Protect the Court. Welcome the Player. Grow the Business.
How sports facility owners can balance court maintenance, customer experience and new revenue opportunities.
Behind every well-maintained badminton court, squash court or indoor sports facility is a significant investment. Some owners build facilities as commercial ventures, hoping to create sustainable businesses around the growing demand for recreational sport. Others are driven by a passion for sport, a desire to nurture young talent or a commitment to making sporting opportunities more accessible to their communities. Many combine both motivations.
Regardless of the reason, one thing is common: the court must remain safe, playable and attractive to customers if the facility is to fulfil its purpose. Yet facility owners face a surprisingly difficult dilemma. The very rules introduced to protect their courts can sometimes create barriers for potential customers.
A family arrives with a child who wants to try badminton but has no dedicated non-marking shoes. A group of friends books a court at short notice, only to discover that their everyday sneakers are not permitted. A first-time player is unwilling to purchase specialist footwear before knowing whether they will continue with the sport.
The facility owner now faces a choice: enforce the footwear policy and potentially lose the booking, or make an exception that may conflict with the court's maintenance and safety requirements.
What if there were a practical way to protect the court without turning away so many first-time and occasional players?
1. The court is more than a playing surface. It is a business asset.
A sports facility's flooring is not an ordinary floor.
Wooden sports floors, synthetic mats, vinyl surfaces and other specialist systems are designed for particular playing conditions. Their performance depends on appropriate installation, cleaning, maintenance and use.
For example, the International Basketball Federation's FIBA Venue Guide recommends allowing only clean, non-marking footwear on indoor basketball courts. It also highlights the importance of removing debris brought in on footwear and maintaining flooring according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Badminton flooring manufacturers similarly advise facilities to restrict play to appropriate non-marking footwear and to keep outdoor dirt away from playing surfaces.
These precautions are not simply about appearances. Marks, dust and debris can affect court cleanliness and potentially influence the playing experience. Footwear must also provide appropriate traction for the movements involved in the sport.
Sources: FIBA Venue Guide — Venue Operations and Hundred India — Court Flooring and Maintenance Guidance.
For a facility owner, protecting the playing surface is therefore a sensible operational priority.
The challenge arises when the rules designed to protect that investment unintentionally prevent potential customers from using the facility.
2. The first-time player dilemma
Consider a parent who has booked a badminton court for an hour with their 11-year-old child.
The child has watched friends play and wants to try the sport. The parent has no objection to encouraging the interest, but is understandably reluctant to spend several thousand rupees on specialist shoes before knowing whether the child will enjoy regular training.
They arrive wearing comfortable, everyday sneakers.
The facility's rules require non-marking court footwear. The family is turned away or asked to arrange suitable shoes before playing.
From the owner's perspective, the decision is understandable. The court must be protected, and footwear requirements cannot simply be ignored.
From the customer's perspective, however, the experience is frustrating. A potentially new player has encountered an obstacle before even stepping onto the court.
What might have been the beginning of a long-term sporting habit becomes a missed opportunity.
This situation can occur with children attending trial sessions, adults exploring a new sport, visiting guests and recreational players who book courts only occasionally.
Not every rejected booking would have become a repeat customer. Nor is every customer without suitable footwear necessarily willing to pay for a rental alternative.
But the underlying business question remains: Could facilities accommodate more eligible players without compromising their footwear standards?
3. The opposite choice can be costly, too
Suppose an owner decides to be flexible and allows players to enter the court in regular outdoor shoes.
This may resolve the immediate customer-service problem, but it can introduce other concerns.
Outdoor footwear can carry dust, grit and debris onto indoor surfaces. Some soles may leave marks, while footwear designed for walking or running may not provide the traction and lateral support required for a particular court sport.
The precise risks depend on the shoe, the floor and the activity. Not every regular sneaker will mark every surface, and a shoe's appearance alone cannot establish whether it is suitable.
That is why facility owners should follow the flooring manufacturer's recommendations and their own sport-specific footwear policies rather than make assumptions based solely on a shoe's colour or style.
The long-term objective should not be to relax every rule to secure an additional booking. It should be to find a reliable way of making the facility accessible to more customers while maintaining appropriate playing conditions.
4. What about keeping rental shoes?
One conventional solution is to provide dedicated court shoes for customers who arrive without their own.
