Chapter 8 Buyers` Guide To Purchasing Athletics Equipment

Chapter 8
Buyers’ Guide To Purchasing Athletics Equipment
Introduction
The range and cost of athletics equipment in the market place is considerable.
This section is designed to give purchasers advice so that they can get good
value for the money they spend.
Normal standing orders require purchasers to acquire three quotations. This is
advisable in almost every case except when buying only a very small number
of minor pieces of equipment. It is advisable not to necessarily go for the
lowest bid. Contact the supplier and ask for references from clients with
whom they have recently dealt. When buying large items or a significant
number of small items, talk to the clients about the quality of equipment
provided and, if possible, visit tracks and inspect the equipment. Potential
customers should always ask questions about speed of delivery, after sales
service and availability of replacement items.
The remainder of this section advises buyers what to look for when
purchasing athletics equipment.
After the expense of laying an all weather track surface the most expensive
and ongoing financial issue is the purchase and the maintenance of a
sufficient stock of equipment to allow the venue to operate at the various
levels expected over the coming years. There is a great variety of equipment
available in the various supplier catalogues; however the equipment bought
for each individual venue must reflect the expected use and maintenance
regime. Cost and the fact that equipment has been used at recognized world
events are often taken as a good guide for the purchase of this equipment –
both of these can be very wide of the mark for local club and school use
however. Too often cheap costing equipment reflects just that – poor quality
equipment, whereas equipment used at world events is very often only used
once a year or sometimes only for that particular event and therefore cannot
be relied on as a sign of durability.
The international federation [IAAF]
produces an updated list of equipment that conforms to their rules. All of this
equipment is supposed to have been checked and tested to ensure it
conforms to the rules and manufacturing guidelines but in reality much is
accepted from design drawings submitted rather from a physical examination
of the quality and finish of the particular item.
Landing areas for High Jump and Pole Vault
There are a vast range of models available both within individual supplier
catalogues as well as across the various suppliers. There are also models
aimed at a variety of levels of competition from school level though to top
class international level. All this needs to be put alongside the requirements
of the previously mentioned UKA Code of Practice for the Safe Conduct of
Track and Field Events.
Some of these descriptions are however rather
misleading e.g. the school models being smaller in size and thinner and
therefore cheaper to encourage sales to education authorities are not
necessarily safe for use by schoolchildren as they are far less experienced and
are prone to land offline or miss the landing area completely. It is true that
by and large landing areas for most schools don’t need to be the full thickness
due to the reduced drop height of the athletes involved. For schools it is also
imperative that the landing area is constructed in such a way that the
individual modules can be secured together easily and securely. The fact that
landing areas conform to the minimum specifications in the rule book do not
necessarily mean that this is acceptable for a particular venue – a number of
other considerations should be taken into account. These considerations will
include the standard of athletes expected to participate, the area surrounding
the landing area and whether it is likely to be moved into and out of the store
each time it is used. The simple advice is to purchase the largest and highest
specification possible landing area – rather than the minimum size shown in
the rulebooks – that can be afforded, as athlete safety is paramount. Buyers
are advised to inspect the quality of stitching as well as the potential
durability of the clips that fasten the modules together and the modules to
the wear sheet.
Uprights for High Jump and Pole Vault
These pieces are used by a variety of personnel – not all who know what they
are doing – and as a result are not given the care they require. It is therefore
logical that the equipment bought is both robust enough and simple enough
to withstand this diverse use. Pole Vault stands that are adjusted by pushing
up and down usually heavy to move and can therefore be a potential danger
to anybody not expecting them to slip down if not supported the whole time.
The advice would be to purchase handle operated uprights at all times for
Pole Vault as the majority are self locking and are therefore safer – the down
side being more moving parts and so more pieces to wear out. Apart from
the high specification models High Jump uprights are usually all push up and
down movement but due to the material used they are not heavy to move.
Preferably uprights should be bought with a vernier setting to take account of
different bars etc.
High Jump uprights are prone to bending if the cross
section of the material used is small so every effort should be made to
purchase equipment as sturdy as possible.
Hurdles
It is essential to determine to what use hurdles will be used and where they
will be stored before any consideration should be given to purchase.
