Cost of installing and maintaining a running track

Tom Joad

Doing a bit of research and I hope I'm not asking a "how long is a piece of string question...".

I'm trying to establish roughly how much installing a 400mtr 8 lane running track would be and the ongoing costs of maintaining the track is. For instance does a track have a certain lifespan before being relaid.

Also interested in how clubs earn revenue from the track.

All responses appreciated

Myles Splitz

Tom Joad wrote: »

Doing a bit of research and I hope I'm not asking a "how long is a piece of string question...".

I'm trying to establish roughly how much installing a 400mtr 8 lane running track would be and the ongoing costs of maintaining the track is. For instance does a track have a certain lifespan before being relaid.

Also interested in how clubs earn revenue from the track.

All responses appreciated

Not sure of the exactly cost but you are talking in the 100's of thousands.

Remember our club being awarded a grant of £140k nearly 20 years ago which coupled with years of fundraising covered it and that was just upgrading from cinder with the foundations in place. This was tartan rather than mondo.

Resurfacing generally advised to be done every 5-10 years.

Clubs generally can charge for renting out the track to other local clubs (numerous sports), to public (depending on insurance) on a PAYG basis or renting facility for competition purposes.

Tom Joad

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Not sure of the exactly cost but you are talking in the 100's of thousands.

Remember our club being awarded a grant of £140k nearly 20 years ago which coupled with years of fundraising covered it and that was just upgrading from cinder with the foundations in place. This was tartan rather than mondo.

Resurfacing generally advised to be done every 5-10 years.

Clubs generally can charge for renting out the track to other local clubs (numerous sports), to public (depending on insurance) on a PAYG basis or renting facility for competition purposes.

Thanks Myles - had a feeling it might be in the 100's of thousands!!

Should have specified that in this scenario it would be a greenfield site so no foundations or anything in place.

Do tartan and mondo have the same requirements re resurfacing?

Pawwed Rig

There are surely grants available for it. Doubt they would cover the whole cost though which I imagine would be in the 100s of thousands. You would of course get a tax deduction for maintenance and repair/renewal but I would think that making a profit would be difficult so it would be a continuing expense for each year.

Notwork Error

The cost of the track I use fairly regularly was around €250k to lay. From my experience in Community projects, it may be possible to get up to 75% of the cost from government grants but the remaining 25% has to be raised first, might be an idea to get on to the local councillor to get all the details.

That club charge €5 a head to use the track or a membership fee per year. They also run a huge C2k program on the track twice a week with 100+ people showing up. It's also open to block booking from other clubs in the area and is well used.

Timmaay

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Not sure of the exactly cost but you are talking in the 100's of thousands.

Remember our club being awarded a grant of £140k nearly 20 years ago which coupled with years of fundraising covered it and that was just upgrading from cinder with the foundations in place. This was tartan rather than mondo.

Resurfacing generally advised to be done every 5-10 years.

Clubs generally can charge for renting out the track to other local clubs (numerous sports), to public (depending on insurance) on a PAYG basis or renting facility for competition purposes.

When you say resurface, after 5 years at most all it will need is to be cleaned, 10 years maybe lines repainted etc. Anything more and I'd seriously question the standard of the track put in from day one.

RayCun

I think Bohermeen AC installed a new track recently, and Dunboyne AC?

Tom Joad

RayCun wrote: »

I think Bohermeen AC installed a new track recently, and Dunboyne AC?

cheers Ray - Is Bohermeen's a 400mtr track - have to say I don't recall what was there in March when I done the Half.

From a bit of googling the other recently opened ones are in Ballina and Claremorris in Mayo. Was down at Ballina's and it looks top notch. Peace Link in Clones is also a recent one.

I'm fairly up to spend on the funding possibilities but I wonder what happens afterwards. What I mean is do Athletic Clubs get the funding (up to 75%), add the match funding they raise, build the track etc and then they are the owners or is there various models where the Local Council own the track and run it as a community facility?

AOH77A

Hi, The Le Cheile club in Leixlip put in a new 400 metre track just over year ago. If you contacted them I'm sure they could answer any questions you have.

RayCun

Tom Joad wrote: »

I'm fairly up to spend on the funding possibilities but I wonder what happens afterwards. What I mean is do Athletic Clubs get the funding (up to 75%), add the match funding they raise, build the track etc and then they are the owners or is there various models where the Local Council own the track and run it as a community facility?

It varies. Tallaght own their track but the Irishtown track is owned by the council.

Getting sports capital funding is going to depend on you being able to make a case to the funding body that this is a good use of their money (better than building something for a GAA club:rolleyes:). You're going to want backing from the local council too, either money or application support. That might mean showing that there is a large athletics community in the area that needs the facility. It might mean talking to schools, or other sports groups, and making a case that the facility is going to serve more than just your club. Either way, you might have a case that you can bring to the council and convince them that they should be driving the facility themselves with your club as tenants.

sconhome

Depends on the surface.

Local training track near us is built with a dust surface, crushed and rolled blinding stone laid on a grade 804 base layer. Not that difficult to do and well within the capabilities of a team of ground workers. Concrete kerbing or larch timber boards are enough to define the shape.

Costs increase if adding drainage, lighting and bringing electricity to the site.

If looking full bore competition track the base work would be the same or very similar with the final layers being laid by track professionals. So you start a long term project by developing the initial base work which is useable by the club / members and raise additional funds for upgrading once you have 'proven' the need for the track to the local funding or sports partnership to support a grant application.

Tom Joad

AOH77A wrote: »

Hi, The Le Cheile club in Leixlip put in a new 400 metre track just over year ago. If you contacted them I'm sure they could answer any questions you have.

Thanks for that. I'll give them a shout

average_runner

RayCun wrote: »

It varies. Tallaght own their track but the Irishtown track is owned by the council.

Getting sports capital funding is going to depend on you being able to make a case to the funding body that this is a good use of their money (better than building something for a GAA club:rolleyes:). You're going to want backing from the local council too, either money or application support. That might mean showing that there is a large athletics community in the area that needs the facility. It might mean talking to schools, or other sports groups, and making a case that the facility is going to serve more than just your club. Either way, you might have a case that you can bring to the council and convince them that they should be driving the facility themselves with your club as tenants.

Lucan Harriers just got their capital grant for their new track.
It was some good news for the club, after what happened with Precision Timing during the week.

sconhome

http://www.dttas.ie/sites/default/files/publications/sport/english/scp-allocations-2015/local-allocations.pdf

Just reading the local club I was talking about received €100k in funding which I presume is tied somehow to the development of the track & facililtes.