Advice on backstop netting for a sports hall

pipeski

Member
Hi

I'm going to need to invest in some backstop netting for a sports hall we'll be using at our new club venue. I thought I'd see if anyone who's set one up has any good advice.

So on with the questions...

1. The width of the hall is just over 14m. Is a 15m wide net going to be wide enough, given the need not to have it pulled taut? Does it matter if doesn't span the full width? Presumably we can just position the targets sensibly and stay clear of one side?

2. We're going to have a big eye bolts screwed into the walls at either end. How hefty will these need to be to support 15+ metres of net?

3. There's a basketball hoop about halfway along, so does it make sense to align the net with this and hook the net to the hoop or the backboard halfway along? Will we need additional props along the length of the net (I'm guessing we will)?

4. Assuming the net will be 2.7m up (well out of easy reach), does anyone have a clever way to hook up the net each week without bringing a ladder along?

5. Does anyone know of any reasonably cheap sources of 15m or 20m nets? Bowsports seem to have a 15m one for ?245. Anyone know of any better deals?

6. Any other advice?

Thanks!
Phil
 

Badgers Dad

New member
Hi Phil,

I put up our club backstop netting last year, we have 2x 30ft nets and a 15ft net suspended on a 5mm catenary wire across a sports hall, the catenary is held either end by a 6mm eye bolt (6mm steel has a loading capability of 1/4 ton), we have two vertical suspension wires to help support the weight set at the same height (approx 10ft) at the two end bolts. Each net is suspended via carabeners one for each eyelet (although eyelet rings are supplied with the nets they tend to rotate and fall off) and we literally just draw them back like curtains and then tie them out of the way. Btw netting works best when there are pleats present.
Good Luck
Chris
 

Badgers Dad

New member
Sorry typo: - (approx 10ft) at the two end bolts. Should read as the two end bolts, meaning each suspension wire is 1 third along the total length of the caternary.
 

pipeski

Member
I should probably mention that we'll (probably) have to take the net down completely every week, unless I can negotiate something (!)
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
Many sports halls will insist on fitting it on a rail - this is expensive and you have to use their contractors and also make sure they use the propper stuff to stop arrows. They took 3 attempts at my club to fit the right material and it cost around ?3k.

Before that we suspended archery nets on the wire using wooden props to stop it sagging and like BD it had to be taken down after each session.
 

pipeski

Member
Well, they've given me the go-ahead to install everything myself, so I don't think there's any issue with contractors.

I'm just wondering if there are any easy ways to set things up to make getting the net and wire up and down nice and easy?
 

Badgers Dad

New member
Hi Phil,
If your using a caternary wire (maybe it will supplied?) then fit a caternary wire strainer either end, the ones i used have a hook one end and a ring the on other and can be used to tension the wire before hanging the net once you've got the length right its just a case of untensioning the strainers until you can unhook them. Taking the net off and on just use carabiners they just hook over the wire whilst remaining secure.
Chris.
 

pipeski

Member
Thanks Chris.

Looks like we're going to need to get the wire and net up and down every week with a stepladder then.
 

Dave N

New member
At the club I go to, we have to put up and take down the netting each week. There is an eye bolt at each end of the hall. We then hang wire between them. In the middle, we use a stap around the back of the basketball net (basketball net is one of thos that swings out) to lift up the wire int he middle. We then use a couple of telescopic (ratchet) support props at each end of the backstop netting. We have 3 or 4 nets, but we usually only need to put up 2. It ends up a bit like this:
Wall---------Prop-----------Basketball hoop----------prop------------wall.
It works well for us. We usually have 3 bosses out unless very busy. It just about works for 4. Any more and we would need to use an additonal net.

We place wooden blocks under the supports to prevent damage to the floor.
 

JohnR

The American
Supporter
American Shoot
Thanks Chris.

Looks like we're going to need to get the wire and net up and down every week with a stepladder then.
At one of the venues I use I'm allowed to have a 'flag hoist' style bit of rope on each side of the hall, through the eye bolt and down to a cleat. So each end of the catenary wire is attached to it's hoist rope and pulled up, then propped, then tightened off. Works fine unless somebody fiddles with the hoist rope during the week and you come in and find it on the floor! - in which case you need a tall skinny kid to stand on your shoulders.
 