For
example if hurdles are to be left out in all weather conditions then serious
thought should be given to material that will not deteriorate in adverse
conditions. However this needs to be balanced by both price and how strong
and resilient the finished article will be. Any hurdles continually left out at the
mercy of the elements will need regular maintenance, particularly where the
sliding weights are located in the base of the hurdle. Different models of
hurdle are fitted with crossbars manufactured from different materials. The
most durable material is a plastic top which is resistant to breakage – any
damage caused to them can result in very sharp edges that are a real danger
to athletes. Wooden or fibre board crossbars are more susceptible to damage
and are affected more by the weather [warping] and splintering through
continual spike damage, as a result they require changing more often.
Careful investigation needs to be carried out to ensure that hurdles
manufactured outside the UK can satisfy domestic competition rules for all
age groups in relation to height and toppling weights. Hurdles that will be
primarily used by youngsters and low-level domestic competition should be
fairly simple in design and operation with as few moving parts as possible.
This will lessen the possibility of accidental damage and mean that any
adjustments due to different heights and weights can be achieved by all.
At the other end of the scale are very sophisticated hurdles that will
automatically adjust the weight when the height is adjusted [different heights
for different age groups can require different toppling weights]. Whilst these
are very easy to use they are more expensive to purchase and certainly more
expensive to maintain when they go wrong.
One of the weak points on a hurdle is where the upright poles are attached to
the base. Depending on the material used all too often the welded joint is
weak and cracks quickly appear then they break. Due to the way hurdles are
moved – by being lifted at the cross bar – the weight being in the base wants
to continually bend away and this often ends up with the weld either cracking
as previously described or the upright leg bending out of the vertical. It is
therefore essential to investigate the strength of the material in both the base
and the leg and how the two are joined together.
Steeplechase hurdles
There are essentially two types of hurdle – those made from wood,
sometimes with metal legs, and those made from metal with a rubber surface
attached to the metal tops. These hurdles are far more likely to be left out in
all weather due to their size and weight. It is therefore imperative that they
are regularly checked to ensure that they are repainted to protect the
material from weather damage. Wooden tops are likely to be fabricated from
a number of thin boards – these boards should be fitted to the legs with the
laminate horizontal so that the joins are less susceptible to weather damage.
Some models of hurdles can be moved around on small carts supplied by the
manufacturer or by integral wheels that can be raised or lowered. This is
obviously of benefit to those that need to move them and may be a good
investment if there is the possibility of them being moved into a store on a
regular basis.
There is also the need for hurdles to be adjusted for height to cater for men
and women. The method of adjustment should by and large ensure that the
hurdle can be fixed in a secure position in both directions – side to side and
front and back. It goes without saying that the method of vertical adjustment
should be secure enough to take up to 8 athletes stepping on to the barrier at
any one time. If at all possible one of the barriers purchased should be a
minimum of 5m wide [the first hurdle to be cleared in a race] so that there is
less likelihood of a collision if all the athletes arrive at the hurdle at the same
time.
Cages
One of the largest and most expensive pieces of equipment supplied to any
venue. There are a great many different designs of cages as there are nets.
As from 2008 UKA domestic rules and facility requirements will demand that
all venues in the UK be fitted with cages that are 7m high with 9m gates as
for IAAF rules up to 2003. Before placing an order for a cage it is a good idea
to visit other venues or facilities that already have cages to these dimensions
fitted, to look at different designs.
Cage designs need to take account of two different ground layouts – a single
concentric circle or as was the more traditional layout in the UK a double
circle one for discus and one for hammer. Obviously for a double circle layout
the cage will be much larger in overall dimension and so will have greater
stresses and strains than a single circle cage.
Strength of the overall design, the quality of the netting as well as the
method of raising and lowering the netting should be investigated. By and
large cages once installed are not taken down – if however the venue is one
where the cage might encroach on to a multipurpose infield [e.g. football or
rugby] it may be important that the cage itself can be raised and lowered
easily. There should be no compromise however between strength and ease
of raising and lowering the cage frame. Very often cages are erected in open
Domestic rules and Health and Safety require the gates to be secured in their
working position – some cages do not cater for this. Again depending on the
design a cage may not have conventional gates – they may be in the form of
a curtain. This is perfectly acceptable so long as the specifications satisfy the
rules. There should be a method of fixing the curtain in the working position.
Throwing implements
Manufacturers produce a range of implements aimed at levels from training
through to International standard competition. This means that there is a
vast difference in the cost of individual items. For the majority of venues in
the UK there is no need to purchase equipment at the top of the range as the
average athlete will not gain any appreciable benefit from their use. It is
therefore better to concentrate on a good range of training equipment for all
age groups with a small range of middle quality competition equipment. It
may be acceptable to some local authorities to purchase particular models if
there is a wish to encourage individual athletes but this should be the
exception rather than the norm. Javelin and Discus events offer the largest
range of implements.
