With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, many Australian schools and universities are proudly showcasing the stories of local students who are on the journey towards sporting success as competing athletes – and at some points in their pathway towards that success, the surfaces their young bodies have trained on have an impact.
Whether it is synthetic or organic, choosing sports surfaces at schools can make a big difference, so to help plan your next school’s sporting surface upgrade, it’s important to focus on some key criteria.
Surfacing standards
Across Australia, school sports and play surfaces are typically natural grass, bark, sand, rubber or synthetic grass. New and existing playground surfaces are required to comply to strict playground surfacing standards. The choice of materials may also be influenced by compliance to the playground standard too.
To help ensure your surface performs at its peak – and as it was intended, whether it’s organic or synthetic – ongoing maintenance is an essential part of keeping that surface in optimal condition.
- Regardless of the age of the playground surface, it must be compliant with the AS4422 standard.
- Surfaces must be tested every three years
- Synthetic surfaces should be installed over a suitable substrate, which can be bitumen, concrete, or a suitable quarry material layer.
- Although installation of synthetic surfaces can be a significant investment, the sustainable ownership cost is lower than caring for organic surfaces and will most likely provide a compliant surface for between at least five-seven years.
- Caring for organic surfaces demands regular cleaning and turning over the soil, as well as ongoing lawn maintenance
Investing in good health and happiness
School sport often marks the starting point for many of Australia’s top athletes. Participation in these activities, on safe and well-maintained surfaces, is crucial for the success and well-being of students and future sports stars.
School sports participation helps students develop discipline, teamwork and important social skills that can help improve time management, organisation and confidence – as well as help improve physical and mental fitness.
Sports surfaces should support all abilities
From creating colourful basketball or netball court surfaces, to the perfect footy or soccer field, or the everyday needs of an inclusive school playground – choosing the best possible sports surface can make a difference to a school community. And because that difference is measured in much more than medal wins, getting it right can mean taking steps to improve overall health and happiness that has a flow-on effect through an entire community.
