Why are all our sports halls blue?

05-06-2023

It may seem like an odd question, until you notice the pattern.

Take a look at our Paignton Academy, University of York, and St Mary’s Middle School projects. Three examples of Rubb sports halls featuring blue flooring, blue rebound boards, and blue division nets—complete with smaller blue detailing, like basketball board trims or tennis net poles.

Just three examples, but you can look through our case studies if you need more evidence that we love blue for our sports projects.

Your first thought may be branding—light blue does go very well with Rubb’s logo. Though we appreciate some good colour coordination every now and again, we always choose the colour best fit for the project.

In this case, the answer is simple: Sport England’s guidelines.

In its ‘Sports Halls Design and Layouts’ guide from 2012, Sport England suggests either blue or green as the best interior colours for sports halls, noting that this is most important when badminton will be played to allow for contrast with shuttlecocks. The guidelines even detail the Dulux colour codes: blue, 86 BG 43/321; green, 30 GG 40/290.

These are just suggestions, and it notes that the most important thing is to avoid white. But if that’s the case, why is blue so prevalent?

1. Visibility and contrast

Blue is often used because it provides good contrast with most sports equipment and uniforms. This makes it easier for players to track the movement of the ball or other players. It also provides a good, contrasting background for court markings which are often white, yellow, red, and green.

2. Psychological effects

Blue is often associated with calmness, concentration, and cooling. It’s thought to have a soothing effect on both the mind and body, which can be beneficial in high-stress sports environments.

3. Standardisation

In some sports, certain colours may be standardised. For example, in tennis, the colour of the courts in Grand Slam tournaments is usually blue because it provides good contrast with the yellow tennis balls and is friendly for TV broadcasts. Blue courts came in very handy for the University of York project, which broadcasts its Roses competition.

4. Light reflection

Lighter shades of blue can reflect light very well, which can help to increase the overall brightness of the sports hall, especially during daytime. Sport England suggests colours with a reflectance value of 30-50%. This, in conjunction with Rubb’s translucent ceilings, can provide a very bright playing area.