Maximize Your Academic & Athletic Facilities

By: Bradley Hagen 

For schools across the country, the expectation of academic and athletic success continues to increase despite budgetary constraints that cause many districts to postpone or cancel their facility maintenance and building renovation projects. Even in tough economic times, facilities and equipment must be maintained in order for the school to remain successful. Buildings and facilities need continual maintenance to avoid costly fixes in the future. School faculty and coaches are expected to improve upon the past season’s successes and failures, but must do so in the same old buildings, often with worse facility maintenance issues as the year before. Unfortunately, many of them are unable to keep up the pace. So what can be done to keep up with the competition and provide students with safe and effective facilities?

With some planning and effort, there are a few things that can be done to enhance existing classrooms, gymnasiums, stadiums, locker rooms and storage facilities. These small considerations will hopefully reflect the level of pride in the school and make a positive impression on students, athletes, parents, alumni, the school district and the community at large. The athletic facilities are often the only first and only impression that outsiders have regarding the quality of a school. After all, we all want our athletic programs to be perceived as “top-notch” and as a safe environment for our athletes.

First and foremost, you should formally assess all existing facilities. Conducting a formal assessment tour of the entire athletic complex will help identify safety concerns, unused or inefficiently-used space, and will create a prioritized list of improvement projects. Be thorough and include other coaches and athletic directors so that they can provide meaningful insight to the issues that need to be addressed. Qualified facility maintenance professionals should inspect both the interior and exterior of all buildings making sure they are clean and well maintained. Take photos of problem areas and make a note about each item (i.e. peeling or faded paint, overgrown bushes and shrubs around the building, dirty exterior, missing floor tiles). Also, be certain to take special note if there are any potential safety hazards for athletes or spectators like broken or uneven sidewalks, protruding objects, shaky bleachers, worn or dilapidated surfaces.

Second, review all classrooms, hallways, gymnasiums, locker rooms, storage areas, bleachers, restrooms, concession stands, weight rooms, and practice/playing fields. Make a note of every aspect that is outdated, unorganized, unsanitary, or is no longer being used for its original purpose. When reviewing the school facilities, a complete inventory should be done to avoid purchasing supplies and equipment. Carefully inspecting the entire campus, and addressing any uneven, slippery, excessively hardened or potentially dangerous areas can help prevent the cost of total replacement at a later date or the expense and embarrassment of a costly lawsuit.

When seen by outside visitors, an organized, well maintained school facility, demonstrates to the resident and visiting students, as well as their families, the value the administration places on every aspect of student health and safety. With some careful thought and creative planning, your current facility can be utilized to the fullest. By cleaning, organizing and updating the existing facility, a renewed sense of pride will be developed by the students and athletes, coaches and community. They will see that each area of the academic and athletics program is given careful thought and is an important part of the overall success of the school.