Alabama Football has a player’s lounge loaded with the latest and greatest amenities used to motivate their team and help them stay on top of their game. There are pool tables, air hockey tables, pop-a-shot, ping pong, foosball tables and a video arcade. They play among the most elite college football conferences in the world, and they still continue spending to stay on the top of the game.
Now, we are not suggesting that every program should be spending millions on their athlete lounges, but we are well aware of the competitive nature surrounding athletic facilities. It’s almost an arms race to have the most advanced, best looking campuses.
Even on a limited budget, there are plenty of opportunities to revamp your athletic facilities so that your athletes are motivated to maintain the reputation of their program. Here are two effective upgrades that can give your facilities a professional touch.
Be sure to cover high-traffic areas with on-brand graphics or banners.
One way to make the most of your facility budget is to focus on those high traffic areas that visitors, fans, and rival teams are likely to come across on their first visit. Those areas include campus entrances or the outside of the stadium that can be seen from the parking lot.
These key locations could benefit from a number of different products. Whether it’s outside your stadium or at the different entrances to your campus, a well-placed windscreen banner is an impactful and cost-effective way to make the program’s presence known immediately.
Other banners often used in high traffic areas are boulevard banners and stadium flags. While these products may not directly push an athlete to compete harder in a game, they are an excellent way to exhibit your pride while also rounding out the aesthetic of your outdoor facilities.
Show off program successes where athletes are likely to see them.
A great way to encourage production is to showcase past program success through highly visual record boards or strategically placed championship signage. These products accomplish two important goals for your athletes — it demonstrates that your program celebrates their outstanding athletes, and it motivates your players to get their names enshrined throughout the facility.
Custom record boards are perfect for highlighting individual events or records, and they can be conveniently stationed throughout the facility. We recommend placing these boards near where the records are actually broken. If the records are for baseball or softball, for example, there are plenty of placement options. The most popular way to display them outdoors is either to hang them on an exposed wall or fence or to install them as a freestanding sign near the stadium or ballpark.
For team accomplishments, die-cut signs are an effective, custom option that may not take up as much space as a full record board. They are often cut into sport-specific shapes (like a softball or football), or in the shape of the state where the accomplishment took place. Die-cut state championship signs can really add context around the success of your program.
Bringing together your program’s brand through consistent, custom graphics is a great way to bring the best out of your most elite athletes. At the end of the day, elite facilities can set their programs up for success, but team culture and ambition will seal the deal. If you’re interested in a free proof or quote for one of these products, contact a Team Fitz representative today and get your facilities on the right track.