Basketball Academy
Global 5-on-5 court and arena planning workbook
How to use this workbook
Work through only the modules relevant to the project. Record confirmed decisions, unresolved questions and information still needed. The live Academy can save the same decisions into Your Facility Plan and My Apollo Project.
This is a planning workbook, not a construction drawing, professional design, accreditation or approval document.
Define the basketball operating model
Start with school, club, competition, outdoor public or arena use before choosing floor, backstops and scoring.
□ Who uses the court?
□ Indoor or outdoor?
□ Training, league or formal competition?
Protect the 28 × 15 m court and boundary
Use the FIBA court as the baseline and keep the required unobstructed boundary clear of equipment and circulation.
□ Is full FIBA geometry required?
□ Is the 2 m boundary available?
□ What sits outside the court?
Choose the backstop pathway
Match mobile, floor-fixed, wall or ceiling systems to competition level, structure, storage and changeover.
□ Elite or community level?
□ How does the support anchor?
□ Where does mobile equipment store?
Select the playing floor
Choose wood, synthetic, acrylic or modular pathways around indoor/outdoor use, performance and shared sports.
□ Permanent indoor or outdoor?
□ Which secondary sports share the floor?
□ Is FIBA approval required?
Plan padding and player safety
Coordinate backstop padding, wall interfaces and clear player run-off before spectator or storage zones are placed.
□ Where are walls and columns?
□ Do supports sit beyond endlines?
□ Is padding replaceable?
Plan scoring and timing
Add shot clocks, scoreboard, game clock, scorer table, power and data around the intended match level.
□ Are shot clocks required?
□ Where is the scorer table?
□ How is data routed?
Coordinate lighting
Plan glare, uniformity, fixture protection and media requirements around court and backboard sightlines.
□ Training only or events?
□ Are cameras planned?
□ What mounting height is available?
Plan team and spectator zones
Keep benches, spectators and officials outside the protected field-of-play envelope while preserving sightlines and access.
□ What spectator capacity?
□ Retractable or fixed seating?
□ How do teams enter?
Plan outdoor courts differently
Address weather-rated backstops, drainage, UV, surface temperature, fencing and lighting for exposed sites.
□ What drainage exists?
□ What wind/corrosion exposure applies?
□ Is public access uncontrolled?
Keep 3x3 separate
Choose KNOTTR 3x3 when the project needs a half-court, event or dedicated 3x3 system rather than forcing it into the 5-on-5 brief.
□ Is this actually 5-on-5?
□ Would a 3x3 court use the site better?
□ Is event portability important?
Plan the complete hall
Coordinate backstops, floor loading, dividers, structure, lighting, scoring, seating and storage before building interfaces are fixed.
□ Existing or new hall?
□ Where do backstops store?
□ Which other sports share the building?
Build the Basketball project brief
Bring competition level, geometry, equipment, floor, lighting, seating, scoring and local responsibilities into one project package.
□ Are court and boundary dimensions confirmed?
□ Is equipment approval required?
□ What remains local?
Facility Plan summary
Use this page to consolidate the project before moving into the Sports Project Brief.