How Much Does a Sport Court Cost?

Let’s start by straightening out some terminology.  “Sport Court” is a brand name.  This name is registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office and the name is owned by Conner Sport Court Incorporated.   So, technically, there is no such thing as a “Sport Court”.   If someone has a court in their yard, it’s actually a game court, pickleball court, basketball court, tennis court, multi-use court, etc.  It’s not a Sport Court.  But, it might have Sport Court® brand sports surfacing.  Now that we’ve clarified that issue, we’re going to go ahead and use the term “Sport Court” in a generic sense, so that the Google web crawlers are better able to understand the purpose of this webpage.

Size matters, at least when determining the cost to construct a game court.  The pricing for almost everything that follows below is absolutely determined by size.  This is pretty much common sense, so we’re not wasting a bunch of words explaining this part.  We are confident that everyone smart enough to be on our website is also smart enough to know overall size is the first determining factor when answering the question, “How much does a sport court cost?”

Sitework is what happens before the concrete is poured.  If your site has a lot of slope, then more site work is required.  Less slope means less sitework.  Sitework generally consists of cutting away, moving earth, or bringing in base materials.  A few years back we worked on Tim Duncan’s home court.  Yes, that Tim Duncan.  His site sloped about 8’.  This required hundreds of cubic yards of base material which would not have been required had the site been flat.  Costs for sitework depends upon the overall court size and how much slope exists.  If you have a lot of slope, you should expect to spend more on sitework and concrete.

The single biggest cost in the construction of a game court is concrete.  The slope and sitework mentioned above will factor into the construction and cost of the concrete.  Another factor is the geology of the site.  Is the site comprised of expansive clays, soils prone to settling, or rock?  Can the concrete trucks pull right up to the court, or is a pump truck required?  Will the slab be reinforced with rebar or post-tensioned cables.  Are there any beams?  Prices for post-tensioned concrete, projects in rural areas, and sites with difficult access will have higher costs.  As you may realize by now, there’s just no simple way to work up concrete costs without first surveying the project site and developing a court layout.

You have options when it comes to modular floating court surfacing.  You can find numerous cheaply made modular tiles online.  If you are duped into buying any of these, you’ll regret it.  Several manufacturers, both domestic and Chinese, have attempted to duplicate Sport Court® products.  Indeed, many of these knock off products look similar.  But, not a single one even comes close to matching the performance, ball reaction, safety, or durability of Sport Court® products.

Up front costs for Sport Court® brand surfacing are usually higher than costs for painted acrylic.  However, the life cycle cost of acrylic is much higher, since it has to be reapplied every few years.  On the other hand, Sport Court® court surfacing usually lasts 20 to 30 years or longer.  Our pickleball page has additional information about lifespan.

Acrylic painted surfaces have low upfront costs but high lifecycle costs.  Acrylics need to be re-applied every few years.  They tend to last longer on concrete than on asphalt.  The on-going reapplication costs add up to be much higher than the cost of Sport Court® brand surfacing.  But, this isn’t even the biggest reason that we steer clients away from acrylic.  Our number one issue with acrylics is that they provide no shock absorption.  Yes, acrylic does cost less than Sport Court®, but a torn ACL, broken fibula, or a knee replacement is quite a bit more expensive.   By the way, we do offer acrylic surfacing.  We just want you to know the risks, limitations, and long term costs before making the decision to go with acrylic.

You can find cheap basketball goals online for under $1,000.  But, we won’t install these on your court.  We only sell and install high quality equipment.  Our goals are custom designed to include multi-sport game net attachment points.  These goals also come with a custom pole pad which has cut-outs for the net attachment points.  We offer goals with 5’ and 6’ glass backboards.   On most projects we install height adjustable goals, but we also have stationary goals which may be the better choice in a commercial setting.  We prefer goals in which the backboard is 4’ or more away from the post.  However, on smaller courts we will install goals with a 3’ offset.  We also have goals with 5’, 6’ and 8’ offsets.  You should expect to spend over $3,000 for these goals, including freight and installation.

You’ll need to determine the size of your court to know how many lights you’ll need in order to answer the question, “How much does a Sport Court Cost?”.   A typical 30 x 60 pickleball court needs a single light post with two lamps at the top.  The lamps are aimed to opposite sides of the court, bathing the court surface in plenty of light to play pickleball all night.  Large commercial projects tend to have more lights.   But, a smaller court may only need a single lamp at the top of the post.  Like the posts on our basketball goals, our light posts also have net attachment points.  This allows game nets for volleyball, pickleball, and badminton to be suspended between the basketball post and the light post.  You should expect to spend over $3,000 for a light , including freight and erection.  The cost for electrical wiring is extra and will vary based on the project site.

A multi-sport game net is a lightweight net that may span between the basketball goal and the court light.  These nets are designed for quick height adjustment.  If your court doesn’t have a basketball goal or light, then we attach the net to net posts at either side of the court.  We package the nets with all the hardware that goes on the posts and the net tensioner.  This has a package price of around $500, including freight and installation.  Net posts are sold separately.

You can buy portable pickleball nets online for around $100 to $300.  We don’t sell these.  As with everything else we sell and install, we only work with high quality products which have a long life expectancy.   We actually like some of the portable net systems.  They’re a great option if you need to move your net around to different courts.  We sell and install pickleball net systems which either slide into floor sleeves or bolt down to the concrete court slab with construction epoxy and anchor bolts.  These systems are commercial quality and run about $1,300.

We recommend the installation of a ball containment fence around the game court.  This helps reduce traffic on an off the court to chase balls and helps keep the court cleaner.  And, do you really want to spend your time chasing balls anyway?  On residential projects, we usually construct a net fence.  On commercial projects we typically install a chain link fence.  The framework for net and chain link fencing are similar.  However, depending upon overall height, we may install heavy weight posts for chain link.  We also install heavier posts if wind screens are to be added.  Fence heights vary from 4’ up to 10’.  The cost for the fence varies by height, length, and material make up.  But, a typical 10’ tall net fence is about $40 per linear foot.  10’ tall chain link is around $65 per linear foot.

If your game court is going into a space which was previously landscaped, then you should expect some added costs to repair the landscape after the court is constructed.  This may include regrading the topsoil to correct any slope issues, reworking the irrigation system, and replanting grass or shrubs.   In addition to the space around the court, the pathway between the court and where work vehicles unload, may also need repair.   We usually recommend that clients work with their existing landscaping service provider for landscaping repair.

If you’ve gotten this far on this page, congratulations.  We hope this information has been helpful.  If you’ve read through everything, then you now have a bird’s eye view of what goes into construction of a game court.   The cost of your court will be determined by the items outlined above.  At a minimum, a small partial half court basketball court in San Antonio is around $20,000 with minimal site work, concrete, Sport Court® surface, and basketball goal.  A 30’ x 60’ pickleball court has an entry price of about $30,000 to $35,000 for acrylic and around $40,000 to $45,000 for Sport Court® pickleball surfacing.   Please keep in mind that acrylic costs more over time as it needs to be periodically resurfaced.   And, Sport Court® surfacing has a lower life span cost.

The best way to know how much your game court will cost is to contact us to discuss the details of your project.

To learn more about out game court construction services or to get our expert assistance laying out your court, please contact South Texas Sport Court.