Athletic lockers are a no brainer, right? You simply need a bit of ventilation, storage for your team’s gear, and a place to stash their stuff while they’re on the field, right? Wrong. The locker room should be a point of pride for your team. Designing the perfect facility can make all the difference in the world to team spirit and that winning attitude that really matters the second they leave. Here are a few things to consider.
The Sport – All athletic lockers were not created equally. What may work out perfectly for a soccer player may not be ideal for a football player. Unfortunately, most teams are limited by budgetary concerns, so many locker rooms have to play double, triple, or even quadruple duty throughout the year. As the seasons change, so do the dominant sports, and that may mean a different purpose for the lockers for every season. If that’s the case in your facility, you want to go with lockers that are big enough to house gear for each sport. In most cases, football will probably be the sport that requires the most gear. To ensure your football players have enough space for their helmets and their pads, you need a 72” tall locker that is both 15” deep and wide. The shelf has to be about 18” from the top to house a full-sized helmet. Players are only going to get frustrated if they can’t fit all of their gear into their lockers as they walk off the field or court, so make certain they have a bit of room to breathe.
The Number of Players – In addition to having enough space for their gear, you want to have enough space for all of the players. The standard size football team is forty players. For soccer, it’s twenty-five. A track team can have as many as fifty members, depending on the size of the school. The same is true for a swim team. Every player needs to have a locker to house his or her gear, and if this means a few lockers happen to go empty for this season or that one, write it off as an expense of the game. Giving each player his own space is key to building the ideal team.
Security – The last thing you want is for players to feel like their stuff is unsafe between games or meets. If you’re sharing lockers from sport to sport, make sure you offer individual padlocks for players or team members. Built in locks typically come with just a few possible combination, making them quite unsafe from sport to sport.
Color Choices – Feel free to get a bit creative with your locker room. Go with your school colors instead of a drab gray or dull green. You want to create a bright environment where players can truly feel the team spirit enthrall them before every possible match or game.
Good locker room design does not have to be limited by budget. With just a few simple considerations, you can build a locker room that is perfect for your team.