For Discus it is perfectly acceptable to purchase
implements made with alloy rims for training but they are subject to a great
deal of damage and abuse so for competition the rims should be made from
steel.
Javelins are manufactured from a range of material – aluminum
through to carbon fibre. A number of Carbon fibre models are very much at
the top end of the range and are prone to damage and breaking when used
recklessly. It may well be acceptable to purchase aluminum and soft steel
implements for training but generally competition implements should be made
from steel.
Measuring tapes
There are two basic types of measuring tapes – steel and fibre material. For
the majority of use fibre tapes are more than adequate. Again there is a
range of different designs from a fully enclosed case to a very open
framework. Open framework cases always provide the user with immediate
feedback of any potential damage or twists in the tape.
Enclosed cases
protect the tape from the elements but any dirt or water that the tape
accumulates during use is also likely to be retained within the case unless
care is taken to clean the case after use every time. Every venue or facility
should have a good quality steel 100m tape for record purposes, however this
tape should be kept locked away until required.
Steel tapes are very
susceptible to damage and once broken are of no value and have to be
discarded. It may well be a good idea to also have a 30m steel tape available
for shorter records.
Weighing scales
The traditional weighing scales in the UK have been the balance type scales –
these have worked very well for many years and continue to do so. It does
mean that a full range of calibrated weights needs to be available and the
balance needs to be regularly maintained. Becoming far more accessible and
popular are digital read out electronic scales.
These give an instant true
reading for the user rather than the generally accepted method of pass or fail
by the balance scales. Again these scales need to be regularly checked for
accuracy but unlike the early models are now quite robust and long lasting.
Implement Trolleys
These are invaluable as they offer both a method of storage of implements in
the store as well as providing a safe method of transferring implements from
the store to competition or training sites.
They should be as robust as
spaces and are at the mercy of the wind – the bigger the framework the
stronger the framework needs to be to combat the wind.
Particularly in training the part of the cage that takes the hardest knocks are
the gates. The framework of the gates needs to be substantial enough to
take constantly being hit by senior men hammers. Ideally the netting on the
gates should be fitted such that there is a space between the frame and the
netting so that the netting absorbs the shock of the implement. This then
means that the leading edge of the netting must be designed so that it
maintains the required straight edge and therefore ensures the required
opening is maintained to ensure that Health and Safety requirements are
satisfied.
Netting technology has now moved forward to a position where it is not
necessary to have two layers of netting installed as part of the design of the
cage.
Neither is it now customary for net manufacturers to weave test
threads into the netting as was second nature some years ago. This does not
mean to say that modern netting does not suffer from damage and abuse and
must be inspected and maintained on a regular basis. The netting should be
attached at the front in such a way that there is no gap between the
framework and the gates – how this is done will depend on the overall design
of the cage.
There should also be sufficient netting [vertically and
horizontally] within the design so that at no point is the netting under such
tensions that it acts like a trampoline to propel the implement back towards
the athlete. A study of how the netting is secured at ground level should
reveal whether it is possible for an implement to escape under the net – this
is obviously a dangerous situation if the design does not stop this from
happening.
possible as from time to time they will be transferring a number of heavy
implements, sometimes over rough infield grass areas.
These should be
tested as some models allow Shot and Discus to fall off the trolley quite easily
due to the channels or slots not being adequate for the task.
Wind gauges
There are two basic designs – tube structures of varying sizes and ultrasonic.
Ultrasonic gauges are now the norm at International standard competition but
are not necessary for lower level competition. Due to their nature ultrasonic
gauges are very prone to damage. By and large tubular gauges that are the
norm in the UK are robust, but they don’t take kindly to be knocked over or
dropped either.
Most gauges now come with a means of securing to the
ground and users should be encouraged to do so whenever there is a
possibility of the gauges being blown over during use. If storage space is at a
premium then there are some very small tubular wind gauges manufactured
that are acceptable for record purposes.
Time clocks
For general use there are two basic designs – battery operated and clockwork
mechanisms. Both types are acceptable although both will need to be cared
for and stored carefully. Battery operated clocks will need a small stock of
batteries available for replacement. Both types of clocks should be able to be
placed at a good working height for the operator.
Starting blocks
Due to the range of athletes using starting blocks they should be able to be
fully adjusted to satisfy large and small, strong and weak athletes.
