August 7, 2025 • Athletic Administration • Facilities

Give your indoor sports floors a preseason tune-up

Summer camps are winding down. Fall sports are gearing up. Soon, students will be filling the halls and covering the campus. Are your indoor facilities ready?

If the answer to that question was a slack-jawed stare, it’s time to do a walk-through of your facilities to see what needs to be done to bring them up to playing conditions. The good news: You don’t need any special equipment to do this: Just your own two eyes and your own two feet – and all your attention, meaning your phone should stay in your pocket for the best results.

On the Surface

From gyms that host fitness classes and weekend weightlifting, to sport-specific training and competition venues, to multi-purpose venues that can host a variety of competition sports, indoor facilities are the true four-season athlete. Categories of indoor sports flooring include:

Hardwood (Floating, Fixed/Anchored, and Portable)
Vulcanized Rubber
Padded Polyurethane
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Modular Polypropylene (PP) – also known as interlocking tiles placed over a hard surface

All are popular for multiple sports, but after a summer of use, no surface will be ready to host competition, at least not without a quick refresh. The following are factors that should be taken into consideration.

Performance/Safety Considerations: Safety components of all facilities include the level of shock absorption, the area of deformation, and the coefficient of friction. Performance components primarily refer to energy return and coefficient of friction, appropriate levels of which will contribute to faster play, higher jumps, and reduced fatigue. Testing methods, approved by ASTM, can be used to determine how well any floor is performing at a given time.

If the floor has a subpar performance in any test, contacting the manufacturer or installer should be the first course of action. In some cases, fixes may be relatively quick and easy.

Appearance: In walking the floor, look for marks, indentations, stains, or any sign of damage or irregularity. For example, in the case of a wood floor, check for loose boards or places where the surface seems uneven, places where the wood seems stained, as well as areas that simply look or feel irregular compared to the rest of the surface.

Synthetic floors can also sustain damage and wear; look for problems across the surface. Scuffs, abrasions, indentations, and other irregularities are examples of some issues you may see on all types of surfaces. Snap photos of your trouble spots and send them to the manufacturer or installer of the floor.

Markings/Playing Lines: All playing lines and markings should be bright and easily seen. If they seem faded, worn, or unclear, it might be time for some repair work. Manufacturers and installers recommend against DIY fixes, since they can sometimes do more harm than good. Professionally applied lines give the facility a better look.

indoor The one point on which all industry professionals agree is this: Tape is the enemy of sports surfaces since, at best, it leaves a residue that can then attract dirt and, at worst, can damage the surface when pulled up. Unfortunately, as the sports being hosted proliferate, facility managers find themselves trying to accommodate athletes who want to play sports for which the facility has not been marked.

Some facility managers use small, brightly colored plastic cones to delineate playing spaces. Others have roll-up surfaces lined for sports like pickleball. Each year, a review should be done of the different sports being played in a facility. Markings can be added to accommodate growing sports.

Loads on Sports Surfaces

Athletic flooring is typically exposed to loads including portable sports equipment, as well as maintenance equipment such as ladders, equipment holding devices, including mat carts, or even lifts for changing light fixtures or hanging banners.

Impact loads are momentary indentations, including dropped weights, tables and chairs, or other equipment.
Static loads are those that remain in place for moderate to extended periods. These might include those caused by equipment such as portable basketball goals, bleachers in open and closed positions, and staging. Static loads are measured in pounds per square inch (psi) or Newtons per millimeter squared (N/mm2).
Rolling loads are those caused by equipment that moves across the surface, for instance, bleachers, carts, service vehicles, lifts, and/or other wheeled equipment.
Your surface may sustain damage from any of these; manufacturers and installers generally have information concerning how to protect the surface from damage caused by loads.

Maintenance

While repairs will vary according to the type of surface and the severity of the damage it may have sustained (and should not be undertaken without speaking with the manufacturer or installer first), the best course of action is always to have a strong program of preventive maintenance.

Installing mats near all entrances will help keep dirt and grit off the athletic surface. Requiring non-marking athletic shoes will keep surfaces safe as well. Incidentally, it is not unusual for students to be unaware of what constitutes a non-marking sole, and to think any type of athletic footwear (such as running shoes) is acceptable.

» ALSO SEE: Creating a culture of continuous professional development

Dry mopping the surface every day will help remove dust, grit, and debris. Change the mop head on a regular basis. If stains are spotted during the course of your cleaning, try wiping them up with warm water and a soft cloth; if the stain won’t budge, talk to the manufacturer or installer of the surface and get recommendations on what to use. Some products may be good while others may impact the warranty.

Equipment Check: Sports mats, bleachers, folding chairs, basketball hoops, volleyball nets, fitness equipment, weights, and any other equipment should be inspected regularly and checked for safety. It is far better to invest in repairs or replacement than to have an athlete injured.

More details on indoor sports surfaces can be found in the American Sports Builders Association publication, Courts & Recreational Surfaces: Construction and Maintenance Manual (www.sportsbuilders.org).