When you think about it, a sports hall in a school, college or a leisure centre is put to a variety of uses. In the daytime it may be used for assemblies, for Physical Education by one class, and for netball or football by another, with all the equipment brought out and then put away into conveniently placed storage areas. In the evening there might be a school disco, or the hall may be hired out for aerobics or other purposes. And during weekends, it may be used by outside sports clubs for practice and training purposes. Such as indoors cricket nets during winters. How is this made possible?

The answer lies in modern materials and technology. The same floor can be so designed so as to make it suitable for a range of sports. Sports equipment may be fixed onto the floor or movable such as posts for badminton or retractable such as basketball nets.

Flooring for indoor sports must take into consideration the requirements of the particular sport or sports that will be played on it. It should be long lasting and durable, able to withstand the pressures of sports equipment and use by players. The floor should provide an even and flat surface and have a suitable level of bounce or spin of the ball. The floor should also provide sufficient friction or grip to prevent players slipping, yet allowing easy movement such as in a sliding tackle. Inevitably, sports may also involve jumping, falling, landing etc. of players; therefore, the floor needs to have sufficient shock absorbency or elasticity so as to prevent injuries to players.

There is a range of modern flooring available today, with different characteristics and to suit different budgets. Materials used may be timber, composite materials, textiles or polyurethane. Just to make matters even more confusing, new technologies are continually appearing in the market.

So how does one take a decision on choosing the right kind of surface for your needs?
Once it has been decided what sport or sports are going to be played, one could refer to British Standards 7044, which specifies the minimum requirement for sports surfaces in the UK. Sports equipment suppliers in the UK should be able to demonstrate compliance with British standards. British and International Sports governing bodies have their own standards for different sports such as athletics, football, hockey, cricket, tennis etc. and these too may be consulted for higher levels of competition.