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Line service helps sports clubs color inside the lines
On a good base, it is easy to work. Precisely for this reason, more and more sports and soccer clubs are entrusting the first lines of the season to Footline. Throughout the year, too, the Antwerp-based company's lineation service is now well-requested. “Many clubs depend on volunteers for the daily lineation of their fields,” explains Footline's Marc Tratsaert. “We offer them a clear handhold with our lineation service and thus help to avoid mistakes and possible cancellations.”
Footline is known in the sports world primarily as a distributor of Pitchmark line marking paints and a wide range of supporting equipment, from goals, nets and dugouts to a growing range of line marking equipment. The most recent addition to that range are SWOZI's lineation robots. “For sports clubs with multiple fields and locations, such a lineation robot is an interesting investment,” Tratsaert said. “If desired, we can even work with a leasing formula. However, we realize all too well that this is not for everyone. That is why we are putting at least as much effort into service.”
First of all, Footline pays due attention to the first lineation of the season. After all, it is not easy to lay out the correct lines on a completely empty field, and certainly cities, municipalities and amateur clubs usually do not have the right expertise for this precise task. “Depending on the situation, we use a lineation robot or the classic method with cord. The advantage of the robot is that once the field is set up in our system, we can act very quickly. For example, a soccer field can be lined in just over half an hour. The disadvantage is that trees or stands can disturb the accessibility and signal. In such situations, therefore, the traditional method remains the best.”
As a distributor of Pitchmark's high-quality lineation paints, Footline also pays due attention to paint selection when performing initial lineation. “Here we look especially at the surface. If it is a field with relatively little grass, for example, we will choose a firmer paint. In our range of concentrate paints and ready-to-use variants, there is a durable solution for every field.”
As soon as the first line is set, most clubs can in principle take care of the follow-up themselves. After all, it suffices to regularly go over the initial lines. “Unfortunately, that doesn't rule out mistakes happening,” Tratsaert notes. “The wrong equipment, unevenness in the field or a moment of haste or inattention can already cause deviations. This often seems minimal at first, but the more often the lines are crossed like this, the greater the margin of error can become. At the end of the season we sometimes see differences of 10 or 20 cm this way.”
To avoid such deviations, maintenance lines are also part of Footline's services. There are standard packages with monthly or weekly maintenance, but a customized frequency can also be arranged. “When tournaments or events take place and sports clubs temporarily need smaller fields for this purpose, we also provide appropriate line marking,” Tratsaert adds.
Footline's siding team now consists of three people and travels throughout the country to line and realign sports fields - be it soccer, rugby, American football or athletics. In addition to their expertise in aligning fields, they bring with them a thorough knowledge of Footline's product range. “For sports clubs, it's nice that they can couple the lineation service with a conversation about or supply of all materials for on and around the field,” Tratsaert believes. “That way they kill two birds with one stone.”