Start
blocks should be simple to adjust but also strong. The simplest method of
adjustment of the placement of the foot pads is by the use of slots that the
pads can be moved to and dropped in place. The foot pad itself should also
be bale to be adjusted so that the pad can be at different angles to satisfy
different users. Start blocks are held to the track surface by the use of spikes
– these should be able to be replaced when worn otherwise the blocks are
prone to slipping and can therefore injure athletes. The central part of the
starting blocks is the channel that holds the foot pads in place – this should
be stiff enough not to bend with continual use
Take off boards
These are generally supplied when the track is installed. Generally the take
off board and blanking board should be such that they can be adjusted whilst
in their working position. All venues should be working towards this situation
as this gives the user the best opportunity of ensuring that the boards are
level with the surrounding surface and are stable. Whilst no take off board
should be manufactured to take the stresses and strains of machinery being
driven over them they should be able to take the daily knocks of continual use
and being taken in and out of their working position. This is probably where
it is advisable to ensure that the boards are manufactured from the strongest
possible materials.
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Chapter 9
The Management of Athletics Tracks
Introduction
The capital cost of a new Athletics Track can be anything from £300,000 to
£1m, depending on specification and ground conditions. This does not include
ancillaries such as storage, changing rooms and toilets. They are therefore a
considerable item in terms of capital outlay.
The owners of the track will also need to set aside some revenue annually for
the upkeep of the track, repairs and maintenance where necessary and to
look after, and from time to time replace, equipment. (See separate section)
To offset these costs it is essential that the use of the track, and associated
facilities, is as frequent as possible.
The Manager
It has long been accepted that Athletics tracks should be located adjacent to
other sporting or educational facilities. This not only creates a potentially
larger customer base (education users already on site and other sports centre
users for example) it justifies the establishment of a joint management.
Owners cannot normally justify staffing a stand-alone track.
The role of the Manager is crucial. Not only would he or she be responsible
for the upkeep of the track, but also for ensuring that the track is used
properly and safely. Additionally, an on site Manager should have
responsibility for maximising income, working in conjunction with education
users, athletics clubs, local sports development officers, governing bodies and
so on.
The Manager would not necessarily have any substantial athletics experience
but would need to develop an understanding of the sport’s specific needs. His
first task would be to agree a fair price for the use of the facility with users
(see section on Facilities Analysis). Athletics appears to be a cheap sport
compared with others but it is worth remembering that most participants are
volunteers. A medium sized Athletics Club with perhaps one hundred or so
users on two evening training sessions per week for forty-eight weeks per
year will perhaps use eight unpaid coaches. These coaches, based on normal
local authority rates for paying coaches and leaders, will provide up to
£25,000 worth of free instruction annually. Similar figures for Club
Administrators, Team Managers and Technical Officials at competitions will
probably lift that sum to around £40,000 each year. The provision of these ‘
free’ services in support of local sports development should be taken into
account when setting charges for the use of these facilities.
The Manager would need to work closely with sports development officers,
schools and youth clubs and athletics clubs. Advertising relating to the
athletics facility should appear on the notice board of every public building in
the local authority as well as every school.
Supporting the users
Quite apart from looking after the upkeep of facilities and equipment, the
Manager has a duty to give full support to the users. This will be both during
training and competition. The user, on the other hand, has responsibility to
ensure that they keep management fully informed of their requirements.
Booking procedures
Whatever booking procedures the Manager operates, he or she must make
certain that the user is fully informed of the completion of necessary
paperwork, deadlines, charges and the terms and conditions of hire. The
hirers must give proper notice of their wish to use the facilities and complete
paperwork within the required time frame. The Manager must provide full
written confirmation and the hirer must ensure that this is received before
advertising the booking.
Pre Event meetings
The Manager, or his or her representative, should always meet with the hirer
at least one month before a scheduled event. At this time a workable
timetable should be agreed and the hirer should confirm the required weights
of throwing implements, heights and spacing for hurdles etc. Most facilities
will already have this information and will simply need to know competing are
groups.
At this time there will need to be agreement about the number of volunteer
helpers being provided by the hirer (if any) and the division of responsibilities.
Organising an athletics meeting requires stewards to move hurdles, prepare
equipment, collect admission fees (if any), assist with car parking and so
forth.
The presence of First Aid provision should also be confirmed. A month before
is clearly too late to contact First Aid providers and this should be done by
facility staff many months ahead of events.
Operations Manual
The best athletics facilities have an athletics manual for facility staff.
