Rows of championship banners are an iconic image in gymnasiums across the nation. These banners signify the sweat and toil of past players, coaches, and those who support them. Whether you are starting a championship banner project from scratch or redoing outdated gym banners, it’s important to kick off the project with a few key considerations. Check out the following initial decisions that should be made to get the ball rolling in the right direction.
Championships to Display
Deciding what information to display is typically the best place to start when planning for gym banners. Do you want to display conference championships? State championships? State placers? Do you want to only show team championships? Or do you also want to include individual player state champions as well? Every athletic department is unique just like every championship.
We typically recommend keeping track of championships for conference, district, regional, and state wins. If you display placers or runners-up you may quickly run out of wall space in your gym. A common way to encompass district and regional placers or runners-up is to simply display playoff appearances.
Keeping track of larger accomplishments can reduce the number of banners that you will need. However, you don’t want to minimize any of your championship teams. Finding the right balance for your program is key.
Wall or Rafter Space Available
Sometimes limitations in wall or rafter space helps narrow down how many championships a school decides to display. Because any physical limitations of your space may inform how you proceed, it is a good idea to measure your space early in the process.
Do you plan on hanging the banners from rafters? Or do you plan on placing them flat on a wall? We typically recommend placing the banner flat on a wall. It is much easier to install and there are typically no viewing obstructions. The biggest obstructions to consider are hanging lights and rafters.
Measuring the wall space in a gym or field house can sometimes be difficult without a lift. If you do not have a lift available, you can count cinder blocks or bricks and then multiply. While this method won’t give you an exact measurement, it should give you enough information to get started.
Type of Championship Banners
There are two main types of championship banners. The first is a traditional championship banner that is used to display one win. These banners are perfect for displaying the highest level of accomplishments such as a state title or runner-up victory. They are also great for recognizing accomplishments like undefeated seasons. While you could use them to display regional and district championships, there may not be enough space in the gym.
The second common type of championship banners are Add-A-Year Banners. These banners are popular because they can display a huge amount of information. This gives an athletic program the opportunity to recognize all kinds of championship wins from conferences all the way up to state championships on a single banner. Additionally, updating these banners is simple and inexpensive.
Most customers tend to display a combination of championship and add-a-year banners in their gym. You can consolidate the more frequent accomplishments on Add-A-Year Banners and highlight each of the top-level championships on their own individual championship banner.
Ready to update your gym with new championship banners? Team Fitz has a history of producing high-quality championship banner projects for high schools and universities nationwide. Reach out to one of our reps today. They would be happy to answer questions and get you a free proof and quote for the project.