Choose the correct facility guidance
Indoor practice, open outdoor nets and covered outdoor facilities are not interchangeable categories. Identify the facility type and playing level before adopting a dimensional table.
For example, the ECB's 2025 covered outdoor facility guide gives a recreational lane width of 3.60 m, 23.00 m netting length measured from the back of the practice net, and 4.50 m to the underside of the practice net. These figures belong to that guide's covered-facility layout and must be read with its other requirements. ECB covered outdoor cricket design guide, Table 2.
Three 3.60 m lanes have a combined lane width of 10.80 m. That is not the total building or enclosure width: margins, surrounding netting, structure and access remain additional.
Count shared dividers once
For an illustrative three-lane rectangular arrangement, assume each lane is 3.6 m wide, netted for 23 m in length and 4.5 m high. Three lanes have four longitudinal net planes when adjacent lanes share dividers: two outside faces and two internal dividers.
Their geometric area is 4 × 23 × 4.5 = 414 m². A roof over the full 10.8 m width has a geometric area of 10.8 × 23 = 248.4 m². One rear net plane has an area of 10.8 × 4.5 = 48.6 m².
Those selected planes total 711 m². This is a geometry exercise, not a fabrication order: front arrangements, overlaps, slack, hems, doors and the system's construction allowances remain to be designed.
Counting each lane as a completely separate box would double-count shared dividers. Conversely, treating the enclosure as one box would omit them.
Specify ball containment at the interfaces
Show how side, roof and rear netting meet and how access is controlled during use. A suitable central mesh does not compensate for an opening at a seam, door or ground edge. Identify the ball type and intended use for the net supplier's assessment.
The amount of net movement under impact affects the required space behind the net. Do not place rigid obstructions close to a flexible net without checking the designed clearance. Keep the support cables and frame arrangement associated with the net specification.
| Interface | Detail to resolve |
|---|---|
| Shared divider | Continuous separation and access arrangement |
| Side to roof | Connection and overlap or seam detail |
| Rear net | Movement space and surrounding obstacles |
| Entrance | Controlled route outside active ball paths |
| Perimeter junction | Separate duty of ground fence and practice enclosure |
Specify the access configuration used during practice
Show how players enter, where equipment is placed and which net openings remain closed during each intended activity. An opening that is convenient for collecting balls can create a different containment condition while another lane is active. The operating arrangement needs to be included in the facility review.
For retractable or movable dividers, identify the approved positions and how the net is retained in each one. Do not assume that every partial opening is an acceptable playing configuration. The supplier's instructions and the facility's assessment should explain how transitions are managed.
Label net panels and divider references on the plan. If damage is reported, the operator can then identify the affected lane and plane rather than requesting a replacement net of roughly the right size. Keep the edge, seam and attachment details with that reference so the replacement restores the intended enclosure rather than only matching its central mesh.
Plan inspection around actual use
Before play, the operator should follow the applicable inspection procedure for net condition, attachments, entrances and surrounding space. Record damage by net panel or location so a repair request identifies the correct component.
For a multi-lane facility, show which lanes can be used together and which configurations require separation or closure. The procurement drawing should not imply that every possible curtain position is an approved playing arrangement.
Use sports fencing selection for the outer boundary and sports corners and dividers for transitions. Keep the practice-net schedule distinct from the ground-fence schedule so quantities and performance claims remain attached to the correct system.