ATHLETIC SURFACES
The better the facility , the more chance it has of attracting the attention of students who want to showcase their skills — and the better the chance of helping cities attract the attention of big-name youth and amateur competitions . Increasingly , communities are becoming interested in using sports facilities as marketing devices to lure events that bring in traveling athletes and their families , who contribute to the local economy .
Need proof ? The 2024 USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships , held in College Station , Texas , brought in 8,000 of the nation ’ s top young athletes and made a whopping $ 10.84 million . The 58th AAU Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro , North Carolina , attracted 15,000 participants — including 12,000 track and field athletes for the games ’ marquee event . The total : $ 67.69 million .
Photo courtesy of Byrne & Jones Sports Construction
MULTI-COLORED TRACKS The right track can be a marketing tool for a city , but it can also be a source of pride for the school . According to Fisher , branding is a trend to watch . Whereas fields have long used logos to boost their image , tracks that incorporate school colors are now coming on strong .
“ There is a strong desire for colored exchange zones ,” he said . “ This lends itself to the ‘ wow ’ factor from the stands for not only track but obviously the other sports as well . Many owners feel like it shows a level of care and cutting-edge construction .”
Accordingly , some track surfacing companies have developed website features , allowing visitors to exercise their creativity , designing onscreen tracks using various colors in not just the track lanes and exchange zones but side zones and jump lanes as well .
However , said Fisher , if schools want to take the route of using their colors on the track , it is essential to make the investment in having the job carried out by a professional track builder . Cutting corners won ’ t improve the look for very long .
“ Some owners are having these colors just painted on and , unfortunately , that very quickly leaves a very ragged look and it becomes a maintenance item of some significant cost to keep the facility looking pristine .”
Photo courtesy of Huntress Associates , Inc .
Photo courtesy of Gale Associates , Inc . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com February 2025 | SportsField Management
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