Dream Sport Court for Girls


Build a sports lover's dream in your own backyard

by Kaki Flynn 
Editor, Home Magazine

There are now options that allow you to bring your dream sport court to your house, from do-it-yourself projects to prefabricated kits that let almost anyone turn a backyard into a mini-sports-complex.

When a Jacksonville family's youngest daughter Kelly started playing volleyball for Stanton College Prepratory School, the pair decided to build Kelly her own sand volleyball court in the backyard, which is right on in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Her Dad got all of the measurements and other regulation requirements from VolleyballUSA.com to make sure Kelly would have the same court the pros use.

The biggest shocker in the cost of building the court was the sand. Laid out at 10-inches deep, the sand alone made up 75 percent of the cost at $1,500, then another $600 for a liner with rocks underneath as well as a perimeter around the sand to help with drainage. Add $300 for the net and $200 for the lights to let the kids play at night, plus $80 volleyballs, and the court cost about $3,500.

Despite the unexpected cost, Kelly's family enjoys being the neighborhood "fun house," whether it is kids from other schools coming to practice or their sons Luke, 9, and Noah, 14, taking the net down to play three-on-three beach soccer.

Families who want to go all out can drop $16,000 for a half-court or up to $55,000 to put a mini-multisport complex in the backyard. Sport Court, now the world's largest court builder in the world, began as a small company that installed mini-tennis courts in backyards. The company has grown to become the official court supplier for the NCAA Basketball Final Four Championships, as well as a supplier for USA Soccer and USA Volleyball, and has also teamed up with the USTA for events.

However, Sport Court still focuses on backyard courts, and has become the go-to for famous clients in the world of sports and entertainment. Celine Dione just installed a tennis court in her Florida home.

The court surface is made of interlocking pieces that snap together, and come in 22 different colors with the option of painting on a customized logo.

The multi-sport court, with options for 25 different sports, is the priciest and allows home owners to play roller hockey one hour, and soccer or a game of giant checkers the next.

Slide a ramp on top of the court and add rails to turn it into a skateboard park.

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