With so many types of sports net available, it is important to correctly identify the grade which will best suit your needs and price-point. This article will help to inform you of the advantages of each net type, and help align your setup with the best netting for the job.
This article will specifically focus on OUTDOOR SPORTS NETS installations, with reference to the following sports:
- Cricket Netting
- Softball / Baseball Netting
- Tennis Fence Netting
- Basketball Barrier Net
- Football / Soccer Barrier Nets
The requirements of the netting could range from being used as a “high impact enclosed practice cage” to a simple fence barrier net used to stop the occasional tennis ball. Outdoor sports nets (excluding golf) are generally made of Knotted UV Treated HDPE, ensuring they are designed to resist harsh outdoor conditions and provide many years of hassle free sport.
Hole Size (mesh Size)
The first question that should be raised when deciding on a netting type, should be what type of balls you are looking to contain? You will need to allow for the “smallest ball being used” and work up from there. So for example, if you will ONLY be using the netting for Basketball, then a 100mm x 100mm Square will suffice. However, if you ALSO wish to play cricket or tennis in that same area you will need to use a more “multi-purpose” netting such as a 40mm x 40mm square.
Most multi-purpose areas will use a 40mm mesh size as standard. It is a durable and versatile netting that covers you for almost all sports (excluding golf). This is one of the reasons you will see this particular netting in most Indoor sports centres. You may ask the question, why don’t I just use 40mm for every job? Well, the answer involves the following potential advantages of 100mm:
- In certain cases it can be lighter
- In certain cases it can be less visible than the 40mm netting
- It can be less expensive
Even with this in mind, these advantages are often outweighed by the practical benefits of the 40mm squares. Furthermore, if the 100mm is going to be used as a barrier netting at Ground Level, you may want to consider the higher probability of the users getting their feet caught in the larger holes (Trip Hazard).
Recommendation for the following sports:
- Cricket Netting : 40mm Squares
- Softball / Baseball Netting : 40mm Squares
- Tennis Fence Netting : 40mm Squares
- Basketball Barrier Net : 40mm OR 100m Squares
- Football / Soccer Barrier Nets : 40mm OR 100m Squares
Thickness (Ply)
Once you have settled on the correct mesh size, you will now have to consider what thickness of material you should opt for. The higher the ply, the thicker the material will be. A “36ply” net would comprise of 36 strands of HDPE twisted together to make a 2mm thick netting. A “48ply” would comprise 48 strands of HDPE twisted together to make a 2.5mm thick netting and so on. The thickness (weight) of each of the 48 individual strands must also be considered. Cheaper nets on the market will claim to be 48ply, but each of the 48 strands are well below the weight (Denier) of the more quality nets on the market such as Quatra Sports Netting.
Interestingly, some barrier nets are “braided” instead of twisted. These braided nets won’t be afforded a “ply” as such, but will rather be measures in mm, for example 3mm diameter.
In determining your required PLY, you should take into consideration:
- The volume of use (commercial or residential)
- The impact velocity and type of the ball. For example a high impact, direct strike from a baseball will have a higher force and velocity than a simple barrier net to stop the occasional tennis ball going over the fence.
- Any weight or lighting considerations in respect to the installation method
- Price
Based on our experience of over 130years working with netting products, we can suggest the following initial guidelines when selecting a net to suit your application.
Cricket Netting:
- 36ply / 40mm
- Backyard Cricket Cages and barrier Nets for all ages
- Nets to stop the ball going over the fence
- 48ply / 40mm
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities
- Backyard Cricket Cages for high volume use
- 60ply / 40mm
- High End Commercial Facilities
Softball / Baseball Netting:
- 36ply / 40mm
- Backyard Practice Cages and barrier Nets for Juniors to Teenagers
- Nets to stop the ball going over the fence
- 48ply / 40mm
- Primary School Facilities (Baseball)
- All Schools and clubs (Softball)
- Backyard Practice Cages for Teenagers and young adults
- Nets to stop the ball going over the fence
- 60ply / 40mm
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities
- Backyard Baseball Cages for high volume use
Tennis Netting:
- 36ply / 40mm
- Fence Netting to contain tennis balls
- (A higher grade of netting is used for the Actual Tennis Net itself)
Basketball Barrier Netting:
- 36ply / 40mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- 36ply / 100mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence
- 48ply / 40mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities (Court Dividers)
- 3mm Diameter Braided 100mm Squares
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities (Court Dividers)
Soccer / Football Barrier Netting:
- 36ply / 40mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- 36ply / 100mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence
- 48ply / 40mm
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities
- 3mm Diameter Braided 100mm Squares
- Backyard Nets to stop the ball going over the fence (multisport)
- School / Club / Commercial Facilities (Court Dividers)
Key Points:
A 36ply material with 40mm squares is most commonly used for residential and lower impact sports
A 48ply material with 40mm squares is most commonly used for commercial applications and higher impact sports
A 60ply material with 40mm squares is occasionally seen high volume, high velocity commercial settings.
Although 100mm Square netting can provide some advantages, the 40mm option is a more commonly used all-rounder for outdoor sports netting installations.
Once you have selected your mesh “type”, you will now want to evaluate the most appropriate way to EDGE and finish off your netting. This will be covered in our next article.
