Firstly, what is a Sports Barrier Net?
A sports barrier net serves the main purpose of stopping balls from leaving the intended area of play. This can become an issue anywhere from your backyard through to commercial facilities where public safety can be a concern.
Some of the most common scenarios involve:
Backyard Barrier Net: These nets are commonly designed to stop Cricket, Soccer and Basketballs flying over the neighbour’s fence. The purpose of the netting in this case is to minimise the hassle of retrieving the ball OR to stop the annoyance for the neighbour of having to throw the balls back.
Sports Practice at the park: A range of portable nets have been developed which can be erected and dismantled in minutes. These are often setup for cricket fielding practice OR behind a smaller soccer goal with the purpose of stopping the balls rolling away from the pitch.
Commercial Facilities: Most commonly installed to protect people or property, but similarly can also be used to reduce the hassle of ball retrievable. These types of larger scale nets are often seen at soccer fields and golf courses.
There are many factors that go into selecting the correct type of netting for a sports barrier net, but identifying the scenario goes a long way to narrowing the options available to you.
Let’s go into some more detail for each of the above situations...
Example 1: My kid’s balls keep going over the fence. What are my options?
Sports are an ingrained part of Australian culture, with backyard soccer and cricket a staple on a sunny Sunday afternoon. First thing is to identify the types of balls that are being used. Excluding golf for now, the main netting “hole sizes” available are:
40mm x 40mm: Perfect for all sports including cricket, baseball, tennis, basketball, footy or soccer. This is the most commonly used mesh size as it caters for almost all sports through both Summer and Winter. It is durable, UV treated and will keep those balls in your own yard for many years to come.
100mm x 100mm: This option is suitable for larger ball sports, such as basketball, soccer, netball or footy. Although not quite as durable as the 40mm, it is less noticeable when installed (because there is less material involved) which makes it a popular option where the aesthetic of the net (or lack of) is important to either you OR your neighbour. It is also a lighter and more affordable option.
When it comes to installation technique, this will vary depending on your scenario (renting or owning), the surfaces involved (the ground type, the stability of your fence) and the situation in relation to your neighbour.
Fence Mount Posts: As the name suggests, these mount to your existing fence to raise the height and stop the balls. The posts are simply attached to your existing fence and then the netting is fastened to the posts. Best results are achieved when you attach 1 to each existing fence post. They are a 3m long, 30mm Steel Tube, finished in gloss black for a sleek finish. They are a simple, 3-piece “Click-Lock” method of assembly, so you can use just 1m, 2m or 3m as necessary. They come with a support wire to attach at the top to give additional stability if required. It is a somewhat permanent installation, however they can be simply unscrewed from the fence and taken down if necessary. For most colorbond fences, simply raising the height by around 1.5m to 2m will be effective in stopping the balls. Being a flexible netting, these nets are commonly installed in a U or L-Shape in the corner of the yard (by simply installing an additional fence mount in the corner).
Post With Spike: These would be considered a semi-permanent installation. They spike into the ground (so there is no permanent attachment) and rise up 3m to stop balls in your Backyard OR at the park. To provide the stability required, they come with a wire guide cable that comes down on either side to be pegged into the grass.
Post with Stand: These would be considered a permanent installation for the most part. If you can’t mount to the fence and only have hard surfaces, then these will provide you 3m of height that you need. The H-Shaped base is best drilled into the ground and similarly they come with a wire guide cable that comes down on an angle to provide stability and support.
4m heavy Duty Post: Very commonly seen on modern day multi-sports courts, these heavy duty posts will provide a permanent and long term foundation for mounting your sports netting. Once concreted into the ground, these posts have the strength to accommodate a tensioned wire rope across the top. The wire rope’s benefit is that it supports the net in-between posts (stopping sagging) and it also allows for the netting to be able to slide away when not in use.
Installation technique:
- Install Posts
- Tension a Wire Cable between posts (Pad Eye Plate for fixing, turnbuckle for tension / 3mm stainless wire rope)
- Use Carabiners “snap hooks” to attach the netting to the wire cable
Example 2: We want to contain the balls when we practice at the park...
In this situation, you would most commonly be looking for something:
- Lightweight and transportable
- Large enough to stop errant shots/throws
- Cost effective as it won’t be used every day and needs to be with club budget
- Bright and eye catching for the players
Quatra Sports has a range of collapsible nets that fold conveniently down into a carry bag for transport. They are lightweight and are designed for medium intensity usage. They are perfect for behind a soccer goal OR behind the fielders at Cricket Training.
Most of these portable “pop up” barrier nets use a combination of a sturdy steel base, fibreglass vertical poles and a light to medium grade of netting.
Example 3: We require a barrier net for a commercial application.
These large scale net projects are most commonly installed to protect people or property, but similarly can also be used to reduce the hassle of ball retrievable. These types of netting designs are often custom made to size and can be found at soccer fields and golf courses. The initial conversation with a netting supplier will revolve around:
- Will you require an onsite consult, design and engineering analysis, followed by a turn-key installation service? OR
- Will you simply require a netting made to a custom size designed to fit to an existing structure (or net replacement)?
- What will the most appropriate netting be in terms of durability, UV, mesh size and edging treatments.
Regardless of the scenario, it is generally a simple task to identify the most appropriate netting and undertake the most suitable installation technique. There is plenty of information contained within our website, along with photos to provide inspiration for your project.
