By Evan Yan
A new scoreboard is one of the most visible purchases a school athletic program makes, and it serves the school for many seasons. Here are the decisions in the order most schools make them.
1. Which Sports Will It Serve?
The sport decides what the board must show: down and yards to go for football, fouls and possession for basketball, balls, strikes and outs for baseball, penalty timers for hockey. One gym board can often cover basketball, volleyball and wrestling, and a multi-purpose board can serve a shared field. Buying for a ballpark? See our baseball scoreboard buying guide.
2. Indoors or Outdoors?
Outdoor boards are larger, sealed against weather and much brighter. Indoor boards are lighter and mount on a wall or ceiling. See Indoor vs. Outdoor Scoreboards.
3. What Size?
Fair-Play school scoreboards run from 2’6″ wrestling boards to 45-foot stadium boards. Size comes down to the farthest seat that must read it, the space where it mounts, and anything else on the structure, such as a truss, video display or sponsor sign.
4. Fixed-Digit, Hybrid or LED Video?
A fixed-digit board is the most economical. A hybrid adds an LED video display for replays and sponsor ads. A full LED video board shows anything but needs someone to run it. Compare them in Fixed-Digit vs. Hybrid vs. LED Video Scoreboards.
5. Colors, Names and Sponsors
Choose from 18 scoreboard colors and 15 trim colors, add your school name on a truss or top sign, and add Electronic Team Names. A bottom sign can carry up to five sponsor panels to help offset the cost.
6. Budget
Price depends on size, options and installation, so every project is quoted individually. Your Fair-Play dealer or a Fair-Play sales representative provides a free quote. See How Much Does a Scoreboard Cost? for what drives the price.
Quick Checklist
- Sports, setting and mounting location
- Distance to the farthest seat
- Width that fits the space
- School colors, team names and name sign
- Video display now or later
- Number of sponsor panels
- Who approves it, and the first game it must be ready for
Ready to see your scoreboard? Create a free preliminary design at design.fair-play.com. Your Fair-Play dealer or a Fair-Play sales representative prepares the quote, and Fair-Play’s Engineering Department prepares the final engineering. Questions? Call +1 (800) 247-0265 or email [email protected].