We were brought in to build the base for a new multi-use games area at a school near Clitheroe — the groundwork that every MUGA relies on before line marking, fencing, or play equipment goes anywhere near it. A MUGA is only ever as good as the surface it sits on, and on a school site that surface has to deal with daily use, British weather, and a lot of running feet.
Building the base
The starting point was to strip the existing ground, excavate to formation, and build a compacted stone sub-base across the full footprint of the court. Getting the levels right at this stage is the whole game — any dips or falls in the sub-base will telegraph straight through the finished surface and show up the first time it rains.
Once the sub-base was true, we laid a dense bitumen macadam in layers, each rolled and compacted to give a tight, even finish across the entire area. The result is a smooth, hard-wearing platform with a consistent fall to shed surface water — exactly what a school multi-use games area needs.
Why tarmac for a school MUGA
Tarmac is the workhorse base for multi-use games areas for good reason. It’s robust enough to take years of break-time use, it gives a stable, predictable ball bounce for netball, basketball and five-a-side, and it accepts thermoplastic or paint line markings cleanly. Paired with a coloured acrylic sports coating or left as a plain macadam court, the base is what determines how the surface performs long term.
For schools in particular, a well-built tarmac MUGA means fewer maintenance headaches — no loose surfacing, no infill to top up, no seams to come apart — and a court that drains properly so lessons and clubs aren’t called off after every shower. You can read more about the full build-up on our multi-use games area service page.
Finishing touches
With the base complete, the site is ready for the next stages — sports line markings, perimeter fencing, and in this case a combined goal and basketball unit that’s already been positioned at one end. The yellow frame gives the school a dual-sport setup in a single footprint, which is a sensible use of space on a school playing field.
Working in the Ribble Valley
Clitheroe sits in a part of Lancashire where schools often have generous outdoor space but challenging ground conditions — sloping sites, heavy clay, and the kind of rainfall that punishes a poorly drained surface. A properly specified tarmac base takes all of that in its stride, which is why it remains our default recommendation for a school MUGA.
If your school, academy or trust in Clitheroe or the wider Ribble Valley is planning a new multi-use games area — or replacing a tired one — get in touch and we’ll come out, look at the site, and put together a sensible plan.
