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There's an old joke politicians like to tell: place all the economists in the world end-to-end and they will still all point in different directions. Fortunately, churches wishing to buy playground and recreational equipment don't have that same problem with equipment manufacturers. Instead, manufacturers and suppliers line up in agreement on virtually all important requirements for buying the best equipment for church recreational areas.

The first area of agreement is safety. Without a doubt, all makers of playground and recreation equipment emphasize safety as the first requirement for playground equipment. "Buy good equipment that is safe to use," says Ron Ensz, president of Future Pro, Inc., a provider of sports equipment. "And buying safe equipment isn't necessarily obvious. For example, a soccer goal might be of a very good quality, but what if it's in use without padding? Is it still as safe as it can be? A running hit [into] equipment that isn't as safe as it can be can have tragic consequences."

The next important consideration is the space that's available and how it's configured. Is the space appropriate for the activities and equipment you have in mind? Fortunately, products are available that will accommodate nearly any type of space. "Basketball hoops are a good example," says Terry Coffey, media relations manager for Draper, Inc., also a provider of sports equipment. "Hoops can be purchased that fold forward, backward, or sideways, depending on need. Equipment can be purchased for just about any area."

Buy equipment designed for the space you have available. "If you purchase equipment that might be good for a large area, but you're dealing with a small area, you might be in trouble," says Coffey. "Carefully select the type and amount of equipment that fits the space allotted. If you have space for six basketball courts, for example, and you buy equipment for six courts, you have the making of a lot of happy players. Otherwise, the space is wasted."

Because many churches don't have an area dedicated solely to recreational use, equipment must be moved and stored when not in use. In these cases, the church also needs space to store equipment. Be sure to look closely at the portability features of the equipment. Can it be easily moved and efficiently stored?

Consider who will do the moving. "Sometimes, all you can muster are the ladies who are about to use a room," says Kelli Mollett, creative director for Sport Court, a maker of indoor and outdoor sport surfaces. "Can they move the equipment to make room for their meeting? Not always. Buy appropriately—having a bunch of burly men around to move what might be a very heavy piece of equipment, despite being well made, is not always possible."

If you plan on hosting league or tournament play, make sure everything measures up. "It's fine to have a church be the site of a local school's games, but when school athletic requirements come into play, the [space] limits can also be their own downfall," says Wendy Norris of Upward, a sports league ministry. "Allowing a school to use your grounds for a tournament game can earn a church tremendous goodwill. But if it turns out that a game was played on a field or court that isn't to regulations, you will have earned yourself a lot of bad public relations."

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