MUGA markings for multi-use games areas

What are MUGA markings?

MUGA markings are colour-coded thermoplastic court lines that set out two or more sports, such as netball, basketball, tennis and mini football, on one multi-use games area, so a single hard court can host several games in PE lessons and clubs.

In its guidance on school playing fields, sportscotland describes MUGAs as small areas used mainly for playing and practising sport, normally enclosed by a ball-stop fence or rebound wall, with a surface of tar macadam, porous concrete, polymeric or artificial grass.

Sport England's design guidance adds that putting several courts in one MUGA makes supervision easier and widens the range of games.

We mark the lines. Our thermoplastic is heat-bonded to sound tarmac or macadam, and every layout here belongs to our wider range of sports court and MUGA line markings.

What types of MUGA markings do we install?

At Uniplay, our design range includes six multi-sport MUGA layouts, from the two-sport Netball/Mini Football Court to a four-sport Multi Court for netball, basketball, tennis and mini football, plus single-sport courts that can join them.

Every multi-sport layout is drawn on a 30m x 15m rectangle, with each sport's lines laid over the same ground, and the survey shows which one suits your court.

• Multi Court: a yellow outer court with semicircles at each end and a red tennis-style court over the middle, so team games and net games share one surface.
• Multi Court for netball, basketball, tennis and mini football: our fullest overlay, with a centre line, central circles and shooting keys at each end.
• Netball / Basketball Court: netball thirds alongside a basketball key, centre circle and three-point arc at each end.
• Basketball / Football Court: a football pitch with centre circle, halfway line and goal areas, overlaid with basketball keys, free-throw circles and three-point arcs.
• Netball / Football Court: football lines with netball thirds, a centre circle and semicircular shooting arcs, set out for PE lessons, netball and small-sided football.
• Netball/Mini Football Court: netball thirds and shooting circles with a football centre line, centre spot and goal areas, our lowest-priced pairing.
• Handball, Hockey and Rounders Courts: single-sport layouts of 40m x 20m, 25m x 15m and 18.5m x 17.5m that join a MUGA where the space allows.

What size is a multi-use games area (MUGA)?

A multi-use games area (MUGA) built to Sport England's typical layouts measures 36.6m x 21.35m for tennis, netball and mini tennis, or 37m x 18.5m for five-a-side football, with the run-off space around the lines included.

Run-off is the safety margin between the playing lines and the fence. The courts within a MUGA follow each governing body's dimensions, which Sport England sets side by side in its comparative sizes guidance for outdoor pitches and courts.

Our multi-sport designs are drawn at 30m x 15m, a fraction inside the 30.5m x 15.25m netball court. Where there is room we mark to recognised court dimensions, and where space is tight we scale the court down and tell you honestly at survey which sports fit.

A court for competition needs the full lines plus run-off, which takes a netball court to at least 34.5m x 18.25m, so we set every MUGA out within the area you actually have.

The sportscotland guidance accepts the trade-off, noting that a MUGA's range of use leads to compromise, particularly in dimensions and in how the surface plays.

How much do MUGA markings cost?

MUGA markings cost from around £595 for our two-sport Netball/Mini Football Court to about £1,695 for our four-sport Multi Court with netball, basketball, tennis and mini football lines, supplied and fitted.

These are guide prices that include installation and exclude VAT. The final figure comes from the survey, because the size of the area, the number of sports, lines and colours, and the state of the surface all change the work.

Each added sport brings more lines and another colour, which is why the four-sport layout costs nearly three times the simplest pairing.

The guide price covers the lines. A single-sport court such as rounders can join your MUGA from £395, and resurfacing, if your court needs it, is priced as a separate job. Ask for a free survey and we will price your exact layout.

Which sports combine well on a MUGA?

A MUGA combines netball, basketball, tennis and small-sided football most naturally, and SAPCA, the UK trade association for sports and play construction, names tennis, netball, basketball, football and hockey as the sports most commonly played on multi-use games areas.

Rounders, volleyball, athletics training and rugby training also appear on SAPCA's list of other sports a MUGA can host.

The surface decides which pairings play well. Sport England's design guidance sorts MUGAs into five types: on porous macadam (Types 1 and 2) or a polymeric netball court (Type 3), tennis or netball comes first, with mini tennis and basketball as secondary sports.

A softer polymeric court (Type 4) suits recreational football and basketball and is not recommended for tennis or netball, while artificial grass (Type 5) suits hockey and five-a-side football.

Whenever two or more sports share one facility, Sport England expects some compromise in performance, so it pays to decide which sport matters most before the plan is drawn.

For the full court details of each game, see our pages on netball court markings, basketball court markings, tennis court markings and football pitch markings.

How do several sports courts fit into one MUGA footprint?

Several sports courts fit into one MUGA footprint because the netball, basketball and tennis courts are close enough in size for their lines to share one rectangle about 30m long and 15m wide, with each sport drawn in its own colour.