BillM

Member
Could I suggest you PM Murray to see if he will send details of how one of the clubs he shoots at arranges their netting. It is put up and taken down each session and has one end of the wire attached to a fixing on one wall, a 'scaffold' type pole with a pulley at the top which allows the wire to pass down to a winch (the type you see on boat trailers) and a short piece of wire on the other side of the pole which attaches to another fixing on the opposite wall. I can't remember the exact configuration but I assume there must be a pad of some sort at the bottom of the pole so that it doesn't mark and damage the floor. The netting stays on the wire and it is all humphed away to a storage place.

Hope this might help.

BillM
 

grimsby archer

New member
We had a hook put in each side wall, 12 ft up, 3 ft from the back wall.
We have a nylon rope with a loop in each end that we hook onto each hook. The rope hangs quite loosely, the middle being about 4ft off the ground. We just use a long bit of wood to hook the rope loops onto the hooks since there is no weight on the rope at this stage.
Our netting (18m wide in 3 pieces) has hooks on the top of the netting and we use these to hook the netting on the rope. This is quite easy to do as its only at chest height.
When the netting is on the rope, we spread it out along the length of the rope.
Then we have 3 sort of A frames. 2 x 12 ft 1"x2" pieces of timber with a bolt holding the two together at the top end. We've a bit of rope about 4 ft up just to stop the legs spreading. These A frames can be pushed up under the rope, behind the netting to raise the rope (and top of the netting) to full height (12 ft)
The whole lot works like a suspension bridge, not too much strain on the hooks, most of the weight is taken by the A frames.

When we take it down, the whole lot (apart from the A frames) fits in a big sports bag that can be carried between 2 people. The A frames fold flat.

Simple, takes 5 minutes to put up and one person could do it by themselves, no ladders required.
 

Neilscoutb

New member
We create a frame using steel parasol bases and poles linked together with clamps, we use butcher hanging hooks to attach the net, we have to use a ladder to put the net up but drop the net at the end with the help of a few members, the one thing i think is missing is that you might have to double up the net as even a semi taught net will allow hight poundage set up go straight through and leave smashed arrows, which would render the net almost pointless. The quality of the net should be your first concern.
 

Badgers Dad

New member
Hi Phil, you could always do a flag pole effort either side of your hall. Just a pulley top and bottom with a continous rope loop with a steel ring and a means to tie off when you hoist the net up. Then prop up with whatever, a frame, wood prop etc where it sags. No ladders!! Just hook the net on at ground level.
Cheers
Chris
 

pipeski

Member
Hi Phil, you could always do a flag pole effort either side of your hall. Just a pulley top and bottom with a continous rope loop with a steel ring and a means to tie off when you hoist the net up. Then prop up with whatever, a frame, wood prop etc where it sags. No ladders!! Just hook the net on at ground level.
Cheers
Chris
Thanks Chris. Sounds like the way to do it. I'd considered the 'flag pole' method, but I hadn't thought of attaching rings to clip the net to.
 

pipeski

Member
Net should be 50% wider than the hall to allow for the pleats.
If we could get one wide enough, we probably would.

We've got the net now, and we've installed the hardware: basically just an eye plate on the wall at the top of the net and a cleat at the bottom on either side of the hall. A loop of rope with a steel ring gives us the ability to attach the end of the catenary and hoist it up to the required height; the slack in the rope is tied off to the cleat. Works really well.

As it is, it hangs to the floor fairly loosely and isn't stretched. I've shot a few test arrows at it and it stopped them nicely, so I'm happy enough. Maybe when funds permit we'll invest in a second net. An arrow passing through and hitting the breeze-block wall behind won't be the end of the world.
 

hawk4

New member
Where did you get this figure from? Virtually every indoor venue I have shot at has not used pleats, they just don't pull the net taught.
I've just completed a level one course and the figure is quoted in the reference material supplied by Archery GB. Came as news to me too as I didn't know there was a set amount of net required. I thought so long as it was loose it would be acceptable.
 
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