Contents should include:
•
Fixture list for the current year
•
Directions to the facility
•
Local accommodation
•
Booking procedures
•
Facility plan
•
Seating plan (where seats are provided)
•
Car parking arrangements
•
Facilities available
•
Facility Maintenance
•
Equipment
•
Equipment checks and maintenance
•
Equipment suppliers
•
Staffing
•
Stewarding
•
Responsibilities
•
Health and Safety
•
Risk Assessment
•
First Aid
•
Specifications for throwing events
•
Specifications for hurdle and steeplechase events
•
Sector markings
•
Technical diagrams (pole vault stands etc)
•
Important telephone numbers (doctor, ambulance, police etc)
•
Accident reporting
•
Manual handling
•
Fire and evacuation procedure
•
Local/regional/national athletics contacts
Every member of the facility staff should have a copy of this document and it
should updated annually. Facility Managers should attend day meetings
organised for them by UK Athletics so that they keep up to date with changes
in rules and specifications and let the governing body know how it can help
them to manage their facility more effectively.
Athletics Clubs managing track and field facilities
There are a number of examples of local authorities who have handed over
the management of their athletics tracks to charitable trusts, management
contractors and athletics clubs.
UK Athletics believes that the chief function of an athletics club should be to
develop the sport not manage facilities. However, if a club assuming
responsibility for facility management was the only way to keep the track
open, UK Athletics has produced some support guidelines. These can be
found in A Club Guide to the Management of Athletics Facilities by Mark
Dennison. Copies are available from UK Athletics Head Office.
construction
of athletics facilities
Surface options:
all to UK:athletics, IAAF specification
Cleaning/Resurfacing/Relining
All field events
The complete facility
...from
concept to
completion
Contact the Marketing Department on:
Tel: 01295 266600 Fax: 01295 277700
e-mail: marketing@sportandplay.co.uk www.blakedown.co.uk
Chapter 10
Track Certification
Athletics tracks in the UK have been issued with certificates for many years
but up to 2001 the primary function of the process was to confirm that it met
the dimensional requirements for being suitable for record purposes.
As a result of the increasing needs to meet Health & Safety requirements, as
from 1 January 2001 the procedure placed a greater emphasis on these
aspects. Each track when inspected was considered as to its suitability for
competition, training and record purposes.
The procedure is as follows:
Applications for certification for new tracks or re-marked tracks must be
accompanied by a full questionnaire completed by an accredited surveyor.
On receipt, by UK Athletics, of all the required paperwork this is then passed
to the National/Territorial Facilities Co-ordinator who assigns an assessor to
visit the facility by prior arrangement. At this time the assessors will require
to see copies of the risk assessment and maintenance schedules for the
facility.
An assessment is made and a report compiled using standard
paperwork. Based on the report a recommendation is made as to the level of
certificate to be issued.
The certificate issued is valid for FIVE years from the date of the inspection
unless restrictions are placed on the provision in which case a period of one
year applies. On notification and subsequent inspection to verify that any
identified works have been carried out to satisfaction the one year certificate
is upgraded to the remaining part of the five year period.
Certificates are issued in one of the following categories
a.
FULL
Suitable for training and competitions under UKA
Rules and record purposes, without restrictions.
b.
RESTRICTED
Suitable for training and competitions under UKA
Rules without restrictions but not for records.
c.
RESTRICTED
Suitable for training and competitions under UKA
Rules and record purposes but with restrictions
shown on the certificate.
d.
RESTRICTED
Suitable for training and competitions under UKA
Rules but with restrictions shown on the
certificate. Not suitable for records.
e.
TRAINING ONLY
As indicated on the assessor’s report
An annual visit will be made in each of the years following full or partial
certification.
During this visit advice will be given on basic maintenance,
repair and replacement of facilities and equipment.
The cost of a full certificate will be £350.00 plus VAT.
Invoicing for this
amount will be carried out by the relevant National/Territorial and a portion
of this will be paid by them to UKA.
The cost of the certificate will cover the initial full assessment and the four
annual visits between full assessment.
Two copies of each certificate will be issued. One is to be retained by the
facility owner and the other displayed in a prominent place at the facility.
From April 1st 2001, all competitions under UK Athletics Rules should be held
only on certified tracks.
A change to the procedure for the grading certificates issued to athletics
tracks in the UK has been considered by the UK Athletics Facilities Group and
will come into effect from 1 January 2006.
