our growing brand and reputation, we are constantly moving the needle on the expansion of our stellar product line.  As our selection and capabilities grow, not only are we able to serve more of our traditional customers, we are able to expand our offerings into new industries and sectors.

With that in mind, here are five areas in which we operate our business that many of our customers might be surprised to hear us being involved in. 

One of our most recent projects brought us to beautiful Brantford, Ontario, a city home to some very famous former residents.  Often referred to as ‘telephone city’, Brantford is home to the telephone’s inventor Alexander Graham Bell who invented the popular device at what is now known as the Bell Homestead National Historic Site.  It is believed that the first long-distance telephone call, from Brantford to Paris, was conducted in this location back in 1876.

Brantford is also made ‘great’ as the home of one of hockey’s all-time best players, Wayne Gretzky.  The “great one” was born and raised on his backyard rink in Brantford and he continues to be an integral part of the community to this day.

While customers have access on the internet to an endless amount of possibilities to upgrade or outfit their facility or stadium, they are generally unaware of all the options that exist in the way of bleacher customization.

When purchasing a big-ticket item such as a bleacher structure to safely house spectators, we have and will always aim to push the envelope, delivering highly customized products to suit the individual needs of our current and future customer base.

By showcasing our work using our blog and social media channels, we have been successful in displaying the high level of design and custom work that can be done to bleacher structures.  Whether your goal is to make your seating structures as safe as possible, expand capacity, provide accessible seating or make your bleachers mobile, we have the know-how and experience to get the job done.

Operating since 1905, the Rotary Club is made up of 1.2 million members who work diligently throughout each and every year to overcome their community’s toughest challenges.  Through the strength of the Rotary Club’s resources and partners, individual clubs are able to successfully promote peace, fight disease, support education and help communities flourish.