In our layouts, the netball thirds split the court into three, the shooting semicircles, basketball keys and three-point arcs share the ends, and a tennis-style court can be laid over the middle.

Some lines do double duty. On our four-sport Multi Court, one centre line, the central circles and the shooting keys at each end serve several team games.

Extra lines also make a court harder to read, and Sport England's guidance calls it unwise to add lines just for completeness when a sport is unlikely to be played often.

At survey we work out which courts fit and where lines can overlap without confusing players. Larger single-sport courts need more room: our Handball Court is 40m x 20m, our Rounders Court needs a space at least 17.5m wide, and our 25m x 15m Hockey Court fits inside the usual multi-court rectangle.

What colours are MUGA line markings for each sport?

MUGA line markings use a different colour for each sport, and Sport England's rule of thumb marks the most frequently played sport in white, the second in yellow, then blue and red, so players can follow one colour per game.

The same guidance notes that The FA has chosen blue for 9v9 football lines, and it recommends taking advice on the most suitable combination of colours for the sports you include.

We agree that combination with you. Each sport keeps one colour across the whole court, and the scaled court plan shows the colour for each sport before any line goes down.

Our two-sport designs pair colours like this: white football lines with yellow netball on the Netball / Football Court and the Netball/Mini Football Court, white netball thirds with yellow and red basketball lines on the Netball / Basketball Court, and white football with red basketball on the Basketball / Football Court.

The four-sport Multi Court adds blue to white, yellow and red, and our Hockey Court is outlined in blue.

Players follow their own colour and look past the rest, so each line colour also needs to stand out against the court surface.

Do MUGA markings need a new court surface?

MUGA markings go onto your existing tarmac or macadam court as long as it is sound and free-draining, because the thermoplastic lines are heat-bonded to the surface, and resurfacing a worn MUGA is a separate job from marking it.

Building or rebuilding a court is construction work. SAPCA's code of practice for outdoor MUGAs, published in September 2021, sets out the construction requirements and specifications used to build one.

For a new court, Sport England's guidance asks for an open-textured, carefully graded macadam in place of the standard car-park mix common in school playgrounds.

If your court is sound but tired, our full-colour surface coatings service covers the surface itself.

The state of the surface also shapes the price and the warranty, which depends on the condition of the ground.

How are MUGA markings installed?

MUGA markings are installed in four stages, from a survey of the usable area and a scaled court plan to surface preparation and thermoplastic lines heat-bonded to the agreed setout, all carried out by our own team.

A single court usually goes down in a day, and a full MUGA takes a little longer.

There is no wet cure time. The lines are ready to use within about 30 minutes of laying, once they have cooled.

Rain can hold the work up: at Rivers Primary Academy, a couple of wet days stopped play before our team completed the installation.

• Survey: we measure the usable area and note the gradient, drainage and any obstacles.
• Plan: you get a scaled court plan, so PE staff can check the layout and dimensions before we lay a line.
• Preparation: we prepare the surface and set the lines out to the agreed plan.
• Laying: preformed thermoplastic, cut to shape before it reaches site, handles fine detail, larger colour fills are hot-applied by hand, and every line is heat-bonded to the surface.

How long do MUGA markings last?

Thermoplastic MUGA markings carry a warranty of up to four years, subject to the condition of the ground, and we have seen preformed thermoplastic markings last for over 10 years.

Our thermoplastic lasts up to 10 times longer than ordinary paint.

Painted lines need far more upkeep, and sportscotland's maintenance schedule for macadam and porous concrete courts lists repainting lines, as required, every year.

On a MUGA, the pivots, sprints and sudden stops of several sports all land on the same lines, which is where a harder-wearing material earns its keep.

The ground sets the limit. Cracked, lifting or poorly drained tarmac shortens the life of any line, which is why the warranty depends on the condition of the surface.

When lines do wear, we can refresh them on a return visit.

Why choose Uniplay for MUGA markings?

At Uniplay, we plan and lay MUGA markings with our own in-house, DBS-checked installation team, and we have delivered multi-use games areas from Highwall Park in Rotherham to Rivers Primary Academy in Walsall.

We are based in Blackburn, Lancashire, and work for schools, nurseries and councils across the UK and Ireland. We are a Constructionline Silver Member and a CHAS Accredited Contractor.

At Highwall Park MUGA in Rotherham, we worked on behalf of Proludic on a new multi-use games area in one of South Yorkshire's new residential developments, a central community space where residents of all ages exercise, play and socialise.

At Rivers Primary Academy in Walsall, Sport Lead James Perrins wanted a complete makeover of the playground, and our team installed playground markings and sports surfacing. James told us: “We love what they've created so much, we'd engaged them for a second project at our sister school!”

Book a free survey and we will show you, on a scaled plan, which sports your court can carry.