The Best Seats
In The House

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.

With campuses in both Vancouver and Kelowna, the University of British Columbia (UBC) is the province’s oldest and most established post-secondary institution. With a strong background in scientific advancements, the Vancouver campus is located a mere 10km from downtown and is home to roughly 65,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across its two campuses.

In addition to housing the world’s largest cyclotron in the school’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, it is also home to the Thunderbirds, representing UBC’s student athletes, with teams in football, basketball, soccer, rugby, swimming and baseball. As part of a complete redesign to the Thunderbirds’ baseball park, our team was enlisted through our partners at RecTec Industries to lend a hand with the seating and customized padding for the stadium.

Leading us across the expanse of the United States, one of our latest projects once again landed us in sunny California.

After completing work with Columbia College in Sonora, we were also contacted by an individual who had come across our products while searching online.  Browsing across multiple sites and suppliers, we were eventually directly contacted by the client who mentioned they were impressed with the quality of our products. While admitting that we were not necessarily the cheapest product on the market, we did, in their opinion, seem to have the highest-quality products.

A common question often fielded by our sales team is “how big of a bench do I need?”  The answer? Well, it’s not always as easy as it seems. Much the same as choosing a bleacher or other seating structure, there is a lot that goes into determining exactly what you might need.

Donated in 1908 by John Walter Lyon, Lyon Park, located in Guelph, Ontario has come a long way over the years, due in part to the original agreement set forth by John Walter Lyon.  As part of the donation, Lyon added a condition to the agreement between himself and the City of Guelph.  His condition required that the city spend a minimum of $250/year towards upgrading the space over the course of 10 years.  He agreed to match the very same contributions that the city made in an effort to see this beautiful space upgraded over time and maintained regularly.

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.

                               Bleachers Before Retrofit                                                        Bleachers After Retrofit

As any athletic facility owner or operator knows, specific needs and requirements can sometimes change like the weather.  With growing programs, fan bases and participants, equipment purchased in the past can often require expansion or upgrading as your program progresses.

Keeping up with these changes along with having the ability to pivot and scale quickly can make or break a growing program.  With that in mind, a large portion of our business is dedicated to designing structures such as bleacher seating systems that can undergo relatively painless retrofits, giving operators the ability to grow, without the pain.

Grandstand bleachers on the artificial field. Millennium Park, Orleans, Ontario.

The project envisioned by Cumberland City Councillor Stephen Blais back in 2014 is finally coming to fruition. While the project is not complete at the time of this publication, the park has undergone a variety of construction and site upgrades located in the east end of Ottawa in the Orleans neighbourhood.

Blais spearheaded the unique $8 million park expansion in partnership with local homebuilders who ended up designing and funding the majority of the park. Millennium Park is slated to be the premier destination for sports clubs and casual users in the Orleans area, complete with state-of-the-art facilities and sports fields. Among the upgrades the park will have upon its completion are an artificial turf soccer and football field, stadium seating and lighting, nine full-size soccer fields, a junior-size soccer field, two ultimate Frisbee fields, 400m running track, two shade structures, club house for junior sports clubs, splash pad with both senior and junior play zones along with junior and senior play structures and swing sets.

It’s been nine long years since CFL football fans in Ottawa have had anything football related to cheer about. This season marks the return of the CFL to Ottawa with their new expansion team; the Ottawa REDBLACKS, and the city is abuzz with excitement for their home opener on July 18, 2014.

The REDBLACKS new home will be the freshly designed and renovated TD Place located at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa, and along with a sharp new look, seating and concessions, Sport Systems was contacted to install players benches for the football club.

The bench chosen was our 18 foot length portable aluminum player’s bench, equipped with backrests for player comfort.

The idea seems simple enough, locating and acquiring a bench for use for coaching staff and players for a variety of sporting activities at your recreational field or facility. The fact of the matter is; there are many choices, including style, size, mounting preference and utility.

This article will quickly guide you through the variety of choices you have when selecting a players bench for your athletic program, field or facility.