What is the Facility Planning Academy?
A 12-module self-guided pathway for schools, clubs, developers, councils, resorts and sporting organisations planning courts, recreation facilities and venue infrastructure.
SPORT + ACADEMY
Facility Planning Academy
Plan the sporting environment before specifying the products.
A 12-module self-guided pathway for schools, clubs, developers, councils, resorts and sporting organisations planning courts, recreation facilities and venue infrastructure.
SELF-GUIDED12 MODULES
WHO IT IS FORSchools · Clubs · Developers · Councils · Resorts · Sporting organisations
FORMATRead · Check · Apply
OUTCOMEA clearer project brief
Planning resource · Reviewed September 2026 · Final technical design and local compliance remain project-specific
How to use the Academy
Work through the decisions in order, then go deeper where the project needs it.
Each module gives you a planning outcome and a short set of questions to resolve. The linked guide provides the deeper technical context. You can follow the complete sequence or jump directly to the decision you are working on.
SPORT + ACADEMY is a practical education and planning resource. It is not a formal qualification, accreditation or professional-design substitute.
Direct answers
Understand the pathway before you start.
These short answers define the scope of the Academy and make the planning intent clear before you move into the modules.
Who is this Academy for?
This self-guided planning pathway is intended for Schools · Clubs · Developers · Councils · Resorts · Sporting organisations. It is designed to support early project understanding before detailed product specification or local professional design.
What does the Academy cover?
The pathway contains 12 modules covering define the sport, users and operating model, read the site and establish the usable footprint, understand the base and drainage, choose the surface around the whole project, plan lighting before poles and structures are fixed, coordinate equipment, fencing and containment and the final project brief.
Is SPORT + ACADEMY a formal qualification or accreditation?
No. SPORT + ACADEMY is a practical education and planning resource. It does not provide formal accreditation and does not replace project-specific professional, engineering, safety or statutory advice.
PLANNING BOARD 01
Complete facility planning map
Playing area, circulation, containment, lighting, spectators, storage, services and future expansion should be coordinated before the product package is frozen.Conceptual planning diagram · not a construction drawingReal-world reference
Pair the planning logic with the actual system.
These current project and manufacturer references show the types of systems discussed in the Academy. Final layouts, dimensions, engineering and supplied configurations remain project-specific.
01Containment belongs in the facility plan.
Fencing, gates and internal separation occupy real space around the playing envelope and should be coordinated before the surrounding works are fixed.
02Lighting is a geometry decision.
Pole locations, aiming, glare, access and neighbouring uses need to be resolved around the actual court layout rather than added after construction.
03Plan beyond the playing rectangle.
Spectators, waiting areas, storage and operations shape the total facility footprint and often determine whether the site works in day-to-day use.
Learning pathway
12 decisions that shape the facility.
Resolve the early project questions before detailed product specification. That reduces rework and makes later supplier, consultant and project-team conversations more useful.
01
MODULE 01
Define the sport, users and operating model
What you need to decideStart with who will use the facility, how often, at what level and whether it is school, club, public, private, resort or commercial.
Information to collect
Which sports and user groups must the facility serve?
What intensity, operating hours and supervision model are expected?
Is the facility dedicated, shared-use or staged for future growth?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
Module 1 of 12Next
02
MODULE 02
Read the site and establish the usable footprint
What you need to decideSeparate the playing rectangle from run-off, circulation, access, storage, spectators and future expansion.
Information to collect
What is the actual clear site after setbacks and obstacles?
How will players, staff and spectators move through the facility?
What area should be protected for later expansion?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
03
MODULE 03
Understand the base and drainage
What you need to decideConfirm that the substrate, levels, cracking, moisture and water path are suitable before choosing the finished surface.
Information to collect
Is the base stable, hard, flat and suitable for the intended system?
Where does water go after it reaches the playing area?
What repairs or local civil works must happen first?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
04
MODULE 04
Choose the surface around the whole project
What you need to decideCompare surface families through sport, environment, drainage, maintenance, repair and operating model rather than one specification.
Information to collect
Indoor, outdoor, covered or temporary?
What playing response and comfort matter for the sport mix?
How will the surface be cleaned, repaired and replaced?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
05
MODULE 05
Plan lighting before poles and structures are fixed
What you need to decideCoordinate court geometry, glare, spill, mounting locations, maintenance access and operating hours.
Information to collect
What level of play and operating hours drive the lighting brief?
Where can poles or fixtures sit without affecting play or circulation?
Are neighbours, glare or spill-light constraints relevant?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
06
MODULE 06
Coordinate equipment, fencing and containment
What you need to decideResolve nets, posts, dividers, gates and ball control before the finished layout is frozen.
Information to collect
Which equipment is permanent, removable or portable?
Where do gates, post sockets and barriers interact with run-off?
What storage or handling is needed for movable systems?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
07
MODULE 07
Decide whether the facility needs weather protection
What you need to decideTreat shade, canopies, air-supported structures and covered-sport pathways as part of the footprint, not a late add-on.
Information to collect
Which weather conditions are reducing usable hours?
What clear height and covered footprint are required?
How do structure, lighting, ventilation and local approvals interact?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
08
MODULE 08
Plan spectators, seating and venue infrastructure
What you need to decideMatch seating type, capacity, circulation and weather protection to the actual venue model.
Information to collect
Who is watching and for how long?
Is seating permanent, retractable, portable or event-based?
How will circulation, egress and accessible positions be coordinated?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
09
MODULE 09
Design for access, inclusion and everyday circulation
What you need to decideBring accessibility, safe movement, supervision and service access into the early facility layout.
Information to collect
Can users reach the playing and spectator areas without conflicts?
Are accessible routes and positions integrated rather than added later?
Can maintenance and emergency access occur without disrupting normal use?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
10
MODULE 10
Plan operations, storage and maintenance
What you need to decideSpecify how the facility will be cleaned, repaired, stored, inspected and kept usable after opening.
Information to collect
Who owns day-to-day maintenance?
What spares, cleaning equipment and storage are needed?
Can damaged components or surface areas be repaired locally?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
11
MODULE 11
Coordinate sports technology and capture
What you need to decidePlan cameras, power, sightlines and data requirements before walls, poles and spectator zones are fixed.
Information to collect
What is the purpose: recording, streaming, coaching or scoring?
Where can a camera see the full playing area safely?
What power, network and mounting provisions are needed?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
12
MODULE 12
Turn the decisions into a project brief
What you need to decideCollect the site, dimensions, use, system preferences and unresolved questions into one brief for the next project stage.
Information to collect
Which decisions are confirmed and which still need specialist input?
What drawings, photos and measurements should accompany the brief?
What supply, local-work and approval responsibilities must be made explicit?
Saved decisions feed into Your Facility Plan, My Apollo Project and the Sports Project Brief.
SPORT + TOOLS
Apply what you have learned.
Use the planning tools when you are ready to translate the Academy modules into dimensions, comparisons and a structured project brief.
01
Sports Flooring Selector
Compare surface pathways against sport, base, environment and operating model.
Open tool 02Sports Project Brief Builder
Bring site, sport, supporting systems and saved planning decisions into one structured brief.
Open tool 03My Apollo Project
Save systems, dimensions, quantities and project notes as the facility plan develops.
Open toolSPORT + KNOWLEDGE
Continue learning
Apply the same planning discipline to a complete pickleball facility.
The Pickleball Academy takes the facility-planning framework and applies it to court dimensions, run-off, bases, surfaces, nets, containment, lighting, acoustics, covered courts and multi-court venues.
Open Pickleball Academy