Facility and Event Management

Facility and Event Management: Applications in Sport (Paperback). 1st Ed. (2017) by Petersen, Judge, & Miller. Kendall Hunt Publishing: Chapter 2

Post an initial thread related to the required readings with a minimum of 350 words. After posting your initial response to the forum, you will have access to review your peers’ initial posts. Then, you will provide a peer reply to one (1) of your peers’ initial threads with a minimum of 100 words.

Discuss major characteristics of stadiums and arenas while providing notations on differences. Compare and contrast in relation to the following facilities: gymnasium, fieldhouse, indoor practice facility, and recreation/fitness center.

Peer Thread
Erin: Venues are an important part of any sport event. The type of sport and the draw of the sport often dictate which type of venue will best be suited. Not every environment will have each type of venue, so it is important that sport venues be able to accommodate multiple purposes. Additionally, environments such as the weather can have an impact on which type of venue is built in an area. Stadiums and arenas are popular venue types due to the accessibility and ability to be employed by a variety of sports and/or events. Most Americans are familiar with the gymnasium venue – who of us doesn’t have a memory of middle school dodgeball?

Stadium – an outdoor or domed facility that provides a large space typically with turf to host sport and other non-sport events. Used for football, soccer, baseball, rugby, etc. Typically utilized for team sports. The advent of domed stadiums allowed for usage in all weathers. Climate controlled areas for seating and playing areas. The creation of domed stadiums also saw the need for the development of an artificial turf/playing surface.

Arena – a completely enclosed sport venue providing playing space on a central area, court, or floor with a high ceiling clearance surrounded by spectator seating. This venue type is utilized by sports such as basketball, volleyball, figure skating, and hockey. The relatively limited seating sees the arena being used as a multipurpose venue, such as concerts and other non-sport events. The floor or court of the arena is typically limited in size and therefore arenas are not usually used for practice venues for teams. The multipurpose use of arenas means there must be loading docks and access for changeovers form event type to event type.

The stadium and the arena both feature spectator amenities such as concessions, club-level seating, suites, etc. Arenas tend to be smaller than stadiums. A stadium can be open air or domed while arenas are always roofed spaces.

Fieldhouse – a large multipurpose indoor facility that typically incorporates an indoor track plus additional court facilities. The fieldhouse is a hold over term and venue. Fieldhouses were commonly used for events such as basketball and volleyball, but many have been converted to other uses as new arenas and stadiums were built in their place. A common use for a fieldhouse is indoor track and field events

Indoor practice facility – a large indoor practice facility with artificial turf that provides large spaces for practice in inclement weather conditions. This type of facility has been on the rise in recent years. A common use is for indoor football practice.

Gymnasium – an indoor facility with high ceilings for sport competition, practice, and/or physical education. A major difference in a gymnasium and an arena is how the space is allocated. A gymnasium has more floor space/playing space and not so much on formalized seating. Today many gymnasiums include bleacher seating that can be pulled out or pushed back depending on the needs of the event. Almost every elementary, middle, and high school in America today has a gymnasium on their premises for the purposes of physical education classes.

Recreation/fitness center – a multipurpose facility designed for the pursuit of fitness, wellness, and sport based upon the needs of the users. Recreation/fitness centers are popular on college campuses as a means to provide physical fitness to a diverse population. Many communities also use a recreation center as either a community-based center or in the YMCA example. Rec centers offer multiple users a variety of options.

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