The new system, it is hoped, will remove the complexities of the information
shown on the certificate under the present system and will centre around
grading by numbers which will be indicated on the certificate. This will be
backed-up, on separate paperwork, by a clear explanation of the grading
categories. The track assessor will complete a check list having made the
assessment and based on this the grading will be decided. A copy of the
checklist, which will be part of the assessors’ paperwork, will be sent to the
facility and will be posted on the UK Athletics web site. This will enable all to
see the basis for the grading applied.
Fees for certification are under review on an ongoing basis.
If there are any questions on this or any other related relating to certification
matter please contact Bill Adcocks at the UKA office, direct number 0870
9986704 any Tuesday or Wednesday.
Track certificates will remain valid for FIVE years from the date of the
inspection based on the assessment made. If aspects of the provision have
led to any grade other than 1 being awarded then this can be upgraded after
confirmation by inspection and notification to UKA by the Territorial Co-
ordinator. This may also happen following an annual inspection and in turn
the certificate may either be down graded or suspended if the existing
standards have not been maintained
Applications for certification for new tracks or re-marked tracks continue to
require a full survey questionnaire completed by an accredited surveyor.
Certificates will be issued in the following categories:
Class 1
Meets the specification and requirements for all competition
under UKA rules including Women’s steeplechase (adjustable
barriers).
Class 2
Meets the specification and requirements for all competition
under UKA rules excluding Women’s steeplechase,( not having
adjustable barriers).
Class 3
Meets the specification and requirements for all competition
under UKA rules including Women’s steeplechase ( adjustable
barriers). Not having a valid survey, performances are not
acceptable for record purposes.
Class 4
Meets the specification and requirements for all competition
under UKA rules excluding Women’s steeplechase( not having
adjustable barriers). Not having a valid survey, performances
are not acceptable for record purposes.
Class 5
Restricted certificate
Class 6
Non-standard tracks
It continues to be a requirement that all competitions under UK Athletics
Rules should be held only on tracks with the appropriate level of certification.
The initial contact for instigating a new or renewal of an existing certificate
should be Bill Adcocks at UK Athletics.
Other matters should be via the
National/Territorial offices at the contacts below.
UK Athletics will keep an updated record of all certifications and these will be
available on request.
Details will be published on the UK Running track
directory www.runtrackdir.com
(Courtesy of Tim Grose).
National/Territorial Contacts
Midland Counties A.A.
North of England A. A.
Edgbaston House, 11th Floor
7a Wellington Road East
3 Duchess Place
Dewesbury
Hagley Rd
W.Yorks
Edgbaston
WF13 1HF
Birmingham
B16 8NM
tel:
0121 456 1896
tel:
0870 991 4545
South of England A.A
Northern Ireland Athletic Federation
4th Floor
Athletics House
Marathon House
Old Coach Rd
115 Southwark St.
Belfast
London
BT9 5PR
SE1 0JF
tel:
0207 0210 988
tel:
02890 602 707
Scottish Athletics Limited
Athletic Association of Wales
9a South Gyle Crescent
The Manor
Edinburgh
Coldra Woods
EH12 9FR
Newport
NP18 1WA
tel:
0131 539 7320
tel:
01633 416633
PLANNING A NEW TRACK?
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THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE
TESTING OF ALL ATHLETICS FACILITIES.
•
•
•
•
•
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Facility design
Construction Specifications and tender documents
Tender evaluation on a value for money basis
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Performance testing on completion
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With over 20 years experience in track design, development and
construction control, we use the latest CAD techniques for both track and
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A true “one-stop shop” for all your track-related needs.
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FAX (0116) 274 1000
e-mail: phd@dial.pipex.com
web: www.phdev.co.uk
Chapter 11
Facilities Analysis
An analysis based on the pricing policies of athletics facilities
throughout the UK.
Summary of data: This report will provide a summary of data from the
facilities who participated in this survey. For further information and specific
facility information, please refer to the individual responses. Prices are as at
2004.
Responses: 123 (although many responses are duplicated as both facility
owner and manager were asked to respond).
Note regarding the data: The data stated in the graphs below
(demonstrating costs and fees) may prove unreliable in certain cases. For
example, where a daily / weekly rate was supplied, the data needed to be
recalculated into an annual figure to ensure comparisons can be made like for
like. (For accurate individual data, please refer to the individual specific
responses). On future surveys, the questions would need to be phrased to
ensure comparable answers are given. Not withstanding this, what follows
provides a useful snapshot into current pricing policies in Athletics and should
prove useful for establishing fair costs for the use of facilities.
1.
Who owns the facility?
