Getting the square footage to build a full field

[Ethulin]

I have seen all these pictures of teams who have created whole fields and I stand in aww. We can not even get a permanent area for a side goal much less a full field. We have over a dozen teams right around our area so we could pool resources.

So my question is, for those teams who have built whole fields: how did you do it!

Was it provided by your school, a company, did you rent it?

How did you approach the School, District, or company to make such a request?

[sanddrag]

To add to that, where did you get carpet and how much did it cost?

[KathieK]

One suggestion - look in your town for storefront or other space that has been empty for a while. It should be located in a section of town that you will feel safe in at night if you are working there. Contact the realty company that is renting the space to see if you could use the space as a donation from them while they are trying to rent it. Perhaps you can negotiate by offering to paint the facility to give it a fresh look. Keep the space clean at all times in case the realtor needs to show it to a prospective leasee. Or contact your town hall and ask if they know of such a space - people would rather have some activity in a space than to have it sit empty.

[Ethulin]

Originally Posted by KathieK

One suggestion - look in your town for storefront or other space that has been empty for a while. It should be located in a section of town that you will feel safe in at night if you are working there. Contact the realty company that is renting the space to see if you could use the space as a donation from them while they are trying to rent it. Perhaps you can negotiate by offering to paint the facility to give it a fresh look. Keep the space clean at all times in case the realtor needs to show it to a prospective leasee. Or contact your town hall and ask if they know of such a space - people would rather have some activity in a space than to have it sit empty.

Thanks Kathie.

I know for a fact however their are other teams with full fields so lay it out! Tell us you secret!

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

To add to that, where did you get carpet and how much did it cost?

We're setting up a half-field at a mentor's warehouse. The carpet (which isn't a perfect match, but is right close) was donated by USC, who had it as surplus inventory and got it declared as junk. We glued it down to heavy cardboard from the warehouse, trimmed it up, and we should have it together right soon. Total cost for the carpet: Around $40-50 for glue and such.

Keep your eyes open--deals can be found.

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

To add to that, where did you get carpet and how much did it cost?

i would suggest contacting a carpet store/ contractor. Stores that re carpet office buildings, which happen all the time. Just toss the carpet in the dumpster. If you contact them and tell them what you are looking for it is quite possible they will save you some from a job tear out. Remember most commercial style carpets are close enough to each other that it wont make that big of difference on the performance of your bot...that is unless you get some shag

[Raul]

I believe most regionals discard the carpet after the competition. That is how we got ours. We offered to help clean up in exchange for the carpet, which we arranged to haul to our site.

[Rich Kressly]

Originally Posted by Raul

I believe most regionals discard the carpet after the competition. That is how we got ours. We offered to help clean up in exchange for the carpet, which we arranged to haul to our site.

Raul is correct. Last year we couldn't find the team(s) to take the Philadelphia carpet. Contact your regional folks. Ask if there are plans for the carpet yet. Volunteer your team for the job of "load-out" after the regional and find a way to get a truck there. If the carpet isn't already spoken for, it may just be that easy.

[Schneidie]

Originally Posted by Ethulin

I have seen all these pictures of teams who have created whole fields and I stand in aww. We can not even get a permanent area for a side goal much less a full field. We have over a dozen teams right around our area so we could pool resources.

So my question is, for those teams who have built whole fields: how did you do it!

Was it provided by your school, a company, did you rent it?

How did you approach the School, District, or company to make such a request?

Our sponsor, UTC fuel cells has donated the space for the field/ elements.

[vadyr]

this year we had a building built for us by our school district. it fits a full size field (both player stations) and room for storage and we have some other junk in there. th carpet was layed down in th building by the builders, and we built the field from scratch. it took us like 3 days to build both sides, and it came out really nicely. i can try to get some pictures if you're interested. another suggestion: our school has two gyms and before this building we used half of one of the gyms.

[Ethulin]

Originally Posted by vadyr

this year we had a building built for us by our school district. it fits a full size field (both player stations) and room for storage and we have some other junk in there. th carpet was layed down in th building by the builders, and we built the field from scratch. it took us like 3 days to build both sides, and it came out really nicely. i can try to get some pictures if you're interested. another suggestion: our school has two gyms and before this building we used half of one of the gyms.

Who within the district administration did you approach?

[Jon K.]

We have had a warehouse area donated to us through a local realator. The space is big enough for us plus 40,000 toys(part of the reason for our having it). The other reason and the main reason is that you have to walk through the former woman's restroom to get from one half to the other but we really don't mind and neither do the female team members as they use the former men's restroom now a unisex bathroom.(It has a lock on the door so there is nothing to worry about.) Also our carpet we got either donated or sold to us at a reduced price from a local carpet retailer(it was in 03 so I don't remember exactly). The field part costs were covered by a students father through his business as a donation.

[Ethulin]

Originally Posted by Jon K.

We have had a warehouse area donated to us through a local realator. The space is big enough for us plus 40,000 toys(part of the reason for our having it). The other reason and the main reason is that you have to walk through the former woman's restroom to get from one half to the other but we really don't mind and neither do the female team members as they use the former men's restroom now a unisex bathroom.(It has a lock on the door so there is nothing to worry about.) Also our carpet we got either donated or sold to us at a reduced price from a local carpet retailer(it was in 03 so I don't remember exactly). The field part costs were covered by a students father through his business as a donation.

If we were looking to get such a sponsor who do you approach? A realtor maybe, or the company it's self?

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by Ethulin

If we were looking to get such a sponsor who do you approach? A realtor maybe, or the company it's self?

With ours we have it through the company itself I believe. Mostly becuase ours is part of a larger building with storefronts and the company is handling the renting of the building for the owner. You might want to try contacting the contacting whoever the person would be for the building and start there and work your way up.

[dhitchco]

Getting space to build a practice field can be done in several ways and has come up on this forum inthe past:

1) Your sponsor company will need to provide the team with a certificate of insurance showing "general liability" coverage. That is the first step.

2) You can scout around for empty retail stores or warehouses near your school and simply call-up the real estate firm. be prepared to fax/e-mail them a one-page description of your team and what you are seeking (e.g. "we need to borrow a space of 10,000 sq. ft for day/evening usage for 4 week period".). Yes, nighttime safety is a concern, so don't go rent a dark, dingy warehouse.....

3) Get-together with other teams in your area and cooperate in seeking a space where you can each have "secret" practice time as well as open practice and scrimmages.