How to Design a Multi-Sport Athletic Court for Kids of All Ages

If you want unique and interesting ways to get your kids outside and play more often, you’ve come to the right place!

Building a home athletic court in Wisconsin is a popular choice for helping kids get more exercise and practice time for their favorite sports. No matter what ages your kids are, indoor or outdoor courts can be built to accommodate various ages, heights, and playing levels.

That’s the beauty of having your own court. You don’t have to worry about smaller kids getting hurt by bigger kids, and you can keep an eye on your children from home while they play in your backyard or home.

And with C&C Courts, you can have a high-quality surface in just a few days that all your kids can enjoy!

Check out our ideas for ensuring your home game court is accessible for kids of all ages.

Determine the Right Sports

Before choosing an athletic court for your backyard or home, you must decide which sports your children want to play. Involve your kids in decision-making to ensure they’ll use the court.

Common options include:

Another option that works great for families is the multi-sport court. These courts can be converted to accommodate several different games, so if your children have a diverse range of sporting interests, you don’t have to pick just one

If space in your yard is limited, you can prioritize the most popular sports or choose ones with overlapping court dimensions, such as tennis and pickleball.

Determine Space & Budget

Once you have an idea of the sports you want to build a court for, you need to determine the space and budget.

Consider the dimensions of your yard and any restrictions, such as zoning, setbacks, etc. Remember to factor in safety runoff areas around the court, which work for proper drainage.

You will also have to work on establishing a budget for your court. Once you have a wishlist from your kids, you can compare it to your budget and see what you can reasonably afford.

Costs for courts vary based on size, materials, features, and installation.

Adaptable Court Dimensions

Depending on the age range of your children, there may not be a one-size-fits-all option for a court. That’s why you should consider its adaptability to accommodate the basic needs of each sport for kids of varying ages and abilities.

Consider focusing on the minimum dimensions or sizes for each sport you choose. For example, a popular home court is a half-court basketball court. Even a 26 x 26 foot area can work for basic play.

For comparison, junior high courts are around 74 x 42 feet.

Adjustable Net Systems

Adjustable net systems can easily be raised and lowered for different sports like tennis, badminton, and volleyball. Similarly, an adjustable basketball hoop can accommodate younger and older players simply by adjusting the hoop’s height.

Some net systems can also attach to basketball goalposts or light poles.

Multi-Purpose Lines

Different color lines or dashed lines can mark the boundaries for different sports to avoid confusion. Removable tape can also be an option for temporary boundaries, but these will have to be replaced as the tape degrades.

Surface Materials

When choosing an athletic court surface material, you need something that will provide good traction and shock absorption to minimize injuries. The proper surface material can also encourage consistent ball bounce for many different sports.

C&C Courts offers high-quality surface materials for every type of court! Our flooring systems for outdoor sports courts are perfect for any level of play and provide exceptional shock absorption and lateral forgiveness technology – unlike concrete or asphalt, which can be hard on the joints and cause more injuries.

Our recommended surfaces for multi-sport courts are:

Equipment & Features

There are plenty of recommended and optional features for your home court to help your kids make the most of it. One feature we mentioned is an adjustable-height basketball hoop, which is great for kids of all ages.

In addition, multi-sport net systems expand the options, ensuring your kids can play all the sports they want.

Other important features include lighting, fencing, netting, and padding. These are all recommended for safety purposes. Lighting is essential for Wisconsin sports courts because the sun begins to set early in the fall, and good lighting will allow playtime to extend past dusk.

Storage for equipment is a good idea, too, as it helps keep your equipment organized and safe during inclement weather.

Other Safety Considerations

To ensure every child who plays on your court is safe, consider these options to include:

Run-off Areas: Ensure enough space around the court free from obstacles to allow players to stop safely.
Padding on Poles: Reduce injuries if a child loses control and runs into a pole.
Safe Equipment Installation: Ensure all equipment, including hoops and nets, is installed safely and correctly for stability and safety while playing.
Regular Maintenance: Regularly inspect your sports court surface for cracks or uneven areas. Maintain your equipment to ensure good working conditions. Clean your court surface to prevent slippery spots and dangerous areas.
First-Aid Kit: Keep a first-aid kit handy in case someone does get hurt.

Involve the Kids in Designing Your Court!

Try our Build a Court feature, which you and your children can use to design the perfect court for your backyard or home!

Keeping your kids involved throughout the process can help build excitement and anticipation for your new court. Choose custom colors, logos, and markings to make it as unique as your family.

Choose C&C Courts for Your Wisconsin Indoor or Outdoor Court

If you want your children to spend more time exercising, developing their athletic interests, or going outdoors, building a home court is the way to go! Not only will it propel their interest in sports, but it will also help them improve their coordination and cardiovascular health and get them away from electronic screens for a while.

If it’s a backyard court, that also means more time outside!

With C&C Courts building and handling the project management of your court, you can spend more time having fun with our design tool and planning out the games and neighborhood tournaments your family can host once your court is complete.

We always deliver 100% customer satisfaction and workmanship on every court we build – after all, we’ve been doing this for over 30 years.

Give us a call today at 414-856-5690 for more information or request a quote online!