ON THE FENCEIf you’re making decisions

about the fence for the periph-ery of your field, you’ll haveseveral considerations. Chainlink has long been the obviouschoice. It’s fairly economical, ef-fective at defining boundaries,and depending upon the height,can limit or prohibit unautho-rized access and use of yourfield after hours. Other moredecorative options may exist,including vinyl or wood, butchain link remains the standardin athletic fields.

In athletic installations,chain link is seen in both galva-nized and vinyl-clad form. Both

are acceptable. Vinyl cladding ismore expensive, but may be or-dered to match school or insti-tutional colors, and can helpkeep a fence looking newerlonger. It also enhances thedurability of the fence fabric,particularly in corrosive envi-ronments, such as areas whereair pollution is a problem, or inseaside areas, where exposure tosalt water is a possibility. Toprails are usually installed on allchain link fences for stabilityand appearance. Mid rails areoften used as well. Bottom railskeep fence fabric from bulging.In some cases, the less expensiveoption of a tension wire is used

along the bottom of a fence in-stead of a rail; however, a playerwho falls and slides into or par-tially under the fence risks moredanger from this arrangement.

Galvanized fencing, if cho-sen, should be kept free of barbsor other projections whichsometimes occur in the galva-nizing process. (Such projec-tions often referred to as ‘burrs,’can cause injury to an athlete orspectator). All fencing shouldhave selvages or edges, both topand bottom, bent double (theindustry term is ‘knuckled’) toprevent injuries and to mini-mize the possibility of leaves,litter, grass clippings or other

Fencing and netting on sports turf 101

debris from collecting or be-coming snagged there.

The height of your fencewill depend, first, upon the useof the field it encloses. Accord-ing to the Major League Base-ball website, the average heightof outfield fencing is 8 feet;however, 4- to 6-foot fencing isoften used on recreational fieldsfor both baseball and softball.For higher levels of play, thetop edge of the fence may bepadded with 3 inches of foam(or capped with a commerciallymade product) to help ensuresafety of players who want toattempt challenging plays.

The height of fencing that ismeant to keep balls in playmust be carefully considered,say the experts.

“We don’t know any entitythat directs the fencing andnetting heights for non-profes-sional sports,” notes DerekMcKee of Verde Design inSanta Clara, CA. “We havegone to games to record foulballs and heights to give us arecord for design.”

Also used in softball and

Courtesy of Beals Alliance,Folsom, California

36 SportsTurf | November 2012 www.sportsturfonline.com

Facility&Operations | By Mary Helen Sprecher

TURF COLOR? That’s a subject everyone loves to talk about. Fencing andnetting? Not so much. But when it comes to playing area delineation, equipmentrequirements and just good old-fashioned safety, it’s fencing and netting that

actually come into play. Let’s spend some time, then, considering the options fieldmanagers are faced with.

Photo courtesy of CameronMcCarthy, Eugene, Oregon

Courtesy of Huntress Associates, Inc.,Andover, Massachusetts

Courtesy of Stantec Sport, Boston, MA

SportsTurf 37www.stma.org

baseball is a backstop (the wing like fence structure behind homeplate that protects spectators and others from flying balls andtossed bats). It too can be made of chain link fencing, althoughsome are constructed of nets and cables, depending upon the use ofthe field and the level of play involved.

Many sports, particularly those for equipment-heavy sports, usechain link equipment cages so that players can keep their gear se-cure, and in one location while playing. These cages may be com-pletely fenced in chain link, or may be open on top, or the top maybe covered by sports netting (more on this material in a minute).

Fields for sports such as soccer, field hockey and lacrosse, as wellas rugby and football also are generally delineated by fencing, andagain, it is usually chain link. This fencing may be 4 to 6 feet inheight, although occasionally, higher fences are used for securitypurposes. Sports fields in general also have a setback, or safety zone,around them, to keep spectators and players clear of one another.This area too must be taken into consideration when making plansto delineate space between fields. Before installing fencing, checkto make sure setbacks are correct, and that all current regulationsare being followed. Remember that in some sports, such as soccer,field dimensions will vary, depending on whether athletes are highschool, college or professional players.

In chain link fencing, gates should be wide enough to complywith all regulations concerning handicap accessibility. In addition,field maintenance equipment and if necessary, emergency vehiclesand personnel must be able to access the field.

NET RESULTNetting also is used to great effect in athletic fields. It is light

and airy, and provides excellent visibility for players and specta-tors. Netting can be used to contain balls and keep them in play,as well as to keep spectators from injury in the case of looseequipment or balls.

On soccer, field hockey and lacrosse fields, netting is often setat a height of 20 feet (although heights up to 40 feet may beused). Netting may be installed only behind goals or at the endsof fields, or it may encircle the field. (It may be more commonlyused in some sports than others; for example, football fields oftenuse netting only behind goals, and may raise it only during fieldgoal efforts). In addition, netting may be used when athletes inthe same area might interfere with one another; for example, in acase where a running track encircles an athletic field, a net mightbe set up to keep soccer players from interfering with track ath-letes while both are practicing.

Some netting is set in posts on the surface of the field and canbe taken down as needed, while in other installations, extensionpoles may be attached to an assembly on the top of the existingchain link fence posts. (This results in less expense for netting,plus a sturdy base on the field). Netting is also used in track andfield installations, particularly in throwing events, such as shotput and discus.

In athletic uses, netting should have openings no larger than1-1/2 inch square. (The exception to this is netting that sur-rounds a driving range, or will be used as impact netting for

golfers; this requires a much smaller mesh). Driving ranges andgolf courses also may have specific requirements pertaining toheight. Some may even require a netted roof, depending uponlocal codes, insurance concerns and more.

Athletic netting is usually black, but may be purchased inother colors, such as white or green. It can be procured from a va-riety of sports-specific sources; ascertain that you are getting thecorrect mesh size for the sport(s) your field hosts. (Fun fact: Net-ting is available for multiple other sports as well, including tennisand archery, so be sure to have a full list).

Netting that is used in athletic installations of any type shouldbe tough, UV-resistant, weather-resistant and easily repaired.

As with all other fencing, netting that encircles a field must beable to be easily removed in order to allow access to emergencyvehicles, maintenance equipment and all other legitimate uses. Itmay also become necessary to remove netting from time to timein the event of high winds or other extreme conditions, as well asafter the playing season has ended.

Mary Helen Sprecher wrote this article on behalf of the Amer-ican Sports Builders Association. Available at no charge is a listingof all publications offered by the ASBA, as well as their Member-ship Directory. For info, 866-501-2722 orwww.sportsbuilders.org. ■