This can be effective, but it also creates an operational responsibility.
A facility that rents footwear needs an appropriate process for:
- Purchasing and maintaining different sizes.
- Inspecting shoes for wear, damage and fit.
- Cleaning and drying footwear between users.
- Managing stock availability during busy periods.
- Replacing shoes as they deteriorate.
- Establishing clear rental terms and hygiene procedures.
There may also be a customer-experience issue. Some players are reluctant to wear shoes previously used by strangers, even when a facility has a cleaning protocol.
This does not mean that properly maintained rental footwear is inherently unsafe or unhygienic. It means that facilities must consider the cost, labour, storage and customer preferences associated with running a rental service.
For a busy facility, these are manageable operational questions. For a smaller academy, they may represent another layer of complexity.
Could a different approach reduce some of these barriers?
5. A new approach: help players use their own suitable sneakers
This is where SoleD offers a different possibility.
SoleD is a clip-on sole accessory designed to help convert compatible regular sneakers into non-marking footwear for supported court sports.
Rather than requiring every first-time player to purchase a dedicated pair of court shoes immediately, a facility can explore offering SoleD as an alternative for customers whose own sneakers are compatible with the product.
The idea is straightforward: make it easier for people to arrive, prepare for play and participate without having to buy an entirely separate pair of specialist shoes before their first session.
For facility owners, this could open up several opportunities.
A. A more accessible first visit
Parents may be more willing to book a trial session if they have an alternative to purchasing specialist footwear straightaway.
A beginner can bring suitable personal sneakers and use SoleD, subject to compatibility and the facility's approval.
This may help reduce one of the barriers encountered by people who are curious about a sport but not yet ready to invest heavily in equipment.
B. An option for spontaneous bookings
Recreational sport often involves last-minute plans.
A group of colleagues decides to play badminton after work. Friends book a squash court over the weekend. A family wants to try pickleball while visiting a sports complex.
Not everyone will have dedicated court shoes with them.
A facility offering an approved footwear alternative may be better positioned to accommodate these customers than one that can only turn them away or rely on available rental stock.
C. An additional service for academies
Academies regularly introduce beginners to sports. Trial sessions are an opportunity to attract new students, but footwear requirements can complicate the first visit.
SoleD could be offered as an optional service for eligible trial participants, allowing the academy to explore a more convenient introduction to court sports.
If customers find the solution useful, the academy may also be able to offer it for purchase through an agreed partnership arrangement.
The suitability of the product should always be established for the specific sport, flooring system and facility rules.
6. Can SoleD create an additional revenue stream?
Yes, potentially—but the commercial model should be designed around the facility's actual demand and operating costs.
There are two possible approaches.
Model 1: Rental or pay-per-use
A facility can explore offering compatible SoleD units for a fee to eligible players who arrive without dedicated court shoes.
Potential advantages include:
- Revenue from a service that supports court bookings.
- An alternative to purchasing and maintaining a full range of conventional rental shoes.
- An additional option for first-time and occasional players.
- A service that can be tested on a limited scale before wider adoption.
The facility would still need to determine how to manage sizing and compatibility, cleaning, inspection, product life, stock availability and customer instructions. The appropriate cleaning process should follow the product manufacturer's guidance.
Model 2: Retail sales or academy partnerships
Facilities can also explore selling SoleD to interested customers or participating in an academy partnership programme, subject to agreed commercial terms.
A player who frequently visits the facility may prefer to own the product rather than rent it on every visit.
This can create an opportunity to serve the customer beyond a single booking, while giving the facility another relevant product to offer its sporting community.
A simple illustration of the rental opportunity
Consider a hypothetical facility that makes an approved footwear accessory available at ₹50 per use.
If it records 10 paid uses per day for 26 days a month, gross rental revenue would be:
10 uses × ₹50 × 26 days = ₹13,000 per month.
That equals ₹1,56,000 in annual gross rental revenue if the same usage continues for 12 months.
These figures are illustrative, not a forecast or a claim about expected SoleD sales. Actual results would depend on local demand, the number of available units, utilisation, pricing, cleaning and handling costs, replacements and other operating expenses.
The important point is that a facility can test the model on a small scale, measure actual usage and decide whether it merits expansion.
7. The value may extend beyond rental fees
The most interesting opportunity may not be the rental revenue alone.
A customer who cannot meet the footwear requirements may leave without playing. If the facility offers a suitable alternative, that customer may be able to proceed with the booking.
A child who has a positive first experience may return for additional sessions. A casual player may become a regular customer. A parent may eventually invest in dedicated footwear once the child demonstrates a sustained interest in the sport.
None of these outcomes is guaranteed, and SoleD cannot eliminate every reason a customer might choose not to book.
However, the facility can create an additional pathway for eligible customers who would otherwise face a footwear-related barrier.
This is particularly relevant for facilities that want to encourage recreational participation alongside serving regular players.
The broader commercial proposition is simple: an approved footwear alternative may help facilities accommodate more customers, offer an additional service and make better use of existing court capacity.
8. The philanthropic dimension: making sport easier to access
Not every sports facility is built purely for profit.
Many owners, schools, clubs, trusts and community organisations invest in sport because they believe it improves physical health, confidence, discipline and social connection.
For such organisations, access matters alongside maintenance and financial sustainability.
A child should be able to discover a love for badminton without necessarily needing to make every specialist equipment purchase before the first lesson. At the same time, the facility must protect its surface and provide an appropriate playing environment for everyone.
A suitable footwear alternative could help bridge this gap, where the facility approves its use.
The opportunity is not to lower safety or maintenance standards. It is to explore ways of meeting those standards without creating avoidable barriers for newcomers.
A more accessible first experience can benefit the individual player, the academy and the wider sporting community.
9. What facility owners should consider before adopting an alternative
Any new footwear solution must be evaluated on its practical merits, not just its commercial promise.
Before offering SoleD, facility owners should:
- Confirm surface compatibility. Verify that the product is suitable for the specific flooring system and sport.
- Establish an approval process. Check the facility's rules, the flooring supplier's guidance and any relevant sporting requirements.
- Inspect fit and condition. Ensure the user's sneaker and the accessory are compatible and properly fitted.
- Set clear usage instructions. Customers should understand how to attach, use, remove and maintain the product.
- Establish hygiene procedures. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning, inspection, storage and reuse.
- Run a pilot. Begin with a limited number of units and track utilisation, customer feedback, operational effort and revenue.
- Review the economics. Compare the actual cost of operating the service with the revenue and any additional bookings it helps facilitate.
SoleD should not be treated as a universal substitute for dedicated performance footwear. Some players, sports or facilities may require specific shoes, and an accessory may not be appropriate for every situation.
The right approach is to establish suitability first, then evaluate the commercial model.
Conclusion: protect your investment without closing the door on new players
Sports facility owners face a difficult balancing act.
They must preserve the quality of their courts, follow appropriate footwear rules and maintain a safe playing environment. At the same time, they want customers to book, newcomers to participate and their facilities to remain commercially or socially sustainable.
Allowing unsuitable footwear is not the answer. Neither is assuming that every person who arrives without specialist shoes must be turned away.
There may be a middle path: an approved, practical alternative that helps suitable customers participate while respecting the requirements of the facility.
SoleD was developed around this possibility. By helping compatible regular sneakers become non-marking footwear for supported court sports, it offers facilities a solution to explore for first-time players, occasional visitors and customers who have not yet purchased dedicated court shoes.
For facility owners, the potential benefits extend from a more convenient customer experience to optional rental or retail revenue. The results will depend on suitability, demand and execution—but the opportunity is worth evaluating.
Protect the court. Welcome the player. Create more opportunities to play.
Discover SoleD at soled.in.
References and further reading
- International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Venue Guide — Venue Operations. Guidance on court flooring, footwear cleanliness, non-marking footwear and floor maintenance. Read the guide.
- Hundred India. Court Neo — Court Flooring and Maintenance Guidance. Includes recommendations concerning non-marking footwear, outdoor dirt and court-mat maintenance. Read the guidance.
- Sports Authority of India. Sports Guidelines — Maintenance and Service of Sports Equipment. Includes general guidance on maintaining sports surfaces and equipment. Read the guidelines.
Editorial note: Rental income, increased bookings and reductions in operational costs are potential outcomes, not guaranteed results. Facility owners should verify product and flooring compatibility and comply with their own facility policies before offering any footwear accessory.
