The Best Seats
In The House

Constructed in 2004, the Bell Sensplex serves as the official practice facility for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators hockey club. Built in partnership with the City of Ottawa, the 180,000 square foot facility boasts three NHL-sized ice surfaces, one Olympic-sized ice rink and an indoor fieldhouse and additionally serves a number of minor hockey leagues and short track speed skating clubs in the greater Ottawa region.

We were recently contacted by stakeholders from within the Sensplex organization with questions regarding some safety netting for the Olympic-sized rink inside this community-focused athletic facility.

Built in 1993, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Stadium was originally constructed to house the Ottawa Lynx of the International League.  With staggering attendance numbers through the inaugural season, the stadium and team set league attendance records averaging nearly 10,000 fans per game.

When it comes to baseball, anyone who has played the sport will tell you that practice makes perfect. A multi-faceted sport for participants, baseball requires players to maintain cardiovascular health, field ground balls, catch pop flies and swing the bat at 90 MPH fastballs when required.

Training for such a sport is intensive and when it comes to batting practice, there is no such thing as too many swings. While getting a few friends together to throw the ball around casually is one way to sharpen your skills, those who really want to excel in the batter’s box enlist the help of professional equipment.

During practice or even at home, the use of batting cages for aspiring or current baseball players is a prerequisite for success. Spending more time in the cage staring down fast balls from an automated pitching machine is a sure-fire way to get better with a bat in your hands.

One of America’s favourite and most beloved pastimes is the game of baseball. Invented in historic Cooperstown, New York during the mid-1800s, the game has evolved and is enjoyed by millions who both watch and play the game across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

In the world of 100 MPH fastballs and the bats to match, player safety is of obvious concern, particularly during recreational play and practice. Once solely reserved for those playing in the “big leagues,” today’s baseball organizations are becoming increasingly aware of player safety and are quickly outfitting ball diamonds with the proper equipment to protect players of all ages.

While batters are required to wear helmets, those standing on the pitching mound, infield or outfield are often left relatively unprotected. While during game play, the eyes of players are concentrated on the ball, during organized practice, there are often numerous activities taking place.

On September 20, 2017 at Yankee Stadium, a toddler was struck in the face by a 105-mph baseball off the bat of Yankee Todd Frazier. In the hours immediately following the harrowing incident, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made a promise to spectators to make taking in a game a safer experience.

While some argued that sudden implementation of these safety regulations would impede the fan experience, for most, the changes made perfect sense.

Known as America’s pastime, baseball attracts thousands of fans across the United States to stadiums each and every year. The unfortunate reality is that nearly 2,000 spectators are hit by bats and balls while watching games each and every year. While not every instance involved injury, many had begun to question whether or not a slightly obstructed view was worth running the risk of injury to both adults and children.

As part of our custom netting department, we are proud to introduce windscreens as one of our newest product lines. Used to block the wind, sunshine, noise and/or debris, these finely netted screens can be found on baseball diamonds, tennis courts, municipal parks, recreation areas, golf courses, industrial sites and ski resorts.

While these screens can be extremely versatile for any location or facility, there is a bit of homework that needs to be done before selecting the right solution.

Available in a number of different configurations, buyers will first need to identify the right windscreen product to address their unique needs. Our windscreens are available in a number of different fabrics, lengths and configurations. Below we will break down our main products, giving you additional insight into the buying process before purchasing a screen.

In the name of safety, our team was once again involved in a vital project aimed at reducing the risk of injuries to both spectators and players. The project was brought to our attention last year as we were contacted by officials with the City of Brampton, a suburban neighbourhood located in the Greater Toronto Area.

As a sports-focused community, the City of Brampton has produced several professional-level athletes such as NHL stars Rick Nash and phenom Tyler Seguin, among many others spanning across a variety of sports.

Situated along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River across from the great city of Montreal is the city of Longueuil, Quebec. As one of Montreal’s largest suburbs, Longueuil is home to many of Montreal’s commuting community, as most residents travel to Montreal for work each day.

As such, Longueuil is home to a variety of community and recreation-focused facilities and parks, making it one of the area’s most desirable neighbourhoods.

Through our RFQ service, the municipality reached out to our team to design, supply and install several netting barriers across the city’s many parks. With the spring season getting underway and anticipating the upcoming busy baseball, soccer and other sports seasons, our team immediately got to work on the project.

One of our recent projects brought us to the picturesque Canadian prairies to the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.  Wrought with humble beginnings back in the 1920’s, today this high school is one of the premier private Catholic education institutions in the country, committed to developing young men and women to become purposeful leaders with virtuous character and a global mindset.

Known for their competitive spirit and propensity for victory, the Notre Dame Hounds are renowned for their athletic prowess.  In 2006 the school’s athletic programming yielded more than $1.6 million in academic and athletic scholarships to American and Canadian universities.

Generally speaking, we all have some sort of an idea as to what constitutes sports barrier netting.  As a large portion of our business, custom netting solutions for sports applications are vital for the safety and well-being of both participants and spectators.

Coming in all shapes and sizes, our netting barriers can be found in parks, athletic facilities and sports fields across Canada and the United States.  Ranging from portable or permanent barrier netting solutions surrounding soccer pitches and baseball diamonds, to lining golf fairways and driving ranges, our netting solutions span across a wide variety of uses.

Aside from its most conventional use, there are a surprisingly large number of other applications our custom netting department is tasked with each and every year.  Here are a few netting applications we can design that you may not have thought about.