Between Seasons: Smarter Ways to Upgrade Your Sports Club

Your club has to accommodate a lot more than sport. Weekend competitions, weekday training, presentation days, visiting teams, community events. Different activities bring different crowds, and what works for Saturday morning juniors might not work for an interclub competition.

If you’re considering facility improvements, the quieter months are a chance to rethink how you use your grounds, rather than replace what’s already there.

And with Felton’s End of Year Sale running through October and November, now’s the time to explore what’s possible within budget.

Plan for the busiest days

Sporting facilities often need to accommodate fluctuating spectator numbers.

Permanent seating may be adequate for regular matches but fall short during finals, tournaments or special events. Alternatively, installing enough fixed seating for your largest crowds can leave valuable space underused for much of the year.

Before committing to upgrades, assess how attendance changes across the season. Where do spectators gather when crowds increase? Which areas get congested? Could temporary or relocatable infrastructure provide a better solution?

The answers can help you make smarter decisions about where to invest.

A grandstand that changes with the game

Designed for flexibility, the Tow & Fold Grandstand was recently recognised at the 2026 Australian Good Design Awards for excellence in design, innovation and impact.

Providing portable, high-capacity spectator seating, the grandstand can be moved and deployed wherever additional capacity is needed.

Its controlled hydraulic deployment makes setup more manageable, while safety considerations include visual guidance through contrasting colours on handrails and pathways.

The Australian Good Design Awards jury praised the system engineering and its consideration of users, manufacturers and contractors. Importantly, the judges recognised its ability to address a genuine infrastructure challenge for councils, schools and sporting communities.

For clubs managing multiple playing areas or hosting occasional large events, the Tow & Fold offers an alternative to the traditional fixed-grandstand approach.

Beyond the playing areas

Not every improvement needs to be focused on the field. Some of the most heavily used spaces are the ones in between: the route from the car park, the area outside the canteen, the sidelines or the places where teams gather between games.

These locations often need different solutions. Benches may be more practical than grandstands in smaller gathering areas, while shade can make exposed waiting zones more usable during the warmer months.

Think about where people spend time standing, where they need room to move freely and which spaces could serve more than one purpose.

Small changes in these overlooked areas can significantly impact how your facilities function.

Make a long-term investment

For volunteer-run clubs, every purchase needs to justify its place in the budget. The Initial cost matters, but so do durability, maintenance, storage and frequency of use.

​Australian-made seating designed for demanding outdoor conditions can offer better long-term value, particularly when you factor in durability and maintenance. Similarly, movable infrastructure can provide greater versatility than additional permanent installations, depending on your club’s needs.

Look beyond the purchase price to the product’s full lifecycle. Then compare your options and prioritise upgrades before next-season budgets are finalised.

Use the quiet months wisely

You don’t need a major redevelopment to make meaningful improvements. Prioritise the upgrades that will have the greatest impact, whether that’s more seating, a flexible grandstand or additional shade. Ready to put your plans into action?

Talk to our team about practical solutions for your club’s needs and budget.