It’s important for your court to have clear-cut lines that are correct for the sports you’re using the court for. If you have a court designated for a singular sport, this is easier. However, if you have a multi-sport court, sport court lines can get a bit tricky. Here is what you need to know about sport court lines, what they do, how often they need to be redone, and how to choose colors for different sport court lines.
Why Sport Court Lines Are Important

Sport court lines indicate boundaries. They help people know where to start, to resume, what different shots are worth, as well as what is in or out of bounds.
Different sports have different sport court lines according to the needs of the game. Using basketball as an example, it has lane lines, free throw lines, three-point lines, midcourt lines, baselines/endlines/sidelines, and the like.
Some sports have similar lines, but small differences, like badminton and tennis. Since there are differences between the two, having the lines done in different colors prevents confusion on a multi-sport court that otherwise has identical lines.
Ensure That The Lines Are Easy To See
You must ensure that your sport court lines are easy to see so that people can focus on gameplay and enjoy using your court. Faded or worn lines can make games difficult and confusing and can lead to frustration in multiple different ways.
Since sport court lines play such an important role in gameplay, you need to ensure that people can easily see the lines on the court. Imagine the mayhem that would ensue if people couldn’t tell whether or not someone was out of bounds or how many points their team just got.

Durable as sport court lines are, they need to be redone due to wear and tear, as well as environmental factors, especially if your court is outside.
About Shadowlines
Multi-sport courts are good for when people want to be able to use the same court for multiple different sports, such as basketball, pickleball, tennis, badminton, and the like. Wondering about sport court lines when multiple sports are played on the same court? This is where shadowlines come into play.
Shadowlines are for multi-sport courts where multiple sports are played on the same court. The primary sport has the most obvious lines while the other sports’ lines are still obvious and visible, but more faded than the primary sport. Shadow lines are slightly lighter/faded or a completely different color in order to differentiate between each sports’ boundaries.
If the lines for each of the sports on a multi-sport court are the same color, this leads to confusion. Making them different colors or one a more faded shade than the other makes it easier for people to focus on the sport they want to play and to switch gears with ease.
Choosing Colors For Your Sport Court Lines
The lines with the most importance are drawn before the other lines. The lines are planned carefully in order to avoid overlapping and color-coded. The most frequent color combinations are white for the primary sport, then yellow, blue, red, and black for other sports, but this can be customized according to your desires.
You want to choose colors that are suitable for your court colors, so that they are easy to see against the color of your court surface. People typically choose white for primary sports in outdoor courts.
Materials For Sport Court Lines
Sport court lines must be made from durable and resilient materials, since sport courts see a lot of use. The EPA advises using environmentally benign materials for this purpose. You cannot use paints that can wash off into bodies of water, storm water drains, or roadside gutters, as this would negatively impact the environment.

Utah Court Surfacing does both acrylic and epoxy sport court lines for indoor and outdoor sports courts. We follow regulations for each sport when doing lines. We can also adjust your lines accordingly, for instance by doing a half basketball court or just the key. Regardless of whether you are playing for fun or professionally, you deserve top quality sport court lines that will help you enjoy your court for years to come.
Contact us today for more information about our sport court services, from court construction to court resurfacing to sport court lines, and more.
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