Athletic field fences provide crowd control, venue security, and safety for sporting events. The fences also serve to demarcate specific areas of the sporting fields.
Whether the fence screens athletes or protect viewers; the fence is part of the sport played. The venue and level of play take a vital role in determining what fence is appropriate for the field. Football, baseball, softball, and tennis are all sports in which fencing is an important consideration.
A high school football fence is used mainly to separate players and spectators. These fences usually surround the track and are commonly 4 feet high.
These chain link fences are often colored and PVC coated for good looks and sure durability. Double drive gates and maintenance accesses are common at the end of the running track.
There are also simple 4 feet pedestrian gates where players and coaches enter the field of play. An attractive ornamental fence can be generally used along the side of the stadium that parallels the road in.
Specialty fencing is also used in the bleachers to ensure that spectators (mainly children) do not slip between the railings. Most professional football locations do not use fence in the field area. They use railings to separate players and fans.
Baseball is the most common use athletic field fence. There are numerous variations of fencing on one baseball field. The outer perimeters of baseball fields are commonly fenced. Backstops are constructed of specialty fence that is three separate sections that are 90 feet wide and roughly 25 feet high depending on the design.
Bullpens are also enclosed using chain link fence and can be 8’ tall and screened with fabric for privacy for the players.
Batting cage fences keep baseballs and softballs contained and they are usually made of a thicker gauge of chain link due to the beating it will take. Baseball and football fence is usually set in the ground with a concrete footing.
Outfield fences are typically 6 feet high and topped with bright yellow tubing. This visual marker allows players to gauge a cautious distance when tracking fly balls. Depending on dugout designs, fence can be attached to front railings or a dugout can be a complete chain link enclosure.
Tennis fence is also a sport that encloses its courts to contain tennis balls. Tennis courts layouts vary tremendously, but the fences by and large are the same.
These fences are usually 10 feet tall and are coated for color, durability and it prevents snagging of the tennis balls. Screening is common on these fences and helps absorb the impact of the tennis balls.
On rare occasions courts are totally enclosed with a chain link roof. This is more often than not for smaller courts in confined areas. Tennis fence is usually core drilled into the court, or it can be set before the court is laid down.