The majority of facilities are Local Authority owned (78%) however the other 22%
of facilities that completed the questionnaire were owned by various parties
including ‘School / College / University owned’ (9%), Sport England (5%) and
privately owned (2%).
2.
Does the owner manage the facility?
The below graph demonstrates a fairly even ratio of whether the owner manages
the facility.
Special arrangements for use by track and field clubs (if any)
3.
Does the facility have a resident athletics club?
The graph below shows the majority (94%) of facilities who took part in the survey
have a resident athletics club based at the facility.
6%
yes
no
94%
4.
Does the resident athletics club pay rent?
The results show that only 31% of the resident clubs based at the facilities involved
in this survey, pay rent to the facility.
31%
yes
no
69%
5.
Annual rent
The following graph demonstrates the rent paid by the resident athletics club to the
facility (where applicable). This data was adapted to fall into an annual figure.
£9001-£10000
4%
£10000+
4%
£100-200
10%
£200-300
4%
£500-1000
7%
£8001-£9000
7%
£1000-£1500
11%
£6001-£7000
4%
£1500-£2000
4%
£4001-£5000
17%
£3001-£4000
17%
6.
£2001-£3000
11%
Costs to use track in addition to annual membership by club for
resident members (full price):
This graph reflects a fairly broad range of costs for members of the resident club to
use the facility.
£40-50
4%
£50-60
2%
£0-1
16%
£30-40
5%
£1-2
21%
£20-30
20%
£10-20
7%
£2-5
20%
£5-10
5%
7.
Costs to use track in addition to annual membership by club for
resident members (concessions)
The graph demonstrates that over half of the facilities who took part in this survey
charge less than £1 for concessionary members of the resident club.
Fee to m em bers to use track per hour (concession price)
£30-40
0%
£20-30
0%
£40-50
2%
£70-80
2%
£10-20
19%
£5-10
5%
£0-1
57%
£2-5
5%
£1-2
10%
Charges for general use – training and competition
8.
Cost to hire whole facility (Full price and concessions)
The data in the graph below could reflect use either by an individual or a group.
The cost to hire the w hole facility per day for full price and concessions - a
com parison.
35
30
25
20
Full price
15
Concessions
10
5
0
Cost to hire facility
9.
Cost to purchase a season ticket for the facility (Seniors)
8%
13%
8%
£10-25
£25-50
£50-75
17%
27%
£75-100
£100-150
£150-200
27%
10.
Cost to purchase a season ticket for the facility (Concessions)
6%
3% 3%
35%
12%
£10-25
£25-50
£50-75
£75-100
£100-150
£150-200
41%
Charges for use of central grass area for team sports
11.
Cost to hire central grass area for team sports (Full price)
8%
11%
6%
£10-25
£25-50
£50-75
15%
£75-100
£100-150
32%
£150-200
£200+
8%
20%
12.
Cost to hire central grass area for team sport (Concessions rate)
4%
4%
8%
30%
£10-25
4%
£25-50
£50-75
£75-100
£100-150
£150-200
£200+
21%
29%
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Chapter 9
The Management of Athletics Tracks
Introduction
The capital cost of a new Athletics Track can be anything from £300,000 to
£1m, depending on specification and ground conditions. This does not include
ancillaries such as storage, changing rooms and toilets. They are therefore a
considerable item in terms of capital outlay.
The owners of the track will also need to set aside some revenue annually for
the upkeep of the track, repairs and maintenance where necessary and to
look after, and from time to time replace, equipment. (See separate section)
To offset these costs it is essential that the use of the track, and associated
facilities, is as frequent as possible.
The Manager
It has long been accepted that Athletics tracks should be located adjacent to
other sporting or educational facilities. This not only creates a potentially
larger customer base (education users already on site and other sports centre
users for example) it justifies the establishment of a joint management.
Owners cannot normally justify staffing a stand-alone track.
The role of the Manager is crucial. Not only would he or she be responsible
for the upkeep of the track, but also for ensuring that the track is used
properly and safely. Additionally, an on site Manager should have
responsibility for maximising income, working in conjunction with education
users, athletics clubs, local sports development officers, governing bodies and
so on.
The Manager would not necessarily have any substantial athletics experience
but would need to develop an understanding of the sport’s specific needs. His
first task would be to agree a fair price for the use of the facility with users
(see section on Facilities Analysis). Athletics appears to be a cheap sport
compared with others but it is worth remembering that most participants are
volunteers. A medium sized Athletics Club with perhaps one hundred or so
users on two evening training sessions per week for forty-eight weeks per
year will perhaps use eight unpaid coaches. These coaches, based on normal
local authority rates for paying coaches and leaders, will provide up to
£25,000 worth of free instruction annually. Similar figures for Club
Administrators, Team Managers and Technical Officials at competitions will
probably lift that sum to around £40,000 each year. The provision of these ‘
free’ services in support of local sports development should be taken into
account when setting charges for the use of these facilities.
The Manager would need to work closely with sports development officers,
schools and youth clubs and athletics clubs. Advertising relating to the
athletics facility should appear on the notice board of every public building in
the local authority as well as every school.
Supporting the users
Quite apart from looking after the upkeep of facilities and equipment, the
Manager has a duty to give full support to the users. This will be both during
training and competition. The user, on the other hand, has responsibility to
ensure that they keep management fully informed of their requirements.
Booking procedures
Whatever booking procedures the Manager operates, he or she must make
certain that the user is fully informed of the completion of necessary
paperwork, deadlines, charges and the terms and conditions of hire. The
hirers must give proper notice of their wish to use the facilities and complete
paperwork within the required time frame. The Manager must provide full
written confirmation and the hirer must ensure that this is received before
advertising the booking.
Pre Event meetings
The Manager, or his or her representative, should always meet with the hirer
at least one month before a scheduled event. At this time a workable
timetable should be agreed and the hirer should confirm the required weights
of throwing implements, heights and spacing for hurdles etc. Most facilities
will already have this information and will simply need to know competing are
groups.
At this time there will need to be agreement about the number of volunteer
helpers being provided by the hirer (if any) and the division of responsibilities.
Organising an athletics meeting requires stewards to move hurdles, prepare
equipment, collect admission fees (if any), assist with car parking and so
forth.
The presence of First Aid provision should also be confirmed. A month before
is clearly too late to contact First Aid providers and this should be done by
facility staff many months ahead of events.
Operations Manual
The best athletics facilities have an athletics manual for facility staff.
Contents should include:
•
Fixture list for the current year
•
Directions to the facility
•
Local accommodation
•
Booking procedures
•
Facility plan
•
Seating plan (where seats are provided)
•
Car parking arrangements
•
Facilities available
•
Facility Maintenance
•
Equipment
•
Equipment checks and maintenance
•
Equipment suppliers
•
Staffing
•
Stewarding
•
Responsibilities
•
Health and Safety
•
Risk Assessment
•
First Aid
•
Specifications for throwing events
•
Specifications for hurdle and steeplechase events
•
Sector markings
•
Technical diagrams (pole vault stands etc)
•
Important telephone numbers (doctor, ambulance, police etc)
•
Accident reporting
•
Manual handling
•
Fire and evacuation procedure
•
Local/regional/national athletics contacts
Every member of the facility staff should have a copy of this document and it
should updated annually. Facility Managers should attend day meetings
organised for them by UK Athletics so that they keep up to date with changes
in rules and specifications and let the governing body know how it can help
them to manage their facility more effectively.
Athletics Clubs managing track and field facilities
There are a number of examples of local authorities who have handed over
the management of their athletics tracks to charitable trusts, management
contractors and athletics clubs.
UK Athletics believes that the chief function of an athletics club should be to
develop the sport not manage facilities. However, if a club assuming
responsibility for facility management was the only way to keep the track
open, UK Athletics has produced some support guidelines. These can be
found in A Club Guide to the Management of Athletics Facilities by Mark
Dennison. Copies are available from UK Athletics Head Office.
Bibliography
Publications
'Code of Practice for the Construction and Maintenance of Athletics Tracks
with Synthetic Surfaces'. - Published by The Sports and Play Construction
Association (SAPCA), March 2002 (revised March 2004)
UK Athletics Rules for Competition
Maintenance of Synthetic Surfaces (Athletics Tracks), jointly published by the
Sports and Play Construction Association and UK Athletics in March 2004
Designing for Safety in Sports Buildings 1990 - Sports Council
Design Guide – Athletics 2002 (under revision) - Sport England
Approved Code of Practice The Safe Conduct of Track and Field Events
February 2004 - UK Athletics
A Club Guide to the Management of Athletics Facilities - Mark Dennison UKA
Websites
UK Athletics
www.ukathletics.net
Sports and Construction Association
www.sapca.org.uk
Sport England
www.sportengland.org
International Association of Athletics Federations
www.iaaf.org
The Sports Industries Federation
www.thesportslife.com
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AMB Sports A5 b&w
2/3/05
1:46 pm
Page 1
Athletic Surface
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