Do you have a sports ministry at your church? The concept has become very popular, because both ministry and membership have realized there are benefits. Having worked with sports, churches and schools for many years, I have some tips for you before you build, renovate or purchase your church's sports facility.

First, you need to ask a lot of questions. Get interested membership involved to discuss the following questions.

What is the purpose of this facility, and how will it be used? Are you trying to keep it flexible for multiple purposes (such as banquets, sports and meetings, school and church use, multiple sports)? Will it bother you to look at basketball goals during a wedding reception? Would it be distracting to have a backboard in the background when someone is speaking?

Who will control the facility? Who will be using the facility? Will you need equipment for different age groups? Will two sports be played in the same space or at the same time (i.e., basketball and volleyball)?

Flooring
Many sports traditionalists like a floating maple floor. Cost-conscious membership may be more interested in one of the new tile sport flooring surfaces. After choosing the surface, you will then need to think about marking the floor. Determine if you will mark the floor for basketball, volleyball, badminton, etc. What colors will you use? Do you want a matching color scheme for safety wall padding under the backboards, doors, etc.?

Basketball Equipment
Most facilities designate a basketball court as their first floor priority. Find out what size court is needed. Determine if any "official" games will be played by a school or church league. If school or league competition will be played, you need a regulation size court, 50' x 94', and official size backboards and goals. Don't forget to plan for out-of-bounds space.

Most of us are familiar with wall mounted basketball structures used in many gymnasiums. They come in three styles: stationary, sidefold and swing up. Some companies custom make these structures to exact measurements of the wall-to-boundary distance, but I recommend you look for a structure that telescopes, or adjusts to fit. It will make the process easier for the person measuring and the installer. Plus, standard telescoping equipment is much less expensive than custom made.

There are more wall structure questions to ask. Will the structure be manual or power adjust? Do the structures need to be height adjustable for various ages? Here's a word of caution—ask a contractor if the walls will support the weight of the unit over a long period of time. Do you need to budget for extra support bracing?

Portable basketball systems allow more flexible use of the space than wall structures. They raise just as many questions. Do you have enough room for the base to be off the court? Can you still walk behind it? How much overhang does it have? Do you have storage for these units?

Keep the future in mind; as your facility grows and ages, you accumulate items, and you will need more storage space. Are there double doors for getting a portable into the facility, onto the court, and in and out of the storage space? Is the storage area close to the court? Will you need to move tables, chairs, or other furniture to get the goals in and out? Is more than one person available to help move the unit? The floor surface, thresholds and corners all make a big difference when moving goals.

Then, there is safety. How sturdy is the unit? Can kids dunk on it? Adults? Will all play be supervised? I'm not discouraging portable basketball units. In fact, I think they are terrific for multipurpose areas. Just keep in mind that being portable has its advantages and disadvantages.

There are many options for the backboards and rims on both wall mount and portable systems. Competition play requires an official size 42" x 72" glass backboard with backboard padding. Don't worry about the glass. Look for a system that connects the rim directly to the pole with bolts through the glass. That's so the glass won't absorb the shock of a slam dunk. Do this, and make sure you get 1/2" tempered safety glass, and you'll be fine. Backboards not used for competition can have smaller boards that might be steel, aluminum or acrylic. Breakaway goals are another must. After all, what player, of any age, doesn't want to try a slam dunk and go for a little hang time on the rim? By the way, hanging from the rim is not to be encouraged.

Other Sports
Most of you will also want to consider using your facility for other sports, including volleyball, pickleball, badminton, shuffleboard, and even indoor soccer.

Volleyball is a game that has potential for both recreation and league play. If you are building, you have the opportunity to incorporate floor sockets for the volleyball posts, or more appropriately, "standards."

Some of these must be up to 14" below the floor surface, so the knockouts need to be in place before pouring the floor. Different floors require different kinds of sockets, and different volleyball systems require different sizes of sockets, from 3" to 4 1/2" in diameter. It pays off to research the type of system you want before putting in the sockets.

Volleyball standards come in various materials, most commonly aluminum and steel. Steel has traditionally been considered the most rigid material, but that strength also makes the standards very heavy to transport to and from storage. There are now new aluminum and carbon fiber materials that are much lighter weight but still maintain rigidity similar to, some even better than, steel.

Then there are portable volleyball systems. There are several available that are freestanding, much like portable basketball systems. Some are stood on the floor and have ceiling anchors, with accompanying weights, cables and cranks. If you are going portable, I recommend the freestanding systems. You need to ask the same type of questions as you ask about portable basketball systems. Do you have adequate storage? Will doorways and thresholds cause a problem? Is the system easy to set up and move? Is it sturdy enough to hold the net taunt? How many courts do you need? Do you want adjustable net height for multiple ages or games?

Getting your game equipment is just the beginning. You will also need scorer's tables, as well as player seating and bleachers. And, you must consider the impact of the facility on parking. If you put in a concrete pad, put up outdoor basketball systems on the edge of the parking area. Use portable scorer's tables, player seating, and tip-and roll portable bleachers indoors, and they can be moved outdoors for street-style tournaments. Add a tetherball pole for the younger ages to keep busy. Again, you have in-ground and portable options. Other outdoor games generally are field related, such as soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and football.

Safety
Before you turn the page or start planning your sports area, I would like to address safety padding. Sports facilities need padding on walls behind basketball backboards and along wall corners and the edges of stages. It does not matter what sports are played or what ages play. Safety is essential.

Incorporating sports into your ministry is an excellent way to encourage families and young people to spend more time in your church. I encourage you to strengthen your community with sports.

Ron Ensz is owner and president of Future Pro Inc., www.futureproinc.com , a sporting goods equipment dealer that serves churches, schools, camps and recreation centers.

Product Roundup

Customized Activity Tables from Future Pro
Turn a simple folding table into a beautiful announcement. Future Pro can put full color graphics on a variety of activity tables. These tables look great at any gathering from a sporting event to a bake sale. Provide your own artwork or work with Future Pro to customize the look you want. Options include:
* An 8' table with graphics on thick vinyl padding
* An 8' table skirt with storage bag (you provide the table)
* A 5' compact folding table with graphic table skirt and storage bag
All the options feature full-color graphics printed on heavy-duty vinyl and laminated for durability.
www.futureproinc.com

Boing Safety Padding from Phunzone
Phunzone has introduced Boing safety padding for all child play areas. It can be safely and easily attached to many different kinds of:
* Walls
* Corners
* Posts
Boing is available in seven bright colors. Boing padding is an excellent and affordable way to increase child safety and decrease your liability. Boing padding is a special "skin urethane" material, which has superior horizontal impact attenuation properties while providing a tough UV-treated outer protective skin. Phunzone is a national supplier of compact, high-capacity, indoor play structures for children. www.phunzone.com

Herculan from Action Floors
Available exclusively in America from Action Floors, Herculan is a high-performance, monolithic, nonporous floor featuring water-based polyurethane top coat and dual, 2-millimeter coats of seamless, self-leveling polyurethane over a sealed rubber base mat. The Herculan dual-durometer floor:
* Provides high uniformity of play
* Is extremely durable
* Features good tear and tensile
Herculan floors are available in 16 colors.
www.actionfloors.com

V3A Volleyball System by Stackhouse Athletic
The V3A Volleyball system is made with a lightweight aluminum alloy. A worm gear winch provides precise net tension, while a spring-loaded mechanism makes it easy to change net height according to pre-marked increments. Black powder-coated end standards fit most manufacturers' floor plates, and are available with a 3-inch or 3.5-inch diameter. The complete system also includes:
* Padding
* Floor covers/sleeves
* Net
* Net tension straps
Referee stand and pads are not included. The system meets all USVBA requirements.
www.stackhouseathletic.com

Bison Unbreakable Tall Glass Backboard
Bison now offers a 48" x 72" Unbreakable Tall Glass Backboard designed to virtually eliminate backboard breakage on older structures built for 48-inch-tall backboards.
* The heavy-duty rear support system of this board absorbs more than 98% of stress from player contact.
* The goal is mounted to this rear steel frame without touching glass at any point.
Bison BA48XL is backed by an unconditional lifetime warranty. Bison offers a $250 installation reimbursement on any broken BA48XL backboard replaced under Bison's lifetime warranty. www.bisoninc.com

Jaypro Tip and Roll Bleachers
The Tip and Roll bleachers by Jaypro Sports feature all-aluminum seat planks and understructure, providing a lightweight, stable bleacher that is quickly tipped for easy mobility. Bleachers can be powder coated for a custom look.
* Seat planks are 10 inches wide and are made of non-skid aluminum.
* It is supported by a strong, aluminum understructure.
* A transition foot and four four-inch non-marring swivel casters help prevent floor marking.
www.jaypro.com

Mateflex
Mateflex offers several sports products for athletic facilities. Matéflex Modular Surfaces offers the ProGym solid top tile for basketball, volleyball and multi-use sports surfacing. Its unique suspended design provides:
* Resiliency
* Versatility
* Durability
Also, TileFlex is a unique modular tile featuring a high-quality luxury vinyl tile inserted neatly into a base module forming a single, snap-together unit.
www.mateflex.com

Action Flex from Flex Court
Flex Court Athletics has introduced its new Action Flex Gymnasium Sport Flooring for basketball, volleyball and multi-play. It features:
* Heavier gauge top surface structure
* Off-set precise tight connectors
* Continued Aero Flex technology with open air flow suspension
The result is a tile sports floor designed to have the same rigid feel as a wooden floor, with less noise and no moisture problems.
www.flexcourt.com

Hide-A-Bench
Hide-A-Bench is a fold-away bench that saves you time and space while conveniently providing extra seating whenever you need it.
* When not in use, the bench folds against the wall, taking up less than six inches of valuable space.
* In use, the bench extends out less than 38 inches from the wall.
They can be opened by one person in seconds, saving hours over setting up folding chairs. Constructed of anodized aluminum planks and understructure with stainless steel hardware, Hide-A-Bench is both lightweight and durable. The benches are available in one or two rows from 3 feet to 21 feet. Custom colors are available, as well as padded covers that double as seat cushions.
www.hideabench.com

Taraflex Sport M Plus
Taraflex Sport M Plus brings performance, sports and environmental benefits to gyms, fellowship halls and multipurpose rooms. Taraflex Sport M Plus by Gerflor is designed for athletic activities with versatility and durability built in. Its 35% shock absorption rate eases impacts, and its Triple Action Protecsol surface treatment reduces friction burn risk.
* Players will appreciate the accurate ball bounce and correct acceleration and sliding and pivoting movements.
* Triple Action Protecsol keeps maintenance to a minimum because it resists food stains and scuff marks.
* The floor cleans quickly with daily damp mopping and an occasional automatic scrubbing.
www.gerflortaraflex.com

Pro-Fold II from Pro-Bound Sports
The Pro-Fold II is designed and manufactured by Pro-Bound Sports to be used at multiple levels of competition from biddy ball through heavy recreational use. It is an effective goal support for cross-court applications when additional baskets are needed or when attaching to the ceiling or wall is not practical.
* Rim elevation easily adjusts from 6.5 feet to 10 feet.
* The 54-inch-wide reinforced acrylic backboard provides exceptional rigidity when shooting bank shots and lay-ups.
* The Pro-Fold I I is easily portable by just one person. 
www.proboundsports.com

Indoor BounceBack from SnapSports
SnapSports has announced the launch of Indoor-BounceBack modular athletic surface.
* The court surface was engineered to perform better than the traditional wood surfaces but without all of the maintenance and upkeep.
* In addition, the BounceBack surface has features that provide the athletes with added "cush" and lateral movement to absorb shock to the body.
Snap Lock Industries is a manufacturer and provider of multi-use modular flooring worldwide.
www.snapsports.com