Equipment stores for sports halls
General
This briefing note reviews the accommodation requirements for sports hall equipment stores in the light of
a recent Sport England survey and analysis of three existing sports hall facilities, a computer aided design
(CAD) space planning study and consultation with sports equipment suppliers. The findings have been used
as a basis for establishing indicative equipment store layouts for the 4 and 5 court halls included in Sport
England’s new document ‘Affordable Sports Halls’ (ASH). The work will feed into the next revision of the
‘Sports Halls: Design and Layouts’ Design Guidance Note.
Key points include:
• The suitability of the recommended 12.5% minimum floor area (calculated as a percentage of the sports
hall)
• A typical range of sports equipment items to be accommodated
• Variations between the requirements for the 4 and 5 court hall sizes.
Summary of findings from a short survey 1 of sports hall equipment stores in 3 sports centres in London
• The average floor area for storage was 11.41%
Based on an assumed area of 594 m2 (33 x 18 m) sports hall areas, the individual areas of the stores
were 10.38%, 11.46% and 12.40%.
• Equipment stores were all full
In one centre, although there were two sets of doors, access was only possible through one door as the
other was blocked by the volume of equipment being stored. (Photographs 1, 2, 5 and 6)
• Extra equipment was stored in the sports halls
Five-a-side goals, trampoline and gymnastics equipment were stored in the sports hall and adjacent
spaces. (Photographs 3 and 4)
• Demand by sports clubs
The greatest demand for storage space came from sports clubs based in the centres. In two centres,
gymnastics equipment took up the most space. In another, it was the equipment associated with the
short mat bowls club and the gymnastics club. (Photographs 1 